Crewe
Encyclopedia : C : CR : CRE : Crewe
Crewe is a town in south Cheshire, in the north west of England. It is the major town in the Borough and Parliamentary Constituency of Crewe and Nantwich. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683. It is twinned with Mâcon in France and Bischofsheim, near Mainz, Germany.
Crewe is perhaps best known for its association with the railway industry, being a major junction and once home to a bustling railway works. From 1946 to 2002 it was the home of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor car production. From the end of 2002 Rolls-Royce production ceased at Crewe while the Pyms' Lane factory now produces Bentley motor cars exclusively.
History
Crewe did not come to prominence until the late 1830s, when the Grand Junction Railway (GJR) company chose it as the site for its locomotive works (known in the surrounding area simply as Crewe Works) and Crewe railway station. The town of Winsford, situated seven miles north of Crewe, rejected an earlier original building plan. Subsequently local landowners from neighbouring Nantwich (located four miles away) prevented the second choice plan to locate the building in their town. When the GJR opened its station in fields near Crewe Hall in 1837, the population of Crewe (c. 1831), the nearest Cheshire village, was just 70.A new town grew up alongside the increasingly busy station, with the population expanding to reach 40,000 by 1871. GJR chief engineer Joseph Locke helped lay out the town.
The town has a large park, Queen's Park (laid out by engineer Francis Webb), which is a product of 1880s railway politics: the London and North Western Railway (successor to the GJR) bought the land and donated it to the town as a park in order to prevent the Great Western Railway from building a railway line through it.
The railway provided an endowment towards the building and upkeep of Christ Church. Until 1897 its vicar, non-conformist ministers and schoolteachers received concessionary passes, the school having been established in 1842. The company provided a doctor's surgery with a scheme of health insurance. A gasworks was built and the works water supply was adapted to provide drinking water and a public baths. The railway also opened a cheese market in 1854 and a clothing factory for John Compton who provided the company uniforms, while McCorquodale of Liverpool set up a printing works. Nevertheless, the dominance of the railway industry was such that times of recession were keenly felt.
Transport
Crewe railway station is less than a mile from Crewe town centre. It is one of the largest stations in north-west England and a major interchange station on the West Coast Main Line, and has 12 platforms in use and has a direct service to London (Euston) (2/hour, about 2 hours), Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff and many other cities.It is on the A530 and A534 and less than 10 miles from the M6 motorway.
Education
South Cheshire College is located on Danebank Avenue, Crewe. This college came top in the 2004 Ofsted report for colleges of further education.Crewe is also home to several specialist schools which are aimed at several areas, including the arts, sports and science. St Thomas More Catholic High School has recently been awarded specialist school status in mathematics and ICT. [link] Crewe also houses Manchester Metropolitan University's Cheshire campus, where 5000 students study.
Sports
Crewe's sporting claim to fame is that it is home to Crewe Alexandra F.C., for a long time one of English football's perpetual under-achievers, though during the late 20th century the club enjoyed something of a renaissance under the management of Dario Gradi, reaching the First Division for five seasons from 1997-2002, being relegated to the Second Division in the 2002-03 season but being promoted back to the First Division after only one season.Trivia
- Crewe crater on Mars is named after the town of Crewe.
- The Limelight, Crewe is a live music venue, established in the mid 1990s. With three floors, the Annex Bar and Music Cafe, the Club has a capacity of over 900. From humble beginnings (with mainly tribute bands) the club is now one of the North's top venues, hosting acts such as Rick Wakeman, SoulTrade, Ian Hunter, The Hamsters, Vermillion Hair and Elysium.
- Crewe has a fast growing population of workers from Poland who, with their families, have migrated to south Cheshire after Poland's accession to the European Community. Their presence is largely due to the foresight of a local employment agency which opened offices in Poland shortly before accession. Polish immigrants have also had a strong presence in Crewe since the days of World War 2, hence the long-established Polish Working Mens Club on West Street, Crewe.
- Crewe was described by author Alan Garner in his book Red Shift (novel) as 'the ultimate reality'.
- Bedford Street, Crewe is renowned for having the largest number of different house types in south Cheshire. The street (which was bombed during World War 2) features terraced houses, semi-detached houses, detached houses, flats, 3-storey houses, and bungalows. It also has a prominent church, a scout hut and a scout shop. Its history is strongly associated with Crewe's railway workers.
- Political gamesmanship arguably opened the town up to ridicule after a newly changed administration, the members of which represented places other than Crewe suspended the relocation of Crewe's war memorial from one part of the town centre to another.
References
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.