Madeley is a village and ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England. It is split into three parts: Madeley, Middle Madeley, and Little Madeley. Madeley Heath is also considered by many to be part of Madeley. In the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 4,386,[1] decreasing to 4,222 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Madeley is derived from the Saxon, Madanlieg, meaning 'a clearing in the woods belonging to Mada' (Mada is a female Saxon name).
Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being 2,160 acres (8.7 km2) of wood, with 4 plough teams. The first Madeley Old Manor was built by Robert de Stafford, with the local church being founded in 1200.[3]Heighley Castle was built in 1226 by Henry de Audley[3] and ordered to be demolished by a Parliamentary committee sitting at Stafford in 1644 to prevent its use by Royalists.[4] Little remains today but some of the ruins are still visible during winter through the vegetation surrounding the area.
A significant feature and well-known landmark of the village is Madeley Mill, which stands on the dam for the pool. During its history the mill was used for grinding grain but, prior to its closure, production was turned over to cheese making. It fell into disrepair before being developed and converted into apartments in the early 1990s, saving it from proposed demolition by the local council.
There was a butcher's shop opposite the pool that was run by Arthur Bailey. He rented the shop initially from around 1957, moving to the village when he purchased the adjoining Pool House in 1962. He slaughtered his own animals in the now converted slaughterhouse. His wife Marjorie (née Pearce) was one of the team who established the Christie Hospital in Manchester.
North Staffordshire was a centre for coal mining and the nearby mine at Leycett was known as Madeley under the National Coal Board. Sinking began in the 1880s and the colliery had five shafts with exotic names: Bang Up, Fair Lady, Clarkes, Harrisons and Woodburn. The pit closed on 21 September 1957. There is nothing left of the site nowadays, it being subject to open cast mining that removed the remaining coal and the slag heaps.It is used for agriculture.[5]
Madeley has a shopping parade, built by the Wooliscroft family who lived down Furnace Lane. The telephone exchange was demolished in the early 1960s.
Education
Meadows Primary School, Sir John Offley Primary School and Madeley High School all serve the surrounding area.
The majority of the settlement sits between the M6 motorway and the West Coast Main Line but there is no access to the motorway or a railway station. The A525 road passes through Madeley as a primary route. It connects with the A531 which further connects with the A500 to the north.
Railways
Train of new carriages at the site of Madeley LNWR Station in 1962
Madeley was served by two railway stations, with the station on the West Coast Main Line closing in 1954. It was previously a stabling point for the Royal Train.[4] There was also a Madeley Road station on the North Staffordshire Railway's branch line to Market Drayton which was opened on 1 February 1870 and closed in 1931.[7] However, during the 1960s the station at Madeley Road was reopened and used as a messroom by British Rail traincrew and shunters for running around coal rrains destined for Silverdale and Holditch Collieries. These trains came off the West Coast Mainline and onto the former branch via Madeley Chord. This arrangement continued until Silverdale Colliery closed in 1998.
Joseph Elkington (1740-1806) English agriculturalist, who was lauded by Parliament for his reforms to land drainage.[8] Elkington moved to Hey House in Staffordshire in 1797 to farm 500 acres of land at Madeley which became known as Bog Farm.
William Bridges Adams (1797–1872) author, inventor and locomotive engineer, was educated at Madeley School. He is best known for his patented Adams axle.
