Knutsford History - King Street Knutsford! Local History of Knutsford!

History of Knutsford

Knutsford is a market town and was created a civil parish in 1895 by the union of Knutsford Inferior and Knutsford Superior civil parishes. In 1936 Knutsford was extended to include parts of Bexton, Tabley Superior and Toft civil parishes.

The name of Knutsford is thought to come from King Canute (or in Danish, "Knut"), who supposedly forded the River Lily at this point in 1016. It appears under the name Cunetesford in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In 1292 William de Tabley was granted a charter to establish a market and an annual fair. Later the Lordship of the Manor fell to the Massey family of Tatton, and thence on to their successors, the Egertons. (See Old Cheshire Families).

The town was first granted a charter in 1292 and for many years it was virtually the capital of central Cheshire.

One of its most celebrated inhabitants was Mrs Gaskell. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, the novelist, lived much of her life and was married in Knutsford. Her novel 'Cranford' is said to be based on life in Victorian Knutsford.

In 1955 Knutsford received its own Armorial Bearings featuring the motto 'Respice, Aspice, Prospice' (Look to the Past, the Present, and the Future) and today it is one of Cheshire's most visited places.

History of King Street, Knutsford

King Street has always been one of Knutsford's main streets.

It has undergone many changes over the years. The brick cottages at the bottom end of King Street were pulled down to make way for for the rail bridge 1860 - when the railway first came to Knutsford.

In 1907 the architect Richard Harding Watt built the Gaskell Memorial Tower which became the focal point of the street and which now incorporates the Belle Epoque Restaurant and Kings Courtyard Coffee House.

The old Cross Keys Inn was demolished in 1909 and rebuilt as we see it today, and the Royal George Hotel, another old hostelry, was once visited by a young Queen Victoria.

There are many interesting buildings and alleyways along the street. The Ruskin Rooms completed in 1902 can be found at the top end near to the entrance to Tatton Park. Richard Harding Watt greatly admired John Ruskin, (English author and art critic) and incorporated extracts from his works into carved stone panels on some of the buildings he designed.