Biddulph

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Biddulph
Biddulph high Street.jpg
Biddulph High Street
Staffordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Biddulph
Location within Staffordshire
Population19,892 (2011 Census) [1]
OS grid reference SJ8857
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Stoke-on-Trent
Postcode district ST8
Dialling code 01782
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
53°07′N2°10′W / 53.12°N 2.17°W / 53.12; -2.17

Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, 8.5 miles (14 km) north of Stoke-on-Trent and 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Congleton, Cheshire.

Contents

Origin of the name

Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon/Old English bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry". It may also stem from a corruption of the Saxon/Old English Bidulfe, meaning "wolf slayer", and the Biddulph family crest is a wolf rampant.

In the days of coal and iron, Biddulph was called Bradley Green, with the original site of Biddulph being the area in which the parish church, Grange House and the ruins of Biddulph Old Hall stand. It was not until 1930 that the town was marked on Ordnance Survey maps as Biddulph. [2]

Geography

Biddulph valley, filled with fog, from Biddulph Moor Biddulph from Biddulph Moor, December 2020.jpg
Biddulph valley, filled with fog, from Biddulph Moor

Biddulph is in a valley between the ridges of Mow Cop to the west and Biddulph Moor to the east. It encompasses the hamlets of Gillow Heath, Knypersley and Brown Lees.

Education

In common with other parts of the area administered by Staffordshire LEA, the Middle School system operates in Biddulph.

Biddulph has one high school (ages 13 to 16) with a sixth form (ages 16 to 18) called Biddulph High School, [3] it was awarded Sports College status in 2002. It has since gained Technology College status. Biddulph also has two middle schools: Woodhouse Middle School [4] (formerly Biddulph Grammar School), and James Bateman Middle School [5] (formerly Park Middle School), serving pupils aged 9–13. These are fed by several first schools, such as Kingsfield First School, Knypersley First School, Squirrel Hayes First School, Oxhey First School, and several more.

Local media

Television

Since the town is close to the Cheshire-Staffordshire border, local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada that broadcast from Salford. [6] However, the town can receive BBC West Midlands and ITV Central through satellite television such as Freesat and Sky.

Radio

The town is home to Churnet Sound radio a community radio station that broadcasts in DAB across south Cheshire and North Staffordshire. Other local radio stations are BBC Radio Stoke, Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire and Moorlands Radio.

Newspapers

The Sentinel is the local daily newspaper. There is also the Biddulph Chronicle, a weekly newspaper, which is a sister publication to the Congleton Chronicle.

Main sights

Biddulph Grange Biddulph Grange view along Dahlia Walk.jpg
Biddulph Grange
Biddulph Town Hall Biddulph Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1408911.jpg
Biddulph Town Hall

Within the valley created by the ridges of Mow Cop and Biddulph Moor, the main sights of note include; ancient burial mounds; evidence of the English Civil War; the bubonic plague; the site of the former Black Bull Colliery; tombs of possible Crusader knights; an Iron Age fort; and the site of a meeting of the Methodist movement with the Wesleys.

A dominant feature on hills above the village is Mow Cop Castle, which is a folly built in the 1750s to look like a medieval fortress and round tower.

Biddulph is also home to Biddulph Grange, a house and landscaped gardens owned by the National Trust. Adjacent to and part of the original estate is Biddulph Grange Country Park.

Biddulph Town Hall was completed in 1965. [7]

Transport

Biddulph railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1864. The station was on the Biddulph Valley Line that ran from a junction just north of Congleton on the Stoke-on-Trent – Macclesfield line to a junction south of Stoke-on-Trent station. Passenger traffic was withdrawn from the station on 11 July 1927, but freight traffic continued until 5 October 1964. There was also a canal rail interchange at Congleton Junction. The remains of the small dock on the Macclesfield Canal can still be seen. Parts of the station platform can still be seen, and one of the original buildings is now a private residence, the trackbed now forms the Biddulph Valley Way.

The nearest active stations are now in Congleton or Kidsgrove, which provide connections to Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, London Euston, Macclesfield, Manchester, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

Biddulph is located on the A527, which links it to Congleton in the North and Stoke-on-Trent in the south.

Buses

D&G Bus provides bus services [8] to Hanley (No.9) and to Leek (No.93) and the No. 94 goes north to Congleton and south to Tunstall and Newcastle-under-Lyme

First Potteries also provides a bus service [9] (No.7A) to Hanley.

Notable people

James Bateman James Bateman.jpg
James Bateman

Sport

Twin towns

Biddulph is twinned with:

Freeman

The following is a list of people who have been a Freeman of Biddulph, and when the title was bestowed.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire</span> County of England

Staffordshire is a landlocked ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands county and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the county town is Stafford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congleton</span> Town in Cheshire, England

Congleton is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, 21 miles (34 km) south of Manchester and 13 miles (21 km) north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 30,015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macclesfield</span> Town and civil parish in Cheshire, England

Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies 16 miles (26 km) south of Manchester and 38 miles (61 km) east of Chester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidsgrove</span> Town in Staffordshire, England

Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the Cheshire border. It is part of the Potteries Urban Area, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 26,276. Most of the town is in the Kidsgrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Moorlands</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Leek, the district's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Biddulph and Cheadle, along with a large rural area containing many villages. North-eastern parts of the district lie within the Peak District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Stoke</span> Radio station in Stoke-on-Trent

BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph Grange</span> Landscaped garden in Biddulph, Staffordshire, England

Biddulph Grange is a National Trust landscaped garden, in Biddulph near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It is separate from Biddulph Grange Country Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gritstone Trail</span> Long-distance footpath in England

The Gritstone Trail, or Cheshire Gritstone Trail, is a 35-mile (56 km) long-distance footpath in England which follows the most westerly hills of the Peak District from Disley Station to Mow Cop, and on via the Macclesfield Canal to Kidsgrove Station. Managed by Cheshire East, the trail involves 5,900 feet (1,800 m) of ascent and is mainly outside the National Park. There are other routes in the Peak District referred to as a "Gritstone Trail" but they are less well established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidsgrove railway station</span> Railway station in Staffordshire, England

Kidsgrove railway station serves the town of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England. The station is 7.5 miles (12.07 km) north of Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe–Derby line which is also a community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macclesfield railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Macclesfield railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire market town of Macclesfield. It lies on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congleton railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Congleton railway station is a mainline station serving the Cheshire market town of Congleton. It lies on the Stafford-Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Bourne</span>

Hugh Bourne along with William Clowes was the joint founder of Primitive Methodism, the largest offshoot of Wesleyan Methodism and, in the mid-19th century, an influential Protestant Christian movement in its own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mow Cop</span> Human settlement in England

Mow Cop is a village split between Cheshire and Staffordshire, and therefore divided between the North West and West Midlands regions of England. It is 24 miles (39 km) south of Manchester and 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Stoke-on-Trent, on a steep hill of the same name rising to 335 metres (1,099 ft) above sea level. The village is at the edge of the southern Pennines, with the Cheshire Plain directly to the west. For population details taken at the 2011 census, see Kidsgrove. The Cheshire section is the highest settlement within the county of Cheshire.

Mow Cop and Scholar Green railway station was a station on the North Staffordshire Railway between Stoke-on-Trent and Congleton. It served the village of Mow Cop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph Moor</span> Village in Staffordshire, England

Biddulph Moor is a village located on the hill which bears the same name. It is in Biddulph parish and is a part of the Staffordshire Moorlands district in England. It is very similar to Mow Cop which is located on the other side of the valley of Biddulph. It is semi-rural and is the source of the River Trent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph railway station</span> Former station in Staffordshire, England

Biddulph railway station was a railway station opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1864. Originally named Gillow Heath the station was renamed Biddulph on 1 May 1897. The station was on the Biddulph Valley line that ran from a junction just north of Congleton on the Stoke-on-Trent – Macclesfield line to a junction south of Stoke-on-Trent station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BakerBus</span> Bus fleet operated by Bakers Coaches in Staffordshire, England

BakerBus was the trading name used by the bus fleet of Bakers Coaches, a bus and coach operator based in Biddulph, Staffordshire, England. Formed as a coach operator in 1936, they grew to operate a fleet of around 50 vehicles on local bus services and coach hire work, but after several changes of ownership, ceased operation in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt</span> Area protected from development in West Midlands region, England

The Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space throughout mainly the West Midlands region of England. It is contained within the counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire. Essentially, the function of the designated area is to prevent surrounding towns and villages within the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation from further convergence. It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph Valley line</span> Railway in northwest England

The Biddulph Valley line was a double tracked line that ran from Stoke-on-Trent to Brunswick Wharf in Congleton. The line was named after the town of the same name as it ran via the Staffordshire Moorlands and covered areas of East Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Brunswick Wharf was a railway goods yard in Buglawton, Congleton.

References

  1. "Town Population 2011". Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  2. "Bradley Green, Biddulph". jdwetherspoon.co.uk.
  3. "Home - Biddulph High School". biddulph.staffs.sch.uk.
  4. "Woodhouse Middle School- Index". Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  5. "James Bateman Middle School". jamesbateman.staffs.sch.uk.
  6. "Over Biddulph (Staffordshire, England) Freeview Light transmitter". May 2004.
  7. "Report to Cabinet" (PDF). Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  8. D&G Bus website, Route Maps retrieved 19 February 2018
  9. First Potteries website, Route Maps retrieved 19 February 2018
  10. Robert Bateman, The Three Ravens", Sotheby's retrieved 19 February 2018
  11. Buckman, David (31 May 2012). "Jack Simcock obituary". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  12. Prof Brian Scarlett, Profile, World Congress in Particle Technology 2006 retrieved 19 February 2018
  13. "Joan Walley, former MP, Stoke-on-Trent North". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  14. John Farmer, Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database retrieved 19 February 2018
  15. "Malcolm Bailey". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  16. SoccerBase Database retrieved 19 February 2018
  17. ESPN cricinfo Database retrieved 19 February 2018
  18. SoccerBase Database retrieved 14 June 2021
  19. Biddulph Twinning Association (27 October 2022). "Twinning Group needs new blood". Chronicle letters
    The king of Letter Pages!. Congleton Chronicle . p. 32.
  20. "Unique honour for veteran councillor". Congleton Chronicle . 27 April 2023. p. 21.

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