With black and white timber-framed buildings, thatched pubs and a historic cobbled square, it's no surprise that Sandbach is considered one of Cheshire's most attractive town centres. And while it boasts some of the county's oldest and most significant historic buildings and landmarks, its location right next to the M6 has made it a town in high demand as a place to live.
Combine that with an array of "thriving" hospitality venues, an award-winning artisan deli, top-rated schools, a town park, mainline train station and a large Waitrose, have seen house prices shoot up over the past three years. In 2021 it was named in the top ten most in-demand areas to live in the UK according to Rightmove.
For those who live in the town, off junction 17 of the M6 in Cheshire, it's the fact there's "something for everyone" that makes it such a great place to be, reports Cheshire Live.
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Having gained the market charter in the 16th century, Sandbach has long been known for its Thursday market which used to spread out across Sandbach Common and attract visitors from across the UK. In recent years residents have watched it sadly dwindle in size, although the indoor market hall has been revived and is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a host of traders.
The town also now hosts the popular Maker's Market on the second Saturday of the month, which has seen a revival of the old Market Square as a hotspot with a raft of artisan makers offering their wares. The large, cobbled square in the town centre, features Sandbach's most iconic structures - the Anglo-Saxon Sandbach crosses, thought to have been built in the ninth century.
The Grade I-listed crosses are elaborately carved with with animals and biblical scenes including the Nativity and the Crucifixion. They are described by English Heritage as being 'among the finest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon high crosses'.
And they are surrounded by beautiful old buildings - St Mary's Church, the 17th century Black Bear and 16th century Lower Chequer pubs - the latter said to be Sandbach's oldest building dating back to 1570.
Further down the high street is the Old Hall Hotel, now a pub, which is said to be one of the "most haunted" buildings in the UK with numerous reported ghost sightings. It featured in an episode of Most Haunted back in 2004 with TV star Yvette Fielding - who also lives on the outskirts of the town.
The imposing black and white Old Hall sits directly opposite St Mary's Church, and some of Sandbach's oldest houses on Front Street. The Reverend Bee Boyde, vicar of St Mary's, said she 'instantly' knew there was 'something about this place' when she moved to the area from Coventry about two-and-a-half years ago.
"I think Sandbach has the best of everything here. We're close to the countryside - you just walk a little way from your front door and you're in fields or farms. Yet there's just enough in the town for you not to feel isolated or feel that you need to go elsewhere."
Mrs Boyde said: "When I applied for the post at St Mary's, we'd never been here before, and because it was during Covid, we didn't get much of a chance to come down anyway.
"We were really fortunate to do a visit just before the interview and I said to my husband 'what if we just got out the car and just hated it'. But when we pulled up I instantly thought 'there is something about this place'. Even the buildings, they're just really beautiful and cared for.
"We never really see litter around anywhere. Having lived in a city for most of my life, that's par for the course. It's just really beautiful here and hearing about the history from people as well - everyone has a story to tell."
She said she 'absolutely loves' living in Sandbach and that there was an 'amazing community spirit', which she saw come to the fore during the pandemic, making her feel 'instantly welcomed'.
"I've really enjoyed getting to know people in the local businesses and people in the area, seeing what they do for each other and how they're all working to create a really lovely environment to live in," she said.
And she said that the church remained an 'important place' in the town, adding: "I've been in quite urban areas before so what I've enjoyed discovering is the local relationship between the church and the town as well as how much people really feel like the church is theirs, whether they come along to worship or are part of the congregation.
"It has such an important place, not within everyone, but in the town and the community. We are working quite hard to try and invite people into it."
Sandbach was also formerly known for its transport industry, most notably being the home of Foden Trucks, which was headquartered in Elworth and ERF trucks which is where the Aldi supermarket now sits. That heritage is acknowledged with the annual Transport festival held in the town every April, with this year's event due on April 22-23, where a convoy of classic motors descend on the town.
While both ERF and Foden are long-gone from the town, the Foden name remains instrinsically linked with Sandbach through the famous Foden's Brass Band.
It is known as one of the best brass bands in the world, winning numerous accolades since it was formed in the early 1900s. Most recently, it won the North West regional championships for a record seventh consecutive time.
And while the big industrial names have been consigned to history, Sandbach's hospitality and retail economy appears to be thriving, albeit suffering the same issues most businesses are experiencing at the moment.
There have been several recently-announced closures, which include the NatWest bank and Gibsons' Greengrocer's & Deli earlier this year. But many believe the high street in Sandbach continues to 'thrive' despite the ongoing issues.
The historic market hall continues to be hub for local traders and community events, while the town retains a number of family-run independent stores. Godfrey C Williams on the town square has been going since 1875 and has won a number of awards for its deli shop and cheeses over the years.
The hospitality scene is often praised, with Cubar Sandbach recently posting about how 'lucky' the town is to have 'many amazing venues'. It is known for its wealth of historic pubs - including The Wheatsheaf, The Old Hall, The Lower Chequer, the Market Tavern, DV8 at the Black Bear, The Lion, Military Arms and The George (now a Wetherspoons) - all within walking distance of each other in the town centre.
On the dining side of things, there's a range of world cuisine options including Italian Rafaelle, Thai Phanthong, Indian K2H, Cuban Cubar and Chinese Kan's as well as recently-launched burger bar Bunita. Bars include The Cobbles and Bar Six and there's a number of independent cafes.
Woody Barlow, who has lived on the outskirts of the town in Bradwall since the 1980s, launched Bradwall Bakehouse in the village hall last year, with Foden's Brass Band using the adjoining room for practice. Woody said the town has 'improved immeasurably over the last 30 years'.
"The location is just brilliant with the M6 up the road. If you walk into a lot of market towns now, there's retail space galore for sale - but there's very little of that in Sandbach. It is a thriving space," he said.
He pointed to Waitrose 'making a big difference' in bringing shoppers into the town but hailed the mixture of independent traders that are based in the area as well as the local sporting teams.
He said: "The hospitality offer - there's something for everyone. You've got the Old Hall, The Wheatsheaf, the Military etc. It's got that really nice feel of 'there's a bit of something for everyone'.
"The rugby club, for a small town like Sandbach, is one of the best in the North West, not just in terms of the quality but also of what they do with their youth work, which is exceptional. The same with the football and cricket clubs."
But, as with many places across the county, Woody urged people in power to ensure that the development of infrastructure in Sandbach keeps pace with the level of house building and population growth.
He said: "My fear for Sandbach, like with many places, is overcrowding and not having the infrastructure. When I was 15, I used to ride horses around here and there's absolutely no way I would do that now.
"The traffic on these back lanes is just horrific. That's my biggest concern. I just hope the powers that be keep the infrastructure online with everything else that's happening in terms of population growth."
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