Kettleshulme

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Kettleshulme
static_

latitude= 53.314
longitude= -2.018
population = 353Census 2001]
civil_parish= Kettleshulme
shire_district= Macclesfield
shire_county = Cheshire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Macclesfield
post_town= HIGH PEAK
postcode_district = SK23
postcode_area= SK
dial_code= 01663
os_grid_reference= SJ987797

Kettleshulme is a small village and civil parish in Cheshire close to the border with Derbyshire. The village is on the B5470 road (Macclesfield Road) from Whaley Bridge to Macclesfield, in the valley of the Todd Brook, a tributary of the River Goyt between Sponds Hill and Taxal Edge. The village has a population of around 353 people.

Geology and Climate

Kettleshulme is built on the boundary of the Carboniferous limestone and the Derbyshire, Cheshire shale and gritstone. The original settlement mainly consisted of a mixture of limestone and sandstone buildings, including the old Church, built in the 19th century out of limestone quarried near the town of Buxton, around 7 miles away. At 1000 ft above sea level, Kettleshulme is relatively high up which makes the weather colder at times, but its location and climate make the land very suitable for farming. The nearest weather station in Buxton recorded that the area has a mean temperature on average since 1969 up to the present day of 7.8.C and average rainfall per year of 1286 mm. In the 1960s there were a sequence of extremely harsh winters. Quite often there was snow on the ground for 2-3 months at a time and the village was inaccessible for long periods. One year supplies had to be flown in by helicopter to the elderly or disabled when all routes were shut.

Events

A lot goes on in Kettleshulme, even though it is a small village. The Church hosts a wide range of events throughout the year. Every Sunday there is a Church service held, every other week there is a Sunday School and on Christmas Eve there is a Christmas service which always draws in a large congregation. The Village Hall is the venue for an even wider range of events as well. Every six weeks, a mobile cinema company visits and screens some of the latest movies to be released. There is a Christmas party put on for the older people, which includes a Christmas dinner, and quality entertainment that goes on until late. Also, there is a New Years Party, Christmas Fair, Summer Fair and Easter Fair held throughout the year respectively.

Things To Do

The area around Kettleshulme offers good walking. To the north it is quite easy to walk from the village to the "Bowstones", an early Christian stone sculpture. [ [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6916 The Megalithic Portal and Megalith
] ] From there it is a short walk to Lyme Park. The views from Bowstones house are absolutely spectacular on a clear day. From here you can see the entire surrounding area for 20-30 miles in all directions, including, to the west, the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, at one time the world's largest radio telescope, to the North-West, the city of Manchester and its airport and to the East, the rest of the High Peak including Kinder Scout, the High Peak's highest point. For the climbing enthusiast, the challenging Windgather Rocks offer a good day's climbing with substantial parking and magnificent views over looking the valley. For the children there is a large football field, with large goals for the older ones, and small goals for the youngsters. There is also swings, a see-saw, climbing frames and various other play equipment.

Transport & Accessibility

Kettleshulme is just a few miles away from England's highest road, the Cat and Fiddle Road. Although the village is in the middle of the beautiful Pennine countryside, it is only around 13 miles away from the centre of Manchester, and a 40 minute drive from the city airport. This makes it popular for business people to live here and commute to the city or the airport. There is a bus service that starts in Disley and goes through Kettleshulme to Macclesfield and back five times a day. The nearest railway is at Whaley Bridge railway station on the
Manchester-Buxton line

Claims To Fame

Kettleshulme was once also a centre for the manufacture of candlewick material, but this ceased in 1937. The old abandoned mill still exists today but is not in use. Kettleshulme's only other claim to fame is as the home of a 19th century record breaking character called Amos Broadhurst, whose beard grew to a length of seven feet. [ [http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/towns/kettleshulme.php Kettleshulme | Peak District Towns and Villages | Staffordshire | Derbyshire | England | UK ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.kettleshulme.org/ Kettleshulme Parish website]
* [http://www.the-swan-inn-kettleshulme.co.uk/ The Swan Inn's Official Website]
* [http://www.outinncheshire.co.uk/news/EastCheshireNews.htm News Article on Events of Swan Inn]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=6916 Ancient Sculptures Information]