Madeley, Staffordshire

For other places with the same name, see Madeley.

Madeley
Madeley Mill and Pool
Madeley Location within Staffordshire
Population	4,222 (2011)
OS grid reference	SJ773443
District	Newcastle-under-Lyme
Shire county	Staffordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Crewe
Postcode district	CW3
Dialling code	01782
Police	Staffordshire
Fire	Staffordshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Stone
List of places UK England Staffordshire 53°00′04″N2°20′28″W / 53.001°N 2.341°W / 53.001; -2.341

All Saints' Church, Madeley

Madeley is a village and ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England. It is split into three parts: Madeley, Middle Madeley, and Little Madeley. Madeley Heath is also considered by many to be part of Madeley. In the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 4,386, ^[1] decreasing to 4,222 at the 2011 Census. ^[2]

Geography

Madeley is located 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre and is close to the Shropshire and Cheshire borders. To the north are the villages of Betley and Wrinehill. South is the hamlet of Baldwin's Gate. To the east is Keele, the site of Keele University as well as Silverdale, whilst to the west lies Onneley and Woore.

History

Madeley is derived from the Saxon, Madanlieg, meaning 'a clearing in the woods belonging to Mada' (Mada is a female Saxon name).

Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being 2,160 acres (8.7 km²) of wood, with 4 plough teams. The first Madeley Old Manor was built by Robert de Stafford, with the local church being founded in 1200. ^[3] Heighley Castle was built in 1226 by Henry de Audley ^[3] and ordered to be demolished by a Parliamentary committee sitting at Stafford in 1644 to prevent its use by Royalists. ^[4] Little remains today but some of the ruins are still visible during winter through the vegetation surrounding the area.

Madeley Old Hall is a timber-framed Elizabethan house and now a country house hotel. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Industry

A significant feature and well-known landmark of the village is Madeley Mill, which stands on the dam for the pool. During its history the mill was used for grinding grain but, prior to its closure, production was turned over to cheese making. It fell into disrepair before being developed and converted into apartments in the early 1990s, saving it from proposed demolition by the local council.

There was a butcher's shop opposite the pool that was run by Arthur Bailey. He rented the shop initially from around 1957, moving to the village when he purchased the adjoining Pool House in 1962. He slaughtered his own animals in the now converted slaughterhouse. His wife Marjorie (née Pearce) was one of the team who established the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

North Staffordshire was a centre for coal mining and the nearby mine at Leycett was known as Madeley under the National Coal Board. Sinking began in the 1880s and the colliery had five shafts with exotic names: Bang Up, Fair Lady, Clarkes, Harrisons and Woodburn. The pit closed on 21 September 1957. There is nothing left of the site nowadays, it being subject to open cast mining that removed the remaining coal and the slag heaps.It is used for agriculture. ^[5]

Madeley has a shopping parade, built by the Wooliscroft family who lived down Furnace Lane. The telephone exchange was demolished in the early 1960s.

Education

Meadows Primary School, Sir John Offley Primary School and Madeley High School all serve the surrounding area.

As part of the expansion in higher and further education, Madeley College opened in 1962 and specialised in men's physical education and home economics. ^[6] It closed in the mid-1980s after becoming part of the North Staffordshire Polytechnic. ^[6]

Transport

Roads

The majority of the settlement sits between the M6 motorway and the West Coast Main Line but there is no access to the motorway or a railway station. The A525 road passes through Madeley as a primary route. It connects with the A531 which further connects with the A500 to the north.

Railways

Train of new carriages at the site of Madeley LNWR Station in 1962

Madeley was served by two railway stations, with the station on the West Coast Main Line closing in 1954. It was previously a stabling point for the Royal Train. ^[4] There was also a Madeley Road station on the North Staffordshire Railway's branch line to Market Drayton which was opened on 1 February 1870 and closed in 1931. ^[7] However, during the 1960s the station at Madeley Road was reopened and used as a messroom by British Rail traincrew and shunters for running around coal rrains destined for Silverdale and Holditch Collieries. These trains came off the West Coast Mainline and onto the former branch via Madeley Chord. This arrangement continued until Silverdale Colliery closed in 1998.

Notable people

Gordon Banks in 2007

• James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley (c. 1398–1459), born in Heleigh Castle near Madeley, was an English peer.
• Joseph Elkington (1740-1806) English agriculturalist, who was lauded by Parliament for his reforms to land drainage. ^[8] Elkington moved to Hey House in Staffordshire in 1797 to farm 500 acres of land at Madeley which became known as Bog Farm.
• William Bridges Adams (1797–1872) author, inventor and locomotive engineer, was educated at Madeley School. He is best known for his patented Adams axle.
• Gordon Banks (1937–2019), 1966 World Cup England national team goalkeeper, lived in the village. ^[9]
• Ian Fraser Kilmister (1945–2015), better known as Lemmy, ^[10] singer/songwriter from Motörhead
• Paul Goodwin (born 1978) English minor counties cricketer, ^[11] right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, was born in Madeley Heath.
• Nathan Smith (born 1996) English professional footballer, ^[12] plays for Port Vale F.C.

See also

• Listed buildings in Madeley, Staffordshire

References

1. "Key Figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics". 2001 Census. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 29 April 2007.
2. "Civil Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 10 December 2015.
3. Chris Machin. "Madeley Village timeline – Middle Ages". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
4. Chris Machin. "Madeley Village timeline – 1945–1970". Archived from the original on 27 March 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
5. Chris Machin. "Madeley Village timeline – Madeley, The English Civil War (1642–1650) & after". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
6. Shane Kent. "Madeley College History". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
7. Chris Machin. "Madeley Village timeline – 1900–1939". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
8. Chris Upton (15 February 2013). "Farm engineer Joseph Elkington was an expert in his field". Birmingham Post . Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
9. Keith Wales (1 December 2017). "Stoke City legend Gordon Banks reveals how hoax reports of his death left great-grandson in tears all day". Stoke om Trent Live. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
10. IMDb Database retrieved December 2017
11. ESPN cricinfo Database retrieved December 2017
12. SoccerBase Database retrieved 13 February 2018

External links

Media related to Madeley, Staffordshire at Wikimedia Commons

• Madeley on the Web
• Map References
  • Little Madeley SJ779454
  • Madeley Heath SJ786455
  • Middle Madeley SJ775451