As we criss-cross England looking at some of the prettiest places to visit, this edition brings us to a town in Cheshire. With a market street decked in bunting, winding streets lined with cottages and the entrance to a publicly-accessible stately pile, Knutsford is popular with visitors, here’s why:
Knutsford is a small town with a population of just over 13,000 (2011 census) with a strong history. The town was known to exist back in 1086 with a record of it in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book, believed to be named after King Canute. Since then the town has developed through the years to reflect the centuries various architectural styles with Tudor, Georgian, Victorian and Post-War buildings lined-up together along King’s Street.
The town is well-suited to shoppers who may wish to browse the various independent shops and cafes – a particular highlight is the Knutsford Antique Centre, which spans both floors and numerous rooms dedicated to jewellery, furniture, art and trinkets. The town also celebrates the brief residence of Elizabeth Gaskell, whose novel Cranford was based upon the town. A plaque and small bust of the writer has been dedicated to her in the centre of town as well as a street dedicated in her name (see Gaskell’s home in Manchester in this previous post).
Another attraction in the town is Tatton Park – a large stately pile that engulfs 2,000 acres of Cheshire countryside. The mansion is open to the fee-paying public along with the vast deer park, mere (lake), formal gardens and a 40-acre working farm. A medieval building stands on the land, built in the 15th century, which once acted as the main hall and is now the centre of the ‘Secrets of the Old Hall’ tour.
Knutsford is located 9 miles away from the nearest big town, Macclesfield, and 14 miles from the nearest city of Manchester, which is also the closest international airport. Knutsford is also served by a railway. Find out more about the town on the visitor’s website here. If you’d like to see other pretty places to visit in England use the ‘Pretty Places’ tag.
images: scene therapy