Congleton Today

Today Congleton is a flourishing and attractive town with a population of around 28,000. The town benefits from excellent communication links. The M6 motorway is just 10 minutes away and the railway station has hourly services to Manchester and to Stoke. By train, travellers can be in London in less than two hours. Three main airports – Manchester International, Liverpool John Lennon and East Midlands are all within an hour’s drive.

It is a town with ambition, an entrepreneurial spirit and a huge community heart.

Congleton is a Fair Trade town (awarded in 2007), it is also the first ArcAngel protected town (2009). The town holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Maypole Dance (2008). It is working towards becoming a Transition Town and has an active group developing initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of the town. Another group is working on introducing more events and marketing the town as Congleton Beartown – where friends are made.  The section on the Community and Cultural Scene shows just how key local people are to the success of the town.

The local landscape is dominated by a distinctive, 300m high outcrop known as ‘The Cloud’. This can be seen from most parts of the town. Formed of Millstone Grit, this dramatic large hill was extensively quarried over many years to make grindstones and provide dark red stone for houses and pavements. The Cloud forms the outline for the Congleton Partnership logo and is used in local branding.

The River Dane winds its way through the centre of the town creating an outstanding wildlife corridor. It is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the country.  A visit to the river is a must for visitors who will admire not only the old textile mills along its banks but also the historic green-flagged Congleton Park with its ecologically important Town Wood.

Macclesfield Canal runs around the eastern side of the town. It is regarded by narrow boat enthusiasts as the "gentle highway" and is well used by energetic walkers who can follow its towpath to Macclesfield in the north or the Potteries in the south.

The Town benefits from many listed buildings and two conservation areas. Many of the buildings are Georgian, such as the town houses of Moody Street, but there are also earlier examples such as the Lion and Swan and the Kings Arms both from the 17th Century.

One of the most striking features of the town is its mills, most of which have been converted to commercial premises; Riverside, on Mountbatten Way, is now the home of a number of companies including the Enterprise Centre and Learning Centre.

Each summer Congleton looks forward to a superb floral display. School children and youth organisations are involved in planting hundreds of hanging baskets and their efforts have reaped many awards. The Community Gardens in Lawton Street is a green oasis in the town centre, well used by local office workers. Here visitors will also see a bronze statue of Sgt. George Eardley, a local hero who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery, during a battle at Overloon, Holland on October 16th 1944.

Each Christmas the town looks forward to a visit from Father Christmas to switch on the impressive Christmas lights. Many of the shops have small, lit Christmas trees above their doors and the Town Council and Congleton Community Projects host community events. Carnival comes to town every other year, with the next one in July 2010 and in 2008 Congleton Community Projects introduced a very successful Food and Drink Festival, which is now set to be an annual event.

Perhaps Congleton’s best asset is its people, who have a reputation for being friendly, warm and caring.