Canal's role in Audlem

I would like to challenge the statement made today that the centre of the village was built as a response to the arrival of the canal!

The church obviously, the buttercross, the Phoenix (old Co-op) and the Crown were all in existence roughly one hundred years earlier!

Nantwich Museum opens an exhibition about the canal on Friday July 24th and myself, David Silvester and Mr & Mrs Morgan of Bunsley Bank at least have been invited because we have helped in some way.

The History Society has been asked if there is evidence of 'boat people' using the school or the church and the answer so far is no, they had their own missions set up at e.g. Barbridge. I thought it was possible that when the boats were frozen in the children might have visited the school. Usually they would have been through too quickly.

The canal would have been important to cheese makers and farmers for deliveries but most boats will have passed through. Apparently the butchers did well out of the traffic with the wives dashing to stock up with meat.

I sent a copy of the 1841 census which shows many canal labourers staying at the Goat's Head Hotel (later the Lamb) Not sure why they were there six years after it opened, perhaps some repair or improvement.

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