Things to Do

Macclesfield has a long history of silk production, introduced to the town primarily by Charles Roe who built the first water powered mill in the town. Macclesfield weavers used to provide silks for Spitalfields in London . Other local silk companies of noteriety include Brocklehurst Whiston who produced a range of woven silk pictures including old Macclesfield landmarks.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of silks from China, the Macclesfield silk industry faded. Luckily, the towns heritage is preserved by means of the Silk Heritage Museum.

The Macclesfield Silk Museum is situated on Roe Street, within the Heritage Centre. Macclesfield is referred to as Silk Town due to the silk industry but Macclesfield was also traditionally known as “Treacle town”. The name may have originated from an accident where treacle was spilt on the Hibel Road and the poor people of Macclesfield came out to scrape it from the ground.

Another explanation for the name “Treacle town” is that mill owners used to provide barrels of treacle for the unemployed weavers in the town.

Present Day

Macclesfield is home to one of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies, Astra Zeneca with plants at Macclesfield and Alderley Park. Many Macclesfield residents commute to both Manchester and London for work, utilizing the rail network. Macclesfield is also located within easy reach of the motorway network including the M6, M60 and the M56.