Biddulph

Now a largely residential commuter area for the Potteries and Congleton, it is hard to imagine Biddulph in it economic heyday - a thriving, bustling centre for the production of iron and textiles, coal mining and the manufacture of mining machinery. Once an isolated, infertile but beautiful region dominated by moorland, ridges and hills such as Mow Cop, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the Biddulph Valley, with its valuable rock strata and the arrival of the railway, became a focal point for industry and population.
This fascination selection of photographs, collected over recent years from people whose families have spent their lives in Biddulph, recreates those heady, often hard days, when men toiled in the coalmines and ironworks and woman supplemented the family income spinning cotton and silk, and cutting fustain, in the local textile mills. Remembered too are the exuberant celebrations and events, adn the recreation and leisure of a close-knit, vibrant community. All aspects of everyday life are recalled: schools, societies, church and chapel, transport, shops, men in uniform, the Grange, the orthopaedic hospital and the Grange Garden, now owned by the National Trust.
Derek J. Wheelhouse, has used his extensive local knowledge to produce this evocative collection of vivid images that will both charm and captivate all Bidolfians.