The largest village in southern Cheshire, Audlem is approximately seven miles (11 km) south of Nantwich, just one mile (1.6 km) north of the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, the village is eight miles (13 km) east of Whitchurch and seven miles (11 km) north of Market Drayton. It is also approximately nine miles (14 km) from the border with Wales.
History
Audlem was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Aldelime. By the late 13th century, St James' Church had been founded and Edward I granted it a market charter in 1295.[2]
The arrival of the Shropshire Union Canal in 1835 was a significant development for Audlem. The canal boosted the local economy by facilitating the transport of goods and materials, particularly agricultural produce and coal. During this period, many of the village's distinctive Georgian and Victorian buildings were constructed. Audlem’s flight of 15 locks, designed by Thomas Telford, are a notable engineering feature. Though commercial activity on the canal virtually ceased in the 1950s, it is now an important source of tourism for the village. The canal continues to draw visitors and leisure boaters alike along the waterway itself and to walk the picturesque path.[3]
In 2008 village residents launched an online referendum on moving the village to Wales from England – in a protest over prescription charges in England.[4][3]
Audlem is located at the junction of the A525 and A529 roads in south Cheshire. The A525 road runs from Newcastle under Lyme and Woore from the east and Whitchurch from the west. The A529 runs from Nantwich in the north and from Market Drayton in the south.
Audlem is approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the M6 motorway. The closest junctions are junction 16 from the North and junctions 15 and 14 from the South.[6]
Canal
Audlem is on the Shropshire Union Canal, which has a flight of 15 locks, to raise the canal 93 feet (28 m) from the Cheshire Plain to the Shropshire Plain. The River Weaver passes west of the village.
Notable residents and other people associated with Audlem include:
Isabella Whitney (c.1546/48–after 1624), the first woman known to have published secular poetry in the English language, grew up in Ryle Green when her father took a lease of a farm there.[10] Her brother, Geoffrey Whitney (c.1548–c.1601), is likewise believed to have been brought up there; also a poet, he is known for his collection Choice of Emblemes.[11]
William Baker (1705–1771), architect, surveyor and building contractor, lived at Highfields from the 1740s.[12]
Peter McGarr (born 1953), classical composer and teacher; he has written several pieces inspired by Audlem ('Audlem Sonatas', 'Night-time' and 'Mourning Gamelan'), as homage to his mother, who lived in the village when she was a child.[18]
^"Go-too". Go-too. 2024. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
^"Bus Service Changes". Cheshire East Council. 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024. Councillor Mark Goldsmith, chair of Cheshire East Council's highways and transport committee, said: 'The operator of our Nantwich rural bus routes (70, 71, 72 and 73) has given the council notice that they intend to pull out of providing these services.'
