Alsager

Not to be confused with Alsagers Bank.

Coordinates: 53°05′46″N 2°18′17″W / 53.096100°N 2.304790°W / 53.096100; -2.304790

Alsager
Town centre
Alsager  Alsager shown within Cheshire
Population	12,578 [1]
OS grid reference	SJ796554
- London	144 mi (231 km) SE
Parish	Alsager
Unitary authority	Cheshire East
Ceremonial county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOKE-ON-TRENT
Postcode district	ST7
Dialling code	01270
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Congleton
List of places: UK • England • Cheshire

Alsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe. The town has a population of 12,578,^[1] Going clockwise, starting from the north, the civil parish is bordered by the parishes of Betchton to the north, Church Lawton to the north-east and east, Kidsgrove in Staffordshire to the south-east, Audley Rural, in Staffordshire to the south, Barthomley to the south-west, Haslington to the west, and Hassall to the north-west.

In the centre of Alsager is the lake, Alsager Mere. This isolated pool, once the focal point of the town, is only accessible by two fenced public viewing areas and by local residents who have gardens adjoining the waters.^[2]

Alsager hosts an annual Summer Carnival.^[3]

In the summer of 2007 Alsager was awarded Fairtrade Town status by the Fairtrade Foundation.

History

Christ Church

The Church Lawton Barrows form part of a significant Bronze Age site near the town, though in the neighbouring civil parish and village of Church Lawton.^[4] Alsager ('Eleacier' in the Domesday Book) was a small farming village until the 19th century when due to its rail connections and rural character, it became a home of choice for pottery works managers from the nearby Federation of Six Towns which later became the city of Stoke-on-Trent.^[5] During the Second World War, a large armaments factory was built outside the town at Radway Green, and it was expanded dramatically to house the influx of factory workers.

The churches are Christ Church (1789),^[6] and St. Mary Magdalene (1898).^[7] Until December 2009 there were also two Methodist churches, but just one remains.^[8]

The Roman Catholic community is served from St Gabriel's Church. The parish is located in the Diocese of Shrewsbury (Central Cheshire Region – Local Pastoral Area 9).

Art and architecture

Formerly housed on the Manchester Metropolitan University's campus, Alsager Arts Centre had an acclaimed public programme of touring new performance and visual art work presented in two intensive seasons – September to November and January to March. But the centre has now moved to the university's Crewe campus, as its Alsager site is closing.^[9]

In August 2010 Alsager hosted the first annual Alsager Arts Festival.^[10]

Artist James Lloyd was born in the town.

Transport

Alsager is close to junction 16 of the M6 motorway, and is served by Alsager railway station on the Crewe to Derby line. Buses (the number 20) run to Crewe twice an hour and Hanley every 20 minutes. Regional Route 70 passes to the west of the town. The 78 bus service links Alsager with Sandbach, Congleton and Rode Heath.

The Trent and Mersey Canal runs just to the north-east to the town, forming part of the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and the South Cheshire Way footpath. The canal's towpath and the nearby 'Salt Line' are also routes of the National Cycle Network.

Economy

There is a BAE Systems Global Combat Systems factory in the nearby village of Radway Green, producing small arms ammunition for the British armed forces.

Sport

Alsager is home to Alsager Town F.C., Alsager Bank Corner FC, Alsager Cricket Club, the Alsager Golf and Country Club, the Alsager Institute Bowling Club, the Alsager Company of Archers and Triton Hockey Club.

It also has a number of youth teams in the 'lads'n'dads' league. The English Cycling Team is based on the MMU campus. There is a thriving pool league. There is a swimming club. The MMU Sport Science Department is highly regarded and the Italian and Portuguese Football Teams trained there during the 1996 European Football Championship.

There is a leisure centre within Alsager, this is managed by Cheshire East Council.

Alsager also hosts the UK's biggest 5 Mile Road Race each year in February. The event attracts many of the UK's top endurance athletes.^{[citation needed]}

Pastimes and leisure pursuits

There is a strong tradition of allotment holding in the village, administered by the Alsager Gardens Association.^[11]

It is also home to Alsager Community Theatre (ACT), ^[12] an amateur drama group founded in 1973. ACT puts its productions on in the Civic Centre and at nearby Little Moreton Hall.

Parks

Alsager has several parks. The town's main park is Milton Garden, which has an ornamental sunken garden, a skatepark and a play area.

Education

Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester Metropolitan University

Alsager was home to the Contemporary Arts and Sports Science Departments of the Manchester Metropolitan University. The University absorbed the former Crewe & Alsager College of Higher Education, forming the Crewe and Alsager Faculty, now renamed MMU Cheshire. The Alsager Arts Centre was also on campus, and promoted touring contemporary dance, music, theatre, live art, performance writing and visual art events to the public as well as members of the University community.

The university has been transferring staff and departments from Alsager to the Crewe campus since 2006 and with the entire Alsager site due to close before 2011.^[13] The Arts Centre has also moved to the MMU campus in Crewe, and has been renamed the Axis Arts Centre.^[14]

The campus on Hassall Road has been earmarked for a total of 300 houses, office space and a retail development, including shops, restaurants and financial services. Under current proposals, no more than 150 houses would be built before 2011, with the remaining 150 built between 2011 and 2014.

Schools

Public education, at primary and secondary school level, is managed by Cheshire East Council and the Alsager Community Trust. The Alsager Community Trust is a Co-Operative trust, in which all the schools in the town are members. Secondary education is provided by Alsager School, a foundation school, that is situated opposite the Manchester Metropolitan University campus. It is attended by over 1,300 pupils^[15] between the ages of 11 and 18. Alsager School is a Business and Enterprise College.^[15]

Six primary schools feed into Alsager School: Alsager Highfields, Cranberry Primary School, Excalibur Primary School, Pikemere School, Rode Heath School and St Gabriel's R.C. Primary School.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Official 2001 Census figures. Neighbourhood Statistics website. Retrieval Date: 22 August 2007.
2. ^ Alsager Mere. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
3. ^ Alsager Partnership website. Retrieval Date: 3 June 2010.
4. ^ Church Lawton Barrows. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
5. ^ Scholes, R. (2000) Towns and villages of Britain: Cheshire. Sigma Press: Wilmslow, Cheshire. ISBN 1-85058-637-3.
6. ^ Christ Church. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
7. ^ St Mary Magdalene – A Church Near You – website. Retrieval Date: 19 January 2009.
8. ^ Wesley Place Methodist Church Alsager website. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
9. ^ Alsager Arts Centre website. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
10. ^ Alsager Festival website. Retrieval Date: 3 June 2010.
11. ^ .Alsager Gardens Association website. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.
12. ^ Alsager Community Theatre. Retrieval Date: 20 April 2011.
13. ^ "Job cuts planned at MMU Cheshire". The Sentinel. 17 November 2009. http://beta.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Fight-save-campus-jobs/article-1522322-detail/article.html. Retrieved 3 June 2010. 
14. ^ Axis Arts Centre website
15. ^ ^{a b} Alsager School website. Retrieval Date: 10 August 2007.

External links

• Alsager Town Council