A town that was a working one located in South Cheshire, Crewe was only a hamlet before the railway was built in the middle of the 19th century. The Grand Junction Railway chose this site for its locomotive operations in the 1830s. there was a town that soon emerged at this important junction of England’s transportation network.
Crewe Heritage Centre Crewe Heritage Centre is set on the site where the old railway station was, and gives you everything you must learn about Crewe’s train-building times, and the close connection with the railroad. The biggest employer in Crewe right now is Bentley and if you reserve your seat early, you will be able to go behind the scenes tour of their modern factory.
Crewe is a great place to go on excursions for trips to Tudor and Jacobean homes like Little Morton Hall and Dorfold Hall and one of England’s most sought-after Medieval churches is only 10 miles away from Nantwich.
Let’s take a look at the top activities you can do while in Crewe:
1. Queens Park
With an ideal oval shape, Queens Park is a beautiful Victorian park that was established in 1887 on land given to the London and North Western Railway.
The delicate flower beds the lake, bandstand, and the clock tower are in use since the Victorian era, and the lakeside pavilion has been renovated and is accessible daily.
It is possible to hire a rowboat for the weekends and summer holidays There’s also an up-to-date playground for children and a bug hotel to children who are beginning to become scientists.
Queens Park has an outdoor fitness center and, since February 2018, it has been hosting an annual parkrun on Saturdays at 9:00. Between the formal shrubs and flowerbeds , there is a monument in memory of the Boer War, unveiled in 1903; the lake’s island serves as an honorary memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives during Burma during the Burma Campaign in the Second World War.
2. Crewe Heritage Centre
An opportunity to explore Crewe’s railroad history The Heritage Centre is on the site of the Victorian Old Works that were demolished in the early 80s.
The main hall for exhibitions is home to changing exhibits that trace the development of the railway and carriages built within the Old Works, as well as the impact of the junction on daily life in Crewe.
Kids can play with the 47 cab simulator or take a ride on the “Columbine” steam locomotive cab as well as a changing collection models of railways across the world.
Outside, you can see a range of visitors and permanent locomotives and even take a trip on an actual railway.
There are three signal boxes. Two are located in Crewe and one which is shipped in bulk from Exeter.
The most impressive attraction is the surviving APT (Advanced passenger train) an early prototype that was built at Derby in 1979. It was constructed to tilt in order to reach faster speeds.
3. Lyceum Theatre
A impressive landmark in the center of town The Lyceum Theatre has a fascinating background.
The theatre was an old Roman Catholic church, built to cater to the Irish community that worked on the railways at the beginning of the 19th century.
The structure was destroyed by fire in 1910 and then one year later, it was replaced with a brand new facility on the site that could accommodate 1,250. It is the Lyceum has been designated Grade II listed and has the largest brick gable, which bears the date of its foundation.
While you’re out and about, you can visit the website or go to the office of box offices to see what you’re interested in.
Between the light entertainers as well as tribute bands, there are regularly scheduled performances by stand-up comedians who are well-known.
The time we wrote this article was in the summer of 2018 Dylan Moran was on the program.
4. Bentley Motors Factory Tour
When it was the Second World War approached, Crewe was selected as a location for the production of aeroplane engines due to the railway and road connections.
First Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were assembled at the plant in Pyms Lane in 1938. After the war , production was switched towards Rolls-Royce as well as Bentley cars.
Since the split of the two brands in 1998, Volkswagen’s factory has made exclusively Bentleys.
“General Interest” tours are offered and offer an experience normally reserved only for guests.
The cost is PS30 per person. They include the entire visit of two hours to the production line that is led by experienced hosts.
5. Little Moreton Hall
Built in the 16th century, Little Moreton Hall is an elegant half-timbered home that is protected by moat.
The Hall is part of the National Trust property and has an odd, top-heavy appearance to the Long Gallery which spans the top that is part of the southern range. Weight of the Long Gallery, added in the mid 16th century, even caused the floors below to be warped.
Interpreters in period costumes to bring the past to life. Kids can dress as the lords and ladies. The room must be noticed for its wall painted and Elizabethan mouldings that surround the fireplace. You are able to enjoy the grandeur of the grand hall and take a look at the intricate leadwork that runs through the windows, the majority of them are still glazed with 16th century glass.
Outside is an official Tudor knot garden, which was planted in 1972.
6. St Mary’s Church, Nantwich
10 minutes from the car or a single station on the train. Nantwich, which is a neighbour town of Nantwich boasts among the United Kingdom’s most beautiful Medieval churches.
The way we see it today, St Mary’s was built in Decorated Gothic style from the 1340s, using red sandstone from the local area, and later, restored to its original state by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 19th century.
Outside, the scene that will make you a believer is the stunning octagonal tower. Enjoy your visit because there’s plenty of Medieval information. Take a look at the ceiling of the chancel, adorned with over 70 sculptured bosses.
The chancel also has three sedillas and an aqueta, which are below stunning Gothic carvings on the canopies. In the stalls behind the choir are 20 misericords that were made around the time of the 14th century.
Each one is distinctive each one is hand-carved by the images of the Virgin Mary, a unicorn George or the Dragon, and an eagle with chicks.
7. Crewe to Nantwich Greenway
In the in the making It was a few years in the making Crewe from Nantwich Greenway was officially launched in 2013 and permits you to travel the five-mile route from Nantwich by bicycle.
The greenway is secure, completely unaffected by traffic and is dotted with little areas of nature along the road.
One of them is one of the Bluebell Woods that was opened to celebrate Elizabeth II’s diamond anniversary in 2012. Around 5,000 bluebells were planted as part of the community-based project. It’s beautiful in spring.
The trip from one town to the other is around 30 minutes. you might be tempted to make a stop at The Rising Sun Pub halfway along the route.
8. Dorfold Hall
There’s a captivating Jacobean mansion located on the opposite part of Nantwich.
Dorfolk Hall was built in the 1610s, by the younger sibling of Sir Roger Wilbraham, who held posts at the court of James I. The building was constructed using brick and stone dressings the hall has triangular gables and turreted chimneys as well as an elongated centre that has massive windows that date back to the 1610s.
It is still a private residence. Dorfold Hall does open for guided tours on Tuesdays as well as Bank Holidays during summer.
While you’re there, you’ll see interiors that were revamped by Wyatt. Neoclassical designer Samuel Wyatt in 1771. The hall’s stunning parkland is situated on the 29,2 miles Crewe along with the Nantwich Circular Path and in July is the only day of the Nantwich Show, a well-attended agricultural fair with stalls for trade and demonstrations.
The event is part of it The Nantwich International Cheese Awards is said to be the biggest Cheese competition held in Europe.
9. Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker
It’s thrilling to think that this huge underground facility was kept hidden for over 40 years, hidden from the Hack Green village. Hack Green.
It was the site of an WWII radar facility, this underground bunker was constructed in 1950s.
In the final days in the Cold War the facility was designated as the Regional Seat of Government in case of nuclear war and rebuilt for a price of PS32m.
The museum provides information on the function of the bunker during Cold War, and has a Minister of State’s Office and a medical room. It also has a communication center with computers from the 1980s telephone exchanges, and decontamination facilities. Watch the terrifying automatic broadcast that could be broadcast in the event of an attack.
On the surface, there’s plenty of Cold War hardware, like the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System as well as a large collection of nuclear weapons that were decommissioned.
10. Reaseheath Zoo
Reaseheath College in Nantwich provides practical courses in agriculture as well as animal management. Therefore, it requires an animal collection.
In the early 2000s, the college was one of the first institutions in the United States to be granted a zoo license and has recently opened its doors on holidays and some weekends. Visit their website to see their full calendar.
The benefit of the small collection of animals at the zoo is that you will be able to discover many interesting information about each animal’s personality as well as diet.
There’s a Bengal Eagle Owl known as Ravi, an Brazilian Tapir named Ernie and blue tegus called Diego as well as Yasmin the Exmoor pony, to mention just a handful of.
