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Knutsford

by Alec and Val Scaresbrook

A pleasant Cheshire town with all the usual facilities, it has an interesting history too, and Knutsford Heritage Centre has plenty of information on the town and surrounding area, with exhibitions and talks given throughout the year.

Knutsford is thought to have gained its name from King Canute, who is also thought to have given rise to the tradition of scattering coloured sands on the ground at weddings. The tale is that King Canute crossed a nearby ford and scattered sand from his shoes, just as a wedding party passed by. Coloured sand is also scattered on the ground on May Day, when the beginning of summer is celebrated here in impressive style.

The town had a silk industry in the 18th century and became an important coaching town before the railways were built. It's claim to fame is that it is the birth and burial place of authoress Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) whose book 'Cranford' was based on the town and its inhabitants.

When you're exploring the town, take a look at the railway station end of King St. The pavement here is very narrow on one side. This was once the only pavement and was financed by Lady Jane Stanley around the end of the 18th century with money bequeathed for its upkeep on the condition that it was never more than one paving stone wide. She disliked couples walking arm-in-arm. See the map below