How Crewe went from railway hub to an HS2 ghost town
Coming soon to Crewe: Ruby Wax, a night of Halloween ghost stories and a tribute to Rod Stewart. That’s according to the posters outside the town’s Lyceum Theatre, where the red-velour interior and cherub-adorned balcony evoke the theatre’s Edwardian heyday. But a far bigger name is no longer coming to Crewe. HS2.
On October 4, the Prime Minister announced his decision to scrap the second phase [1]of the high-speed railway line from Birmingham to Manchester. He offered funding for northern rail but made no mention of Crewe, the East Cheshire town synonymous with railways ever since the first train arrived in July 1837. Crewe had been earmarked as a major interchange between HS2 and the existing rail system yet, in a heartbeat, the rail gateway to the Northwest of England was erased from the high-speed tourist map.
The project would have acted, according to Cheshire East Council, as a huge catalyst for regeneration, providing a potential £750m economic boost to the town. Crewe has lost out, it says, on 5,000 new jobs, 4,500 new homes and a major upgrade to the Grade II-listed railway station, dating from 1867. The Department for Transport subsequently pledged to improve the station for the existing network.
So, what now? I’ve come to Crewe on a warm October afternoon to seek out the town’s hidden heritage, its 33 listed buildings and proud tradition of working-class history often lost amid the boarded-up shops.
Crewe's Lyceum Theatre evokes the venue’s Edwardian heyday
Credit: Alamy
I start by crossing Memorial Square with its statue of Britannia to visit the Grade II-listed Crewe Market Hall[2], a former cheese market and cattle auction now reborn as the in-vogue venue for street food, craft ales and evening live events. I find Ruth Jackson, barista at Mini Bean Coffee, still pondering the implications of the HS2 decision.
“There’s a huge amount of disappointment across town,” says Ruth, who swapped Frappuccinos at the Crewe branch of Starbucks for a plucky coffee independent. “The irony that Crewe is famous for its railway heritage is not lost on us.”
Indeed. It was the Grand Junction Railway Company that first established Crewe at the height of the Victorian railway boom. The Crewe Works, opened to build and repair locomotives, completed its first train, Columbine, in 1843. The new town grew up around the works and Crewe went on to produce more than 8,000 locomotives for Britain’s railways until 1991. By the 1870s, the town’s population had swelled to 43,000 steam-loving locals, while King George V and Queen Mary came to inspect the new Royal Train in April 1931.
The Crewe Heritage Centre is a family attraction celebrating 185 years of rail heritag
Credit: Alamy
The former Crewe Works is now the Crewe Heritage Centre[3], a family attraction celebrating 185 years of rail heritage with an exhibition hall and behind-the-scenes visits to trainspotter heaven: the 1938 North Junction Signal Box.
“I spent my childhood standing at my local level crossing outside Crewe, watching the steam engines,” says Heritage Centre Trustee Brian Bailey, who started his railway career as a 15-year-old apprentice and served 34 years on the railways.
“Crewe would have built the new bogeys for HS2, the work invigorating the town. Now,” he sighs, the thunder of trains on the West Coast Mainline just beyond the viewing platform, “it’s all gone.”
Heritage Centre Trustee Brian Bailey started his railway career as a 15-year-old apprentice
Credit: David Atkinson
Despite the setback, however, there are green shoots around the town centre. A new History Centre is earmarked for 2025, incorporating the new Cheshire Archives Service. There are two new self-guided heritage trails around town and, at Betley Street, a row of rail workers’ cottages from the mid 1800s have been lovingly saved, the neat rows with pea-green doors and hanging baskets arranged around a courtyard of autumn-coloured beech trees.
New independent businesses are also moving back into the town centre with The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) recently championing the Crewe Beer Crawl, five independent craft-beer pubs within staggering distance.
“We need to get more people, such as beer nerds, to get off the train here,” says Sean Ayling, head brewer at Tom’s Tap and Brewhouse[4] on Thomas Street. “Going forward, I’d like to see more independent places to eat, such as the Holy Bun on Ruskin Road, and shuttle bus connections between the different parts of the town.”
'We need to get more beer nerds to get off the train here,' says Sean Ayling, head brewer at Tom’s Tap and Brewhouse
Credit: Alexander Greensmith / Crewe Nub News
I finish my exploration with an autumnal stroll through Queens Park, the Victorian public space designed by the landscape architect Edward Kemp and gifted to the town by its wealthy railway owning benefactors. The boating lake and bowling green hark back to a more genteel period in Crewe’s history, while the iron gates feature the town’s original coat of arms with the phrase“Never behind”.
The revised coat of arms of 1955 has the motto of “Semper Contendo” or “Ever pressing forward”. After this month’s news, the town’s catchphrase couldn’t feel further from reality.
How to do it
Visit the Crewe Heritage Centre[5] (adults £7, children £5; open weekends until the end of October). Crewe Hall hotel and spa[6] has rooms starting from £83 per night. More information on travel in the region can be found at Visit Chester and Cheshire[7].
Five things to do around Crewe
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker
This quirky visitor attraction, located outside Nantwich, captures the nervousness and paranoia of the Cold War period with exhibits about the threat of nuclear war (hackgreen.co.uk[8]).
Little Moreton Hall
National Trust-managed, this Tudor manor house near Congleton was the domain of wealthy local landowners, the Moreton family. Explore the heritage features and manicured grounds (nationaltrust.org.uk[9]).
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
The all-seeing Lovell Telescope dominates the Cheshire countryside at this observatory and science park. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the First Light Pavilion is the latest addition, while the popular Bluedot music festival takes a break in 2024 (jodrellbank.net[10]).
Lion Salt Works
The former open pan salt works near Northwich celebrates Cheshire’s pivotal role in the salt trade through interactive displays, set in the atmospheric Grade II-listed buildings. As well as industrial heritage, it explores the impact of salt on the economy and landscape (lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk[11]).
Snugburys Ice Cream
Cheshire’ beloved ice cream emporium, Snugburys, dominates the countryside outside Nantwich with its busy farmhouse outlet and giant straw models in the grounds. It runs a chain of cafes across the region (snugburys.co.uk[12]).
References
- ^ his decision to scrap the second phase (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Crewe Market Hall (crewemarkets.co.uk)
- ^ Crewe Heritage Centre (www.crewehc.co.uk)
- ^ Tom’s Tap and Brewhouse (www.tomstap.co.uk)
- ^ Crewe Heritage Centre (www.crewehc.co.uk)
- ^ Crewe Hall hotel and spa (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Visit Chester and Cheshire (www.visitcheshire.com)
- ^ hackgreen.co.uk (hackgreen.co.uk)
- ^ nationaltrust.org.uk (nationaltrust.org.uk)
- ^ jodrellbank.net (jodrellbank.net)
- ^ lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk (lionsaltworks.westcheshiremuseums.co.uk)
- ^ snugburys.co.uk (snugburys.co.uk)