A visit to Sandbach

Sandbach - An ancient and really lovely market town with cobbles, half-timbered pubs and houses, listed buildings, saxon crosses, more history than you can shake a stick at, and the home of Foden and ERF lorries.

 

The Square (The Cobbles)  Sandbach

The Black Bear built in 1634 where it’s alleged that Dick Turpin stayed

War Memorial

Saxon Crosses (Scheduled Ancient Monuments) reported to have been built in the 7th, 8th or 9th century

 Lower Chequer is claimed to be the oldest building in Sandbach built in 1570

 

So many different ages of buildings, some real and some fake

 During the 7th Century, the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Sandbach was in the pagan kingdom of Mercia. Legend has it that King Penda of Mercia arranged the marriage of his son Paeda to Princess Alchfleda, the daughter of Oswy the King of Northumbria. As King Oswy was a Christian, Penda allowed four Christian priests, Cedda, Adda, Betti and Diuma, to accompany his son on his return to Mercia. As no union would be allowed by the King unless Paeda embraced the Christian faith he was converted and baptised in the brook below the church at the bottom of The Hill.There is doubt about when the crosses were actually erected. One view is that it was during the lifetime of Paeda, another is that it was much later.

The larger of the two obelisks depicts scenes from the Bible showing John the Baptist in the Wilderness, the Birth of Jesus, His trial and crucifixion, the Ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. The smaller shaft shows events leading up to and including Paeda's conversion and eventual marriage to Alchfleda. (Click here)

 St `Mary’s Church in the cold sunshine

The hand water pump served the residents of the surrounding properties until the late 19th century

Half timbered listed building in Hawk street build in 1570 and listed by the Dept of the Environment

The Swan and Chequers (quite a new building) built in 1895!

A town well worth the mile or so walk from Wheelock visitor moorings.