Portal:Cheshire/Selected settlement/15
Macclesfield is a market town on the River Bollin, in the east of the county on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east. The population in 2011 was somewhat over 50,000.
Before the Norman Conquest, the manor was held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia and was assessed at £8. It is recorded in the Domesday Book as "Maclesfeld", meaning "Maccel's open country". The medieval town grew up on the hilltop around what is now St Michael's Church. It was granted a charter by the future Edward I in 1261. Macclesfield Grammar School was founded in 1502. The town had a silk-button industry from at least the middle of the 17th century, and became a major silk-manufacturing centre from the mid-18th century. The Macclesfield Canal was constructed in 1826–31. Hovis breadmakers were another Victorian employer (former mill pictured). Modern industries include pharmaceuticals. Multiple mill buildings are still standing, and several of the town's museums explore the local silk industry. Other landmarks include Georgian buildings such as the Town Hall and former Sunday School; St Alban's Church, designed by Augustus Pugin; and the Arighi Bianchi furniture shop.