If you are visiting Cheshire, do not overlook this quaint and quirky market town. Conveniently situated just off the M6 (its more than its motorway services) it is an ideal town for a day or weekend visit.
It is hard to sum up Knutsford in one word. So, we have chosen a few –, historic, quirky, independent, celebration and foodie.
Historic Knutsford. The town was the inspiration of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford. The author lived in Knutsford for many years and is buried in the churchyard of beautiful Brook Street Unitarian Chapel. The Rose and Crown, a traditional and friendly pub, is home to a fireplace that was first lit in 1641. Enigma code breaker, Alan Turing’s trial took place in Knutsford’s courthouse and the historical building has now been sympathetically restored as a hotel, bar and restaurant. During World War II, famed General George S Patton opened a welcome club for officers of the American Third Army in the Ruskin Rooms. Situated at the southern edge of the main shopping street (King Street) you will find Tatton Park – 50 acres of landscaped gardens and the ancestral home of the Egerton Family.
Historic Knutsford leads us quite nicely to quirky Knutsford. Knutsford is home to several Tudor, Georgian, and Victorian buildings but it is the Italianate style of architect Richard Harding Watt who really left his stamp on the town. The Ruskin Rooms and the Gaskell Memorial Tower on King Street are two great examples but if you venture out on to Legh Road you will see more. Try to spot the house where Steven Spielberg filmed Empire of the Sun (Cheshire stood in for Singapore!). Penny Farthings are also a thing here with the Courtyard Coffee House also hosting the penny farthing museum (plus toy train that goes round the café’s perimeter) – and once every 10 years these farthings are used in The Great Race.If this has whet your appetite, you must visit Knutsford Heritage Centre. Situated off a cobbled alleyway on King Street, it is a treasure trove of information about the town. It is an attraction in its self too – it is housed in a 17th century timber framed building and is home to Knutsford Millennium Tapestry. The tapestry is 13 metres long and was created by 3000 local residents to celebrate Knutsford in the millennium year.
Despite is proximately to North West’s big cities of Manchester and Liverpool, Knutsford is no commuter town. It is fiercely independent and the proud home to numerous independent retailers. A traditional toy shop, bike and bike repair shop, a specialist perfumery, a home interior shop that has called Knutsford its home for 100 years sit alongside a traditional Market Hall and known brands such as Oka, Sofas and Stuff and Overfinch. The town is full of gorgeous fashion shops too offering a personal shopping experience that is poles apart from online ordering. Once a month the town hosts the largest outdoor Artisan market in the North West with 150 stalls selling the best food, drink and products Cheshire has to offer.
Knutsford loves a celebration and the town’s events calendar truly has something for everyone. It hosts an Easter Bunny Hop, a Royal May Day parade (which is over 150 years old), a weekend Music Festival, an Art Trail, Pumpkin Path and a weekend long Christmas Market and Light Switch. Added to that is the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park. To celebrate that the shops hold a floral walk along the main shopping streets. If you are visiting the flower show, it worth visiting the town first to enjoy the free spectacle.
Foodie Knutsford. Squeezed into it’s streets is over 30 pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants and tea rooms. There is pizza, a specialist cheese shop and deli, tapas, a gin bar, and a shop selling gelato made on the premises. These sit alongside traditional pubs, Italian restaurants and the obligatory curry houses. If you cannot decide where to go, this is where Taste Knutsford comes in. A guided walking food tour that takes you around 8 venues before you flop full clutching a doggy bag! For further information visit www.tasteknutsford.co.uk
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