{"id":2365,"date":"2017-05-19T13:25:34","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T13:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyvalley.org.uk\/?page_id=2365"},"modified":"2025-04-01T21:13:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T20:13:43","slug":"palmerston-street","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/happyvalley.org.uk\/?page_id=2365","title":{"rendered":"Palmerston Street"},"content":{"rendered":"

(including Pool Bank)<\/h2>\n

Listed buildings<\/a> <\/p>\n

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Smith’s bakery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the most important streets through Bollington now.<\/p>\n

But on the 1841 census it was called Great High Street and included about 70 houses, one being Bank House<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Palmerston Street begins, at the east end, at the junction with Hamson Drive<\/a>, Shrigley Road<\/a>, Ingersley Road<\/a> and Church Street<\/a> – marked today by a mini-roundabout. It continues through the shopping area, past Bridgend, the Memorial Garden<\/a> and Coronation Gardens<\/a> playground. It then goes under the Macclesfield Canal<\/a> aqueduct to its end outside the Dog & Partridge inn<\/a> at the junction with Wellington Road<\/a>, Adlington Road<\/a> and Round Gardens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Approach off Wellington Road<\/a>, Shrigley Road<\/a>, Ingersley Road<\/a> or Church Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Leads to Queen Street<\/a> (both ends), High Street<\/a>, Pool Bank car park, Beeston Brow<\/a>, Church Mews<\/a>, Water Street<\/a>, Clarence Road<\/a>, Hurst Lane<\/a>, Coronation Buildings<\/a>, Round Gardens<\/a> (both ends).<\/p>\n

Nearest shops – in the street and in High Street.<\/p>\n

Nearest pubs – Spinner’s Arms<\/a>, Holly Bush<\/a>, Dog & Partridge<\/a> all in the street, The Turners<\/a>, Cotton Tree<\/a> and Church House<\/a> nearby. Restaurants in the street and in High Street.<\/p>\n

Electric car charging<\/a> – There are four charging bays for public use, located in Pool Bank carpark under the trees.<\/p>\n

Council Ward – Central<\/a>.<\/p>\n

History<\/h3>\n
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Post Office, but no longer here!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There used to be a post office in Palmerston Street, in two different locations, almost opposite each other (not at the same time!).<\/p>\n

Palmerston Street, named after Lord Palmerston who was a minister of the Crown for 45 years before becoming Prime Minister in 1855, had been heavily developed in the early 19thC. The stimulant was, no doubt, the building of the Macclesfield Canal<\/a> in the late 1820s which involved much change to the river Dean valley around the point where the street passes under the canal. It is probable that the original road connecting West Bollington with ‘old’ Bollington went through what we today call Round Gardens<\/a> – they cut off that loop with a straightened road that went all alongside what is now the Recreation Ground<\/a>, then under the aqueduct and across some marshy ground, where the river had run before it was routed to Water Street and the tunnel, to the foot of Beeston Brow and into Queen Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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View from Chadwick’s paper shop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n
The original through road continued along what is today the lower part of Queen Street<\/a> (see Queen Street and the Old Route<\/a>). So the section of Palmerston Street from Beeston Brow to, say, High Street was built from about 1830 on. It is possible that there was a street along some of this prior to that date. For instance, I suspect that the section from the junction with Church Street to Queen Street is a very old road; it may even have gone as far as High Street.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Bridgend bridge, once a ford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n
The bridge over the Harrop Brook at Bridgend is relatively recent, there being report of a ford here in the mid to late 19thC. Before this time the street was named Great High Street.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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War Memorial garden (before the modern memorial monuments were erected)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n
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In 1920<\/a>, after WWI, a Memorial Garden<\/a> was built between Palmerston Street and Water Street.<\/p>\n

As elsewhere, a Service of Remembrance<\/a> is held here each year in November.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the opposite side of Palmerston Street is Coronation Gardens<\/a>, established in 1953 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation and fully re-furbished in 2013, Golden Jubilee year, which is devoted to a young children’s play area with all kinds of fun equipment to keep them happy for hours! Older children will find their play area in Adlington Road<\/a>, complete with a skate park.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Cottages at east end, one previously Kirk’s coal order office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n
The variety of house types, structures and materials suggests that they were built over a period of time by many different builders. This pair (left) of two up two down cottages were refurbished around 2000. One was used for many years by the Kirk family as their coal order office.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Bridgend Centre, historic farmhouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>
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The Bridgend Centre<\/a> is located in a very old farm house at Bridgend. Notice that the floor level is substantially lower than the ground and road in front of it – this is because the building pre-dates the canal, the time when the ground between the canal and Bridgend was significantly raised by the addition of earth from the first, failed, attempt at building the embankment. Notice, too, Throstles Nest cottage<\/a> opposite the Bridgend Centre is similarly set down in the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

The building to the right of the Bridgend Centre (not pictured) stands on the site of Bollington’s Empire Cinema<\/a>. The building was later used by motorcycle mechanics responsible for world champion Mike Hawthorn’s racing bikes, and so the modern building is named Hawthorn House.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Canal embankment being cleared of growth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/td>\n
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Pleasuregate<\/a> \/ Pledgegate<\/span><\/h3>\n

These names refer to the track beside the Macclesfield Canal<\/a> by the aqueduct, between the canal embankment and the Recreation Ground<\/a>. This is said to be where the young men of the town took their young ladies to make their pledge and take their pleasure!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n