Bollington

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Bollington
Coordinates: 53.2987° N 2.093° W
Population	7,095
OS grid reference	SJ9377
Parish	Bollington
District	Macclesfield
Shire county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MACCLESFIELD
Postcode district	SK10
Dial code	01625
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Macclesfield
European Parliament	North West England
List of places: UK • England • Cheshire

Bollington is a small town ^[1] in Cheshire, England, north of Macclesfield and east of Prestbury. In the Middle Ages it was part of the Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield.

Bollington is also known locally as the Happy Valley. It is situated on the River Dean and the Macclesfield Canal.

Bollington's most famous landmark is White Nancy, a monument that some say was built to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo in the Napoleonic Wars at the summit of Kerridge Hill.

Bollington used to be served by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple railway, a former railway between Marple Rose Hill and Macclesfield. The railway was built to serve the cotton mills of Bollington and Kerridge stone quarries as well as the coal fields in the area, principally at Poynton. The line was closed in 1970 because British Rail was losing money on the line. Now it is a popular place for walking and riding horses and is known as the Middlewood Way.

Contents 1 Cotton mills 2 Culture & Activities 3 Famous Residents & Natives 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Cotton mills

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Bollington was a major centre for cotton milling. At one time there were as many as thirteen mills in the town, many along the valley of the River Dean, but none are still working in cotton or other fibres, and only four original mills remain in modern commercial use.

Three of the remaining mills, Adelphi, Clarence and Lowerhouse, are in good condition and in full use. The top floors of Clarence Mill have been converted to apartments and the mill also provides a number of retail outlets on the Macclesfield Canal side together with the Civic Society's Discovery Centre which tells the story of the Happy Valley, its cotton and other industries. A highlight is the society's vast photographic archive of the local area. Adephi Mill, which belonged to the Courtaulds group, was closed in the 1960s and is now converted for many small firms to operate from and has gained a new lease on life.

Lowerhouse Mill houses a thriving paper coating business. It was built by the Antrobus family, and later owned and developed by Samuel Greg, son of Samuel Greg of Quarry Bank Mill at nearby Styal, who became the manager of the Lowerhouse Mill on his father's death in 1832. Samuel (junior) was renowned for his advanced social thinking and practices, providing housing, gardens, schooling and other benefits for his workers. He gave Bollington its nickname of the Happy Valley, but in German - Goldenthal.

Lower Mill now houses part of Tullis Russell Coated Papers.

One of the oldest surviving mills in Bollington is the very small Defiance Mill built in Queen Street about 1800, now restored for residential occupation.

There is a large paper coating mill on the site of Lower Mills. The original mill was built by George Antrobus in 1792 but very little of those buildings remain. A stone built traditional mill still survives amongst the more recent brick developments. In the 1830s and 1840s this mill was rented to Thomas Oliver and Martin Swindells for the production of fine cotton thread for the Lace-making industry.

[edit] Culture & Activities

Every five or six years since 1964, the village has played host to the Bollington Festival, which runs for a fortnight and involves a huge range of community activities, from concerts to shows, to local history events, to competitions. In 2005 Canalside Community Radio was launched to provide community news and entertainment for the duration of the festival. Cousins John and Terry Waite very kindly opened the Festival.

A well liked publication, Bollington Live! is produced three times a year by volunteers. The magazine is now entering its fourteenth year, funded by local businesses who advertise. Bollington Live! covers a wide range of issues of local interest, from historical articles, to matters of current concern.

The countryside around Bollington is extremely beautiful, and hiking, cycling, riding, and walking through the hills and along the canalside are popular activities. Grimshaw Lane canal wharf is a hive of waterway activity; boats can also be hired there for daytrips and holidays.

The village is well known for its large number of pubs, most of which have escaped the plague of "modernising" that has sadly swept across the land. Many provide good food and are family-friendly.

The Recreation Ground, across the road from the library, provides a football pitch, bowling green and cricket pitch, all of which are in regular use by Bollington Cricket Club, Bollington Athletic Football Club, and the Bollington Bowling Club. Another cricket pitch located between South West Avenue and Clarke Lane, by the Lord Clyde pub, is home to Kerridge Cricket Club.

Bollington's youngsters can attend the local Youth Club and the Air Cadets at Water Street School, the Sea Cadets on Grimshaw Lane, and the various branches of the Guiding and Scouting movements are all represented. Bollington United JFC has three clubs for children ranging from under-10s to under-17s.

The village is home to a brass band, a light opera group, and amateur dramatics groups. The Bollington Arts Centre provides entertainments from stand-up comedy, chamber concerts, folk nights, drama, and art.

[edit] Famous Residents & Natives

Terry Waite, best known for having been held hostage for four years in Lebanon, but who has devoted his life to humanitarian causes, was born and lived for a short time in Bollington; his father was the village Bobby (Policeman).

Sir James Chadwick, the Nobel prize-winning scientist who proved the existence of neutrons, was born in Bollington, and attended Manchester University.

David Dickinson, of TVs 'Bargain Hunt' fame, lives in the town.

Nearby live the footballers Wayne Rooney, Wes Brown and Christiano Ronaldo

[edit] References

1. ^ Bollington Town - Cheshire County Council

[edit] External links

• Happy Valley website
• List of published references to Bollington

The Borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire
Principal Settlements	Bollington • Knutsford • Macclesfield • Wilmslow
Civil Parishes	Adlington • Agden • Alderley Edge • Ashley • Aston by Budworth • Bexton • Bollington • Bosley • Chelford • Chorley • Disley • Eaton • Gawsworth • Great Warford • Henbury • High Legh • Higher Hurdsfield • Kettleshulme • Knutsford • Little Bollington • Little Warford • Lower Withington • Lyme • Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough • Marthall • Marton • Mere • Millington • Mobberley • Mottram St. Andrew • Nether Alderley • North Rode • Ollerton • Over Alderley • Peover Inferior • Peover Superior • Pickmere • Plumley • Pott Shrigley • Poynton with Worth • Prestbury • Rainow • Rostherne • Siddington • Snelson • Sutton • Tabley Inferior • Tabley Superior • Tatton • Toft • Wincle •
Unparished Areas	Macclesfield • Wilmslow