Kidsgrove
Encyclopedia
Kidsgrove is a town
in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
, Staffordshire
, England
, near the border with Cheshire
. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area
in North Staffordshire
, along with Stoke-on-Trent
and Newcastle-under-Lyme
. It has a population of 24,112 (2001 census). The majority of the town is in the Kidgsrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe
.
, although the pits have now closed. Clough Hall
Mansion in the town, now demolished, was a local theme park. Modern Kidsgrove is very much a commuter town, which has seen house prices rise quite sharply in the first decade of the 21st century. Many people now work in the larger cities such as Manchester
and Birmingham
.
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".
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. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10002813
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.
Bathpool Park
, south of the town is where Donald Neilson
, the killer known as the Black Panther, took 17-year-old heiress Lesley Whittle after kidnapping her in 1975, and prior to murdering her.
The town has a library, post office, health centre, bank and supermarket. Market Street has smaller shops, restaurants and take-aways.
three bus terminuses. The First Potteries
Bus Route numbers 7/7C, 20 and 20A/34A buses each have terminuses in Kidsgrove, and the Railway connects to Crewe
, Manchester
and Stoke-On-Trent
train stations. Kidsgrove is also home to a portion of the A50 road and is very close to the A50 and the A500
.
play in the Northern Premier League Division One South
.
Kidsgrove also has a Rugby Club and a cricket Club
fighter, the Spitfire
was born in Butt Lane
village, Kidsgrove.
Brewster Mason
, RSC
Actor; 1922-1987.
Mark Bright
(born 6 June 1962) attended Maryhill High School, Kidsgrove.
1st Kidsgrove Scouts also has a multiple contest winning Show Band known as The Kidsgrove Scout Band, who have won multiple DCUK and BYBA competitions. Kidsgrove Scouts also has a Junior Band known as Kidsgrove Scouts Juniors.
1st Kidsgrove Scouts is one of the largest scout groups in the district of Potteries North.
Local Community Websites
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme (borough)
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.It is named after its main town of Newcastle-under-Lyme where the council is based, but also includes the town of Kidsgrove, the villages of Silverdale and Keele, and the rural area surrounding Audley...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near the border with Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area
The Potteries Urban Area
The Potteries Urban Area is a conurbation in North Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.It includes the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove....
in North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
North Staffordshire describes an area of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It contains the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and the City of Stoke-on-Trent. The Stoke and Newcastle areas make up The Potteries Urban Area, whilst the Moorlands are largely...
, along with Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
. It has a population of 24,112 (2001 census). The majority of the town is in the Kidgsrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe
Ravenscliffe ward
Ravenscliffe ward is a ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It covers part of Kidsgrove along with the area of Acres Nook.Ravenscliffe was an 1851 novel by Anne Marsh-Caldwell who lived at Linley Hall at the village of Talke in the local area....
.
History
From the 18th century, Kidsgrove grew around coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, although the pits have now closed. Clough Hall
Clough Hall
Clough Hall is a suburb of Kidsgrove in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire....
Mansion in the town, now demolished, was a local theme park. Modern Kidsgrove is very much a commuter town, which has seen house prices rise quite sharply in the first decade of the 21st century. Many people now work in the larger cities such as Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
The engineer James Brindley
James Brindley
James Brindley was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.-Early life:...
cut the first Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire. It is made up of two separate, parallel, tunnels described as Brindley and the later Telford after the engineers that constructed them. Today only the Telford tunnel is navigable...
on the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
near the town; Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
cut the second. Kidsgrove also marks the southern extremity of the Macclesfield Canal
Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England, one of the six that make up the Cheshire Ring.-Route:The canal runs from Marple Junction at Marple, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal, , southwards , before arriving at Bosley.Having descended the 12 Bosley Locks over the course...
. There is a legend regarding a headless ghost that is said to haunt the Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire. It is made up of two separate, parallel, tunnels described as Brindley and the later Telford after the engineers that constructed them. Today only the Telford tunnel is navigable...
. 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".
Kidsgrove was made an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
in 1904 with the abolition of the Wolstanton Rural District
Wolstanton Rural District
Wolstanton was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1904. It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 based on Wolstanton rural sanitary district....
, including the parishes of Kidsgrove and Newchapel
Newchapel
Newchapel is a hamlet in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, close to Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England.Newchapel was originally named Thursfield. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Turvoldesfeld...
. Talke
Talke
Talke is a village in the English county of Staffordshire, four miles northwest of Newcastle-under-Lyme.-Etymology:Its unusual name is derived from the even more unusual "Talk o' th' Hill" which means 'bush on top of the hill'...
, previously part of the Audley Urban District
Audley Urban District
Audley Urban District is a former administrative unit in Staffordshire created by the Local Government Act 1894. It contained the civil parish of Audley. In 1932 it was abolished, being absorbed into the Newcastle-under-Lyme Municipal Borough, Newcastle-under-Lyme Rural District and Kidsgrove...
, was added in 1932. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10002813
Kidsgrove is served by Kidsgrove railway station
Kidsgrove railway station
Kidsgrove railway station serves the town of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England. The station is 12 km north of Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line...
which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
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
Kidsgrove Liverpool Road railway station
Kidsgrove Liverpool Road railway station was the northernmost station on the Potteries Loop Line and served the town of Kidsgrove, Staffordshire. It was opened as Kidsgrove in 1875, but renamed in 1944 when the nearby Harecastle station became Kidsgrove railway station.The site of the station is...
, opened 15 November, 1875 and Market Street Halt
Market Street Halt railway station
Market Street Halt was the smallest station to serve the town of Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England. It was opened in 1909 and located on the Potteries Loop Line...
, opened 1 July 1909.
Bathpool Park
Bathpool Park
Bathpool Park is a public park situated in a rural area in Staffordshire near the border with Cheshire. The nearest town to the park is Kidsgrove. The park became notorious in 1975 as the location for the murder of the kidnapped Shropshire heiress Lesley Whittle...
, south of the town is where Donald Neilson
Donald Neilson
Donald Neilson is a British multiple murderer and armed robber...
, the killer known as the Black Panther, took 17-year-old heiress Lesley Whittle after kidnapping her in 1975, and prior to murdering her.
The town has a library, post office, health centre, bank and supermarket. Market Street has smaller shops, restaurants and take-aways.
Transport
Kidsgrove is very well connected to the local area. It boasts a four-platform railway station, andthree bus terminuses. The First Potteries
First Potteries
First Potteries Limited is a company based in Stoke-on-Trent that operates buses in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Crewe, and in Chester and The Wirral through its sub-brand First Chester & The Wirral.-History:The company began life as Potteries Motor Traction or PMT...
Bus Route numbers 7/7C, 20 and 20A/34A buses each have terminuses in Kidsgrove, and the Railway connects to Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Stoke-On-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
train stations. Kidsgrove is also home to a portion of the A50 road and is very close to the A50 and the A500
A500 road
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...
.
Sport
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C.Kidsgrove Athletic F.C.
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in based in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
play in the Northern Premier League Division One South
Northern Premier League Division One South
Division One South is one of the two second-tier divisions of the Northern Premier League. It is at Step 4 of the National League System, placing it seven divisions below the Premier League...
.
Kidsgrove also has a Rugby Club and a cricket Club
Notable people
R. J. Mitchell designer of the RAF's Battle of BritainBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
fighter, the Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
was born in Butt Lane
Butt Lane
Butt Lane is a suburb of Kidsgrove in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire.It is also the birthplace of Reginald Mitchell designer of the RAF's WW2 fighter the Spitfire....
village, Kidsgrove.
Brewster Mason
Brewster Mason
Brewster Mason was an English stage actor who also made some notable film and television appearances.He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appeared on stage in repertory theatre, in London's West End and on Broadway...
, RSC
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
Actor; 1922-1987.
Mark Bright
Mark Bright
Mark Abraham Bright is a former English footballer who is now a sports pundit and BBC London's sport presenter, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace....
(born 6 June 1962) attended Maryhill High School, Kidsgrove.
Kidsgrove Scouts
Kidsgrove is home to the First Kidsgrove Scout Group. After having two fires at their original location, Kidgrove Scouts moved to their current location on The Avenue. Recently there has been another fire at this building but only the small back building was lost, along with some of their Archery and Air-Rifle shooting equipment.1st Kidsgrove Scouts also has a multiple contest winning Show Band known as The Kidsgrove Scout Band, who have won multiple DCUK and BYBA competitions. Kidsgrove Scouts also has a Junior Band known as Kidsgrove Scouts Juniors.
1st Kidsgrove Scouts is one of the largest scout groups in the district of Potteries North.
Local Links
Local websites serve the residents of Kidsgrove and surrounding areas. Each website has a forum area where local issues can be discussed with local councillors and the local police.Local Community Websites