Coordinates: 53°05′15″N 2°14′52″W / 53.0874°N 2.2478°W
| Kidsgrove | |
 Victoria Hall |
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  Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove shown within Staffordshire |
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| Population | 24,112 (2001 census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Newcastle-under-Lyme |
| Shire county | Staffordshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode district | ST7 |
| Dialling code | 01782 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Staffordshire Moorlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire | |
Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112 (2001 census). The majority of the town is in the Kidgsrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe.
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History
From the 18th century, Kidsgrove grew around coal mining, although the pits have now closed. Clough Hall Mansion in the town, now demolished, was a local theme park. Modern Kidsgrove is very much a commuter town, which has seen house prices rise quite sharply in the first decade of the 21st century. Many people now work in the larger cities such as Manchester and Birmingham. The engineer James Brindley cut the first Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal near the town; Thomas Telford cut the second. Kidsgrove also marks the southern extremity of the Macclesfield Canal. There is a legend regarding a headless ghost that is said to haunt the Harecastle Tunnel. The ghost is said to be that of a young woman who was murdered inside the tunnel. She is referred to as the "Kidsgrove Boggart".
Kidsgrove was made an urban district in 1904 with the abolition of the Wolstanton Rural District, including the parishes of Kidsgrove and Newchapel. Talke, previously part of the Audley Urban District, was added in 1932. [1]
Kidsgrove is served by Kidsgrove railway station which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on 9 October 1848 as Harecastle, later becoming Kidsgrove Central. This railway station is still open as a junction (now Kidsgrove). However, there were two other stations on the closed loop line namely Kidsgrove Liverpool Road, opened 15 November, 1875 and Market Street Halt, opened 1 July 1909.
The town has a library, post office, health centre, bank and supermarket. Market Street has smaller shops, restaurants and take-aways.
Sport
Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. play in the Northern Premier League Division One South.
Notable people
R. J. Mitchell designer of the RAF's Battle of Britain fighter, the Spitfire was born in Butt Lane village, Kidsgrove.
Brewster Mason, RSC Actor; 1922-1987.
Ishmael Skyes, SM Activist; 1963 -
Bathpool Park, south of the town is where Donald Neilson, the killer known as the Black Panther, took 17-year-old heiress Lesley Whittle after kidnapping her in 1975, and prior to murdering her.
Local Links
Local websites serve the residents of Kidsgrove and surrounding areas. Each website has a forum area where local issues can be discussed with local councillors and the local police.
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