The southern
reaches are overshadowed by Mow Cop, which marks the Staffordshire-Cheshire
Border, and is topped by the ruins of a castellated ruin, known
as Wilbraham's folly. On either side lie the lush green farmlands
of Cheshire.
Two great
houses border the canal - Little
Moreton Hall, a half-timbered Tudor manor house reckoned to
be the most complete in Britain, (about 1 mile off the towpath),
and Ramsdell Hall built in 1760, with garden lawns sweeping down
to the edge of the water. As it moves northwards, the canal passes
through Congleton and on up to Macclesfield. It was Macclesfield's
silk industry which played a major factor in the building of the
"Macc" (as locals call it).
The canal runs high above the town of Macclesfield, and arrival
is only signalled by the Macclesfield Marina overlooked by the
Publicity Works Mill (the old Hovis Flour Mill), now cleaned up
and converted to luxury apartments. Macclesfield has several attractions
worth stopping for.
Apart from
a major shopping centre, there is the Paradise
Silk Mill, in Park Lane, a working exhibition of silk spinning
and weaving in Macclesfield since the 18th century. It remained
in business until 1981, and boasts 26 original Jacquard Looms,
fully restored and in working order.
Also worth
seeing is the Silk
Museum at the Heritage Centre in Roe Street. This exhibition
shows the development and uses of Macclsfield silk, "from knickers
to parachutes", as well as housing an exhibition on the development
of the Sunday School Movement.
After shaking
off the town through its tree fenced industrial estate, Cheshire
comes into its own, with dairy cattle grazing green fields, clean
dry stone walls, and frequently quite beautiful stone bridges,
also quarried from the Cloud. At Kerridge, just before Bollington,
another hill dominates the landscape, this time the White Nancy,
topped by a peculiar white monument, erected to commemorate the
Battle of Waterloo.
Bollington
boasts two other great Silk Mills at the canalside - the Adelphi
Mill and the Clarence Mill, the latter now converted into light
commercial and industrial units. At this point the towpath is
part of the Middlewood Way, a long distance footpath up to Marple,
and it is popular with walkers and cyclists alike.
Bollington
is a pretty, well-to-do village with a charm and stye typical
of old mill towns. As you reach the northern limit of the Macc,
another great mill dominates the canal at Marple, the Goyt Mill
by Bridge 3, one of the most impressive mills on the Cheshire
Ring. This red brick building originally spun cotton before transporting
it down the Ashton flight into Manchester and thence to the rest
of the world.
odern trade
economics forced this mill, like all the others on the Macc, to
cease trading in the 1960s, yet it has, like the others, rediscovered
new uses for its old structure, and new shops, a climbing centre,
snooker hall, signwriters, a cafe and Peak Gas, have found new
residence within its splendour. Arrival at Marple is somewhat
of a canal climax.
The Marple
basin is a beautifully preserved and photogenic piece of industrial
heritage, still housing the British Waterways Office and the original
tally office beside the Top Lock - it is well maintained and a
mecca for "gongoozlers" (canal boat watchers). It is a popular
place for overnight mooring, prior to travelling to Whaley Bridge,
or down the Marple flight to Portland Basin.
