Everything about Prestbury Cheshire totally explained
Prestbury is a
village,
civil parish and
ecclesiastical parish in the northwest of
England. The village is about 1.5 miles (3 km) north of
Macclesfield,
Cheshire.
At the time of the 2001 census, the civil parish had a population of 3,324. The ecclesiastical parish is almost the same as the Prestbury local government
ward which consisted of the civil parishes of Prestbury,
Adlington, and
Mottram St. Andrew. The population in 2001 was 5,034.
Prestbury is a frequent winner of Best Kept Village/Community Pride Competitions and a popular destination for sightseers.
History and geography
Prestbury lies between Macclesfield and
Wilmslow, for the most part on elevated ground above the flood-prone
River Bollin. The ancient Forest of Macclesfield is to the east.
There is no evidence of a
settlement before
Saxon times, although a cemetery nearby which had been excavated in 1808 contained pottery cremation urns and signs of sacrifice and was presumably pre-Christian.
Prestbury was founded by priests. Its name comes from Preôsta burh, which is sometimes thought to mean priests' town, but more correctly means a priests' fortified enclosure.
For their enclosure, the priests chose a defensible spot on the River Bollin where there was relatively high ground close to the river on both sides so that crossing was easy. From there they could travel to all parts of a parish which was extensive, though thinly populated, in part because the countryside was wild and barren and in part because the forest was reserved for hunting.
The parish
At the time of the
Conquest, the parish consisted of thirty-five
townships:
Prestbury township wasn't mentioned in the
Domesday Book, perhaps because information wasn't supplied or because Prestbury was only a church, not a manor.
Twelve of the other townships are mentioned. Butley was valued at 2
Shillings at the time of the Domesday Survey, compared with 30 Shillings at the time of
Edward the Confessor, Adlington and Macclesfield were both worth 20 Shillings and
Siddington 5 Shillings. The other eight townships were valued "Waste".
The church administered the civil as well as ecclesiastical affairs of the parish until the
Local Government Act 1894 created rural districts and civil parishes. Three of the townships, Butley, Fallibroome and Prestbury, constitute fhe present civil parish of Prestbury.
The village
The school, smithies, the mill, inns and the
stocks centre on a village street called "The Village", which is broad enough for cattle fairs and the like. Until the nineteenth century the village street was connected to Pearl Street, the main street of Butley, by a ford.
In about 1825, a bridge of two arches was built, linking the village street to a new road ("New Road") passing behind the cottages and the Admiral Rodney pub on the southeast side of Pearl Street. In 1855 the bridge was replaced by the present bridge with one arch.
During the nineteenth century Prestbury became involved in the silk industry. Swanwick's factory operated and cottages were built for the workers ("Factory Cottages" or "Irish Row"). Weavers cottages were built on both New Road and the Village with upper storeys for weaving.
In the twentieth century, improved communications made it possible for Prestbury to develop into a residential community.
Prestbury Mill was destroyed by fire in 1940.
Conservation Area
The
Conservation Area includes areas neighbouring the village street, the east side of Macclesfield Road as far south as the Methodist Church, and New Road as far north as Butley Cottage and its garden.
Many of the buildings and structures in the Conservation Area are listed by
English Heritage, four of them, Bridge Hotel, Priest's House, Horners and Prestbury Hall being regarded as "Focal Buildings". Other buildings are considered to be of townscape merit. Trees and even some hedges are important landscape features.
The Manor House was shown as the vicarage on the 1831 map.
Brooks Cottages, marked with a plaque reading "Rodger Brooks and Ellen his wife Erected this house in the 24 years of his life Ano Dom 1686" are among the listed buildings on the Butley side of the Bollin.
Other areas
Smithy Cottage, built on the site of a former smithy, is just outside the conservation area.
Butley Hall is shown on the 1831 map but is outside the Conservation Area, as are the Butley Ash inn and Spittle House, which was probably built between 1300 and 1450 as a leper hospital.
New estates were built during the twentieth century to accommodate commuters.
The defining characteristic of twenty-first century development has been the replacement of quite sizeable houses by large mansions, such as that built for
Wayne Rooney.
Adlington Hall with strong connections with Prestbury is nearby.
Churches
St Peter's Church which is one of the oldest Parish Churches in the country and houses a Saxon Cross in its churchyard. The parish's memorial to the dead of the two
World Wars is in the west porch.
St John's Adlington, a daughter church of St Peter's
Prestbury Methodist Church
Education
Prestbury Church of England Primary School
Sporting Facilities
Bowling Club
Cricket Club
Football Clubs
Golf Club
Macclesfield Rugby Club
Riding School
Squash Racquets Club
Tennis Club
Transport
Because of the lie of the land, the village is a natural traffic hub.
The road from Macclesfield to
Altrincham (A538) carries traffic between Macclesfield and
Wilmslow through the centre of the village. The Macclesfield to
Hazel Grove road (A523), built in 1810, goes through the parish in a north–south direction, passing to the east of the village.
Bus 19 and 19X, Prestbury to Macclesfield
Prestbury is served by the
Manchester to Macclesfield to
Stoke-on-Trent railway line.
Prestbury Station was opened on 24 November 1845 and refurbished in 1986. The south entrance arch to Prestbury Railway Tunnel is grade II listed. The village centre is a few minutes walk from the station.
Famous residents
Numerous stars of sport and entertainment have lived in Prestbury for various lengths of time, including:
Stan Pearson, professional football player, later sub-postmaster in Prestbury
Wayne Rooney, professional football playerFurther Information
Get more info on 'Prestbury Cheshire'.
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