KNUTSFORD is a market town in the borough of Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England. Knutsford is 14 miles (23 km) south-west of Manchester, 9 miles (14 km) north-west of Macclesfield and 12.5 miles (20 km) south-east of Warrington. The population at the 2011 Census was 13,191. Knutsford's main town centre streets, Princess Street (also known locally as Top Street) and King Street lower down (also known as Bottom Street), form the hub of the town. At one end of the narrow King Street is an entrance to Tatton Park. The Tatton estate was home to the Egerton family, and has given its name to Tatton parliamentary constituency, which includes the neighbouring communities of Alderley Edge and Wilmslow. Knutsford is near Cheshire's Golden Triangle, and on the Cheshire Plain between the Peak District to the east and the Welsh mountains to the west. Residents include Coronation Street actress Barbara Knox and footballers Peter Crouch, Sam Ricketts, Michael Jacobs and Phil Jagielka. Knutsford, situated in Cheshire, England, was recorded in the William the Conqueror's Domesday Book of 1086 as Cunetesford ("Canute's ford"). King Canute (Knútr in Old Norse) was the king of England (1016–1035) and later king of Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden as well. Local tradition says that King Canute blessed a wedding that was taking place and forded the River Lily, which was said to be dangerous then, though other reports say it was the Birkin Brook at or near Booth Mill. The English Place-Name Society gives the name as being derived from the Old English for Knutr's ford or possibly hillock ford. Knutsford Gaol was built in 1817 and later extended in 1853. It was not just built to house those committed of crimes but also to house those who could not be employed. In 1915, due to the low population and there being an ongoing World War the gaol was used as a military prison, for the detention of soldiers found guilty of committing offences. From 1916 it was used to house conscientious objectors who broke the Military Service Act 1916. In April 1916 there was an Easter Rising in Ireland, where rebels hoped to form an independent Ireland free from British rule. At least 600 rebels involved in that rising were transported to Knutsford by train from Holyhead and imprisoned in Knutsford Gaol. During this period many prisoners were not properly fed and resulted to eating grass and anything discarded by visitors. The gaol was demolished in 1934. Knutsford was the place in which General George S. Patton, shortly before the Normandy invasion, delivered a speech perceived to be critical of the Soviets, and to have "slap(ped) the face of every one of the United Nations except Great Britain", which nearly ended his career. In 2005 Knutsford was named as the most expensive town to buy a house in Northern England, followed by nearby town Altrincham. There is an extremely large range of house prices in Knutsford, varying from approximately £175,000 to nearly £4,000,000 in late 2017. The average price is above £400,000. ******* St John the Baptist's Church is in the town of Knutsford, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Knutsford. Its benefice is combined with that of St John the Evangelist, Toft. Knutsford was a chapel of ease in the parish of St Mary's Church, Rostherne, until the 18th century. In 1741 an Act of Parliament was obtained for it to become a distinct parish. The church was built between 1741 and 1744 at a cost of £4,000 (equivalent to £720,000 in 2021), the architect being J. Garlive. In 1879 the apsidal chancel was extended and reordered by Alfred Darbyshire. St John's is within the Conservative Evangelical tradition of the Church of England, and it has passed resolutions to reject the ordination of women. CHURCH ARCHITECTURE (EXTERIOR) The church is built in neoclassical style in brick with stone dressings and a slate roof. The plan of the church consists of a west tower, a two-storey nave and a shallow chancel. The tower is in four stages with a west doorway over which is a round-arched window, a clock and round-arched belfry windows. The top of the tower has a parapet with modillion brackets swept between urns. The parapet of the nave has alternating solid and balustraded panels. At the southwest is a doorway in a pedimented case with a rusticated architrave and a round-arched inner door. There is a similar doorway at the northwest. Source - Wikipedia ******* THE MOOR provides a green and pleasant break from the tightly enclosed streets of the historic town. This site with its open grass and tree areas is situated at the side of the water and reed beds that forms the extreme southern tip of Tatton Mere. Its children’s playground and relaxing atmosphere make it a popular place for visitors and residents.

• published: 16 Sep 2022
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