Kidsgrove

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Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove.jpg
Staffordshire UK location map.svg
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Kidsgrove
Location within Staffordshire
Population23,756 (2011 census)
OS grid reference SJ835545
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode district ST7
Dialling code 01782
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
53°05′15″N2°14′52″W / 53.0874°N 2.2478°W / 53.0874; -2.2478

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 (2019 census). Most of the town is in the Kidsgrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe.

Contents

History

St Thomas' Parish Church, Kidsgrove St Thomas' Parish Church Kidsgrove from The Avenue - geograph.org.uk - 1121315.jpg
St Thomas' Parish Church, Kidsgrove

From the 18th century, Kidsgrove grew around coal mining, although the pits have now closed. Clough Hall Mansion in the town is now demolished.

The engineer James Brindley cut the first Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal near the town; Thomas Telford cut the second. Kidsgrove also marks the southern extremity of the Macclesfield Canal. There is a legend regarding a headless ghost that is said to haunt the Harecastle Tunnel. The ghost is said to be that of a young woman who was murdered inside the tunnel. She is referred to as the "Kidsgrove Boggart".

R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Spitfire fighter aircraft, was born in Butt Lane, Kidsgrove.

Kidsgrove was made an urban district in 1904 with the abolition of the Wolstanton Rural District, including the parishes of Kidsgrove and Newchapel. Talke, previously part of the Audley Urban District, was added in 1932.

Catholic Church of St John Catholic Church of St John in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire - geograph.org.uk - 3174140.jpg
Catholic Church of St John

Kidsgrove is served by Kidsgrove railway station which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on 9 October 1848 as Harecastle, later becoming Kidsgrove Central. This railway station is still open as a junction (now Kidsgrove). However, there were two other stations on the closed loop line namely Kidsgrove Liverpool Road, opened 15 November 1875 and Market Street Halt, opened 1 July 1909.

In 1975, kidnapping victim Lesley Whittle was kept in Bathpool Park, south of Kidsgrove, in an air ventilation shaft from a disused coal mine. She was kept in the shaft for several weeks, with a noose around her neck, and was hanged. Donald Neilson, the killer known as the "Black Panther," was later convicted of murdering her after repeated delays in getting the ransom.

Heathcote Street, Kidsgrove Heathcote Street, Kidsgrove - geograph.org.uk - 2390384.jpg
Heathcote Street, Kidsgrove

The town has a library, post office, health centre (just outside of the main town), and supermarkets (Tesco, Lidl, Aldi). Market Street has a Home Bargains, smaller shops and many fast food restaurants. Schools include The King's Church of England Academy, Kidsgrove Secondary School known more locally as Maryhill High School, Kidsgrove Primary School known more locally as Maryhill Primary School, St John's Catholic School and others.

The town used to house the English Electric site on West Avenue, Nelson Industrial Estate. Over the years it went through various name changes: GEC, CEGELEC, Alstom, Converteam before finally General Electric. GE closed the Kidsgrove site in 2016 [1] and the last remaining original building has since been demolished, leaving only the recently erected warehouse which is now under use of another company.

Transport

The First Potteries Bus Route numbers 7/7A, 3 and 4A buses each have terminuses in Kidsgrove, and the railway connects Kidsgrove railway station with Crewe, Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent. The Trent and Mersey Canal runs through the town. Kidsgrove is also home to a portion of the A50 road and is very close to the A34 and the A500. [2]

Sport

Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. play in the Northern Premier League Division One West.

Kidsgrove has a rugby club and a cricket club.

Media

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 taking television signals being received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. [3] Local radio stations are BBC Radio Stoke, Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, 6 Towns Radio and HitMix Radio, a community based radio station. [4] The Sentinel is the town's local newspaper. [5]

Kidsgrove Scouts

Kidsgrove is home to the 1st Kidsgrove Scout Group in the district of Potteries North and were established in 1910. The group has undertaken regular tours to the DCA World Championships in the US. [6]

Local governance

Kidsgrove is situated in North West Staffordshire on the Cheshire border and is part of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The Wards of Kidsgrove & Ravenscliffe, Butt Lane & Talke and Newchapel & Mow Cop are in the Stoke-on-Trent North Parliamentary Constituency represented by Jonathan Gullis and whilst parts of Mow Cop currently sit within Staffordshire Moorlands Parliamentary Constituency, whose M.P. is Karen Bradley, the area would move into Stoke-on-Trent North under the Boundary Review currently underway.

Kidsgrove has a Town Council of twenty members, separated into four Wards, Talke and Butt Lane, Kidsgrove Central & Ravenscliffe, Hardings Wood and Newchapel & Mow Cop. Kidsgrove Town Council was created in 1974 when Kidsgrove Urban District Council was abolished when the area was absorbed by Newcastle Under Lyme Borough Council under the Local Government Act 1972. Kidsgrove has a mayor who is elected by the Town Council every 12 months. This position is mainly a civic role, and the Mayor acts as an ambassador for Kidsgrove. Kidsgrove Town Council is based at Kidsgrove Town Hall. [7]

Rotary Kidsgrove

Kidsgrove Rotary with their second trophy of the year for winning the Rotary 1210 District Darts competition 2011 Kidsgrove Rotary with the District Darts Trophy.jpg
Kidsgrove Rotary with their second trophy of the year for winning the Rotary 1210 District Darts competition 2011

Founded on 15 January 1969 and presented with its charter on 2 July the same year, the Rotary Club of Kidsgrove (RCK) has been active within the community whether fundraising, volunteering or helping out local projects for over 50 years. The club is also part of District 1210 within Rotary International in Britain and Ireland.

Originally meeting in the Masonic Hall and Institute in the town, the group now gets together at the Red Bull, Church Lawton.

During November RCK hold a bonfire night and fireworks at Clough Hall Park and during December they can be seen on the streets of Kidsgrove with their Santa float, collecting for local good causes.

In April 2012 RCK were also announced as the Rotary International in Britain and Ireland winners of the Club Online Presence Award. This was the first time the award has been presented and recognises the achievements the group have made through their website and a variety of social media avenues in the year.

Notable people

R. J. Mitchell Reginald Mitchell Spitfire designer.jpg
R. J. Mitchell

Sport

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">Trent and Mersey Canal</span> Canal in England

The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93+12-mile (150 km) canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent</span> City in Staffordshire, England

Stoke-on-Trent is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). In 2022, the city had an estimated population of 259,965. It is the largest settlement in Staffordshire and is surrounded by the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alsager, Kidsgrove and Biddulph, which form a conurbation around the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle-under-Lyme</span> Market town in Staffordshire, England

Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. In 2021 the population was 75,082.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A500 road</span> Road in England

The A500 is a major primary A road in Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It is dual carriageway for most of its length and connects Nantwich, junctions 16 and 15 of the M6 motorway with the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is 19 miles (31 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burslem</span> One of the Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England

Burslem is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent. The population of the town was included under the Burslem Central ward and had a population of 6,490 in the 2021 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Moorlands (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Staffordshire Moorlands is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Karen Bradley, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport between 2016 and 2018, before she became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2019. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years. This seat saw a swing to the Conservatives at the elections from 2010–2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950 onwards

Stoke-on-Trent North is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by David Williams, a member of the Labour Party.

<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">Tunstall, Staffordshire</span> One of the Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England

Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Hanley and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern, and fourth largest town of the Potteries. It is situated in the very northwest of the city borough, with its north and west boundaries being the city limit. It stands on a ridge of land between Fowlea Brook to the west and Scotia Brook to the east, surrounded by old tile-making and brick-making sites, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.

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

Talke is a village in the civil parish of Kidsgrove, in the Newcastle-under-Lyme district, in Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Newcastle-under-Lyme and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Kidsgrove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newchapel, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Newchapel is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Kidsgrove, in the Newcastle-under-Lyme district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. In 1951 the parish had a population of 4135.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potteries Loop Line</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Potteries Loop Line was a railway line that connected Stoke-on-Trent to Mow Cop and Scholar Green via Hanley, Burslem, Tunstall and Kidsgrove. It ran between Staffordshire and Cheshire in England. It served three of the six towns of Stoke on Trent. It was opened in many short sections due to the cost of railway construction during the 1870s. The line throughout was sanctioned but the North Staffordshire Railway felt that the line would be unimportant enough to abandon part way through its construction. This upset residents of the towns through which the line was planned to pass and they eventually petitioned Parliament to force the completion of the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke Streetcar</span> Proposed bus service in England

The Stoke Streetcar was a proposed bus rapid transit system for The Potteries Urban Area in England. It would have consisted of two lines, serving five of Stoke's six towns, the city centre with its new Central Business District, Newcastle, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent railway station, the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, both universities and both football clubs. The proposal was developed in partnership with First Group, and included plans to use the same Wright StreetCar as the FTR services found in York, Leeds and Swansea.

Packmoor is a small village or hamlet on the northern edge of Stoke-on-Trent. It is located between Kidsgrove and Chell.

<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.

Kidsgrove is a civil parish in the district of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. The parish contains 29 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the three grades, which is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". The parish contains the town of Kidsgrove, The villages of Talke and Newchapel, and part of the village of Mow Cop. The Trent and Mersey Canal passes through the parish, and the listed buildings associated with it are bridges, tunnel portals, and a milepost. Also listed are three tunnel portals built by the North Staffordshire Railway. The other listed buildings include a village cross with a medieval base, houses and cottages, farmhouses and farm buildings, churches, a vicarage, a chapel with a manse, a memorial in a churchyard, a folly, a tower, and a war memorial.

References

  1. "Kidsgrove General Electric closure hits 230 jobs". BBC News. 28 September 2016.
  2. "Local bus, coach and rail information for Kidsgrove, Rail Station". carlberry.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  4. "The HitMix" . Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. "The Sentinel". British Papers. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. "Kidsgrove Scouts return to DCA in 2015". Drum Corps Planet. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. "About us". KIdsgrove Town Council. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  8. RJ Mitchell, A life in aviation retrieved December 2017
  9. 11v11.com retrieved December 2017
  10. "Ken Higgs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  11. SoccerBase Database retrieved December 2017