Cheadle

Cheadle's streets and pubs

Cheadle is a Staffordshire Moorlands market town near the wooded Churnet Valley, about four miles from Alton Towers. Its High Street, traditional pubs and church spire give visitors reasons to spend time in town.

The Bird in Hand at 117 Tape Street is a small, multi-roomed pub with cask ale, darts, pool and a real fire. It has two regular and two changing beers, welcomes dogs in every room and won Staffordshire Moorlands Pub of the Year in 2025, after earlier Urban Pub of the Year commendations.

At 21 High Street, the Bakers Arms occupies a former bakery that became a pub in 2017. It has a real fire and rear outdoor seating and has earned several Staffordshire Moorlands Urban Pub of the Year commendations. The Wheatsheaf at number 53 occupies a Grade II listed Georgian building, appears in a 1784 trade directory and served the Birmingham-to-Manchester coach in the 1790s. Near Alton Towers, the Huntsman is a three-room country pub with a central bar and changing guest ales; it won Staffordshire Moorlands Pub of the Year in 2013 and has darts and crib.

Market and Pugin's Gem

Cheadle's market history reaches back to 1250, when Henry III granted Ralph Basset a market charter. The Friday outdoor market now runs along Greyhound Walk, beside Tape Street car park and close to the town's independent shops and cafés.

The older Market Hall and its outdoor space lie off High Street, separate from the Greyhound Walk stalls. At the High Street and Cross Street junction, the Market Cross marks the original market place. The cross dates from the seventeenth century; a gas lamp was fitted to it in the Victorian era and later removed.

St Giles' Catholic Church is Cheadle's great architectural landmark. Pugin designed the Grade I church for the Earl of Shrewsbury, and it was built between 1841 and 1846 in red Hollington sandstone. Inside, gold, blue and red patterns cover the walls and chevron-painted columns. The aisles carry sixteen plaques showing the Life of Christ, and William Wailes made the stained glass. Pugin designed the building and its fittings, while Thomas Kearns supervised the interior decoration. The Anglican St Giles' on Church Street is a separate parish church, rebuilt in 1837–39.

From Domesday to industry

Domesday Book lists Cheadle under three owners in 1086. The entry held by King William is recorded as waste; the other entries belong to Robert of Stafford and Otto of Cheadle. Together the entries record eleven households.

Old maps and heritage records trace Cheadle's industrial life through textile mills and coal workings. During the Battle of Britain, RAF Cheadle intercepted lower-grade Luftwaffe radio traffic and helped build the intelligence picture of German sorties.

Cheadle-born astronomer Mary Adela Blagg was among the first women elected Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society in January 1916.

Woodland, play and valley days

Hawksmoor's ancient woodland has steep slopes, steps and rough paths, with green woodpeckers and spotted flycatchers among its wildlife. Closer to town, Cecilly Brook follows a 1.25km stretch through wildflower meadows and is an important Staffordshire site for water voles. Access points include Ullswater Drive and Oakamoor Road. Farther into the Churnet Valley, a former railway line links Oakamoor and Denstone as a greenway.

The Memorial Recreation Ground on Tean Road has play areas, a skate park, tennis courts and a bowling green. In 2022 the district council announced plans to improve its changing facilities, bowling pavilion, toilets and parking and to add a youth shelter, following earlier play and sports upgrades. MyActive Cheadle has a 33-metre pool, gym and sports hall, with badminton, netball and five-a-side among its activities.

Beyond Cheadle, Croxden Abbey preserves parts of its Cistercian church, infirmary and abbot's lodging. Bertram de Verdun granted land to the monks in 1176, and building at Croxden began in 1179. Elsewhere in the valley, the Caldon Canal, River Churnet and heritage railway meet at Consall Forge.

Getting here and exploring town

Blythe Bridge is the nearest railway station to Cheadle, with an onward journey into town. For drivers, the A521 runs along High Street and the A522 runs along Tape Street through the centre.

A visit can move from the market streets and historic buildings to brookside paths, with the deeper valley making a separate outing.