A trip to the east Cheshire town of Macclesfield, the home town of the iconic frontman of Joy Division, Ian Curtis, whose haunting and atmospheric music touched so many of us. On a hot and sunny day that couldn't have been any further removed from the gothic images associated with the band, I also quenched my thirst at a number of the town's pubs....
If you walk along Mill Street in Macclesfield town centre in the direction of the hills beyond you come to a large mural of Ian Curtis, sited somewhat incongruously above the entrance to a convenience store. It is a striking image, by street artist Akse, based on a photograph by Kevin Cummins of the Joy Division singer in characteristic pose, looking into the distance as the folk of his home town go about their daily business, its piercing starkness at odds with the day's bright blue-skied sunny weather. I'd seen that this mural had been unveiled last year, and ever since then the town had been on my radar to visit to check it out, along with reacquainting myself with the town's rather healthy pub scene.
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| Ian Curtis mural, Macclesfield |
It was a hot Bank Holiday Saturday lunchtime when I finally arrived at the town's train station, my train from Halifax having been delayed leading to me missing my scheduled connection to Macc. It had meant I'd had time for a quick pint at the Piccadilly Tap before the next available train, a Cross Country service to Oxford. It was rammed to the gunwales, which meant I had to stand in a sweaty corridor with a mix of passengers, assorted luggage, and the odd bike, swaying in time to the train's every move. Fortunately it is only a 20 minute journey, and I was soon out in the sunshine at Macclesfield's modest railway station. For those that don't know, Macclesfield is a market town of 60,000 souls or thereabouts at the eastern edge of the Cheshire Plain with the Pennines and the so-called Macclesfield Forest immediately to the east, which is reflected in the somewhat hilly nature of the town. It was traditionally associated with the silk industry, and is often referred to as Silk Town, although historically it was frequently known as Treacle Town after an incident where a horse-drawn wagon spilt its load of treacle over the town's streets, much to the delight of its impoverished residents.
First stop was a pint at The Castle, an attractive and historic pub (opening picture) situated on a cobbled street a few minutes walk from the station. Grade II-listed and with an attractive multi-roomed interior, featuring wood panelling and upholstered bench seating, it has a timeless look. The small bar is just off to the right of the entrance, and from a choice of three beers on hand pump I went for a End of the Pier, a 4.2% pale ale featuring two British hops, Jester and Godiva, from the Tatton Brewery in nearby Knutsford. It was a delicious well-balanced beer in excellent condition (NBSS 4), and a most enjoyable start to my visit to Macclesfield. It wasn't a surprise to discover that the pub is the local CAMRA pub of the year for 2023.
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| Attractive interior at The Castle, Macclesfield |
I headed into the town centre, and after stopping at the afore-mentioned mural, I then walked across to the Picturedrome, a former cinema on Chestergate which has been converted into a food hall by the people behind Manchester's Mackie Mayor and Altrincham's Market Hall. What attracted me was the presence of Jack in the Box, a Blackjack Brewery Bar as there is at the other two locations. As with the others, you buy your beer and can then sit at the communal seating and weigh up whether to get a pizza, or a burger, or just falafel. Fancy something fishy, sir? A variety of tastes are catered for with veggie and vegan options too. Me? I concentrated on my Blackjack Blonde, a pleasant NBSS 3. It was very quiet with few people around and quite warm too no doubt due to all the ovens operating, although as I left I noticed a pleasant outdoor seating area which was quite busy, which I would have gone to if I'd realised.
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| The Picturedrome, Macclesfield, home to Jack in the Box |
I set off to the next pub on my list, passing through rows of attractive brick-built terraced streets. I made a slight detour to Barton Street, where Ian Curtis had lived with his wife, Debbie. It was here that he wrote many of the lyrics that were turned into the beautiful and timeless soundscapes that made up Joy Division's songs, with Ian's distinctive baritone singing of loneliness, emptiness, and isolation, He was heavily influenced by reading the works of Dostoyevsky, JG Ballard, Nietzsche, Kafka, and Hermann Hesse, with the band inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Doors, and John Cale. In many ways though, Ian's had been a fairly normal life. A bright child who loved reading from an early age, he was awarded a scholarship to the local independent school, but despite a raft of O levels, he packed school in whilst doing his A levels, and started working in a record shop in Manchester city centre. He then got a job with the civil service, and after working in various locations around Greater Manchester, he managed to get a transfer to the local unemployment office in Macclesfield. He and Debbie had married in 1975 when he was 19, and had moved back to Macclesfield from Manchester, and moved to Barton Street where they lived at number 77. He would go to work, and then come home and retire upstairs to his room to write poetry and lyrics. The band had formed in Manchester as a result of the infamous Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976, following meeting up with lively Salford lads Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner, and then being joined shortly afterwards by Stephen Morris, another fellow Maxonian, initially performing as Warsaw (after the Bowie track Warszawa) before becoming Joy Division and playing gigs in and around Manchester. The band were eventually signed by Tony Wilson's Factory Records, on which they released two albums, Unknown Pleasures, with its iconic cover, and Closer, as well as a number of EP's and singles including Love Will Tear Us Apart and the exceptional Atmosphere. Ian sadly though suffered with depression and epilepsy, with his frenetic stage dancing likened by some to an epileptic seizure, and with who knows what demons on his mind, he tragically hung himself in the kitchen of his home in May 1980 at the age of just 23. As I looked on this warm Saturday afternoon at the sheer normality of this ordinary terraced street in a quiet Northern town, it was hard to reconcile the impact that the former inhabitant of number 77 had had on the wider world of fashion and music, with bands like the Cure, Sisters Of Mercy, Interpol, Bloc Party, Editors, and more recently, Fontaines DC and The Murder Capital all displaying his band's influence, as well as the impact on the Goth culture as described in John Robb's excellent book, The Art Of Darkness; The History Of Goth.
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| Barton Street, Macclesfield: Ian Curtis lived here |
It was only a few minutes walk back towards the town centre when I came across the Park Tavern, situated on the main A536 Park Lane in a row of terraced houses. Here I got chatting to Tim, the friendly guy dispensing the drinks, who told me that in addition to the two spots I'd visited, others call to look at the former employment office where Ian Curtis had worked and the town's cemetery where his ashes are interred and there is a memorial stone. The Park is one of the four pubs run by Bollington Brewery, who are based in the nearby small town of the same name, close to the Vale Inn which they had bought in 2005. They started brewing their beers in 2008, and their popularity has led to several awards over the years. I ordered a pint of the White Nancy, named after a folly erected in 1817 at the top of Kerridge Hill near Bollington to celebrate victory in the Battle of Waterloo, but it needed changing, so I switched my order to a pint of the Long Hop, named after a loose bowling delivery in cricket, a 3.9% refreshing pale ale which was a pleasant NBSS 3. Whilst Tim was changing the White Nancy I looked around; a smartly decorated pub which appeared bigger than it seemed from the outside, and according to the website they also have a little cinema on site! Tim returned and told me he was only standing in to cover holidays, as his regular day job is as an area manager for the brewery. I decided to try a pint of the just-changed White Nancy before I went; it was an enjoyable pale bitter which was well-balanced and with more body than an ABV of 3.6% would suggest (NBSS 3.5). We got talking about football; my previous visits to the town had involved watching Town play the local team at their Moss Rose ground. The original Macclesfield Town sadly folded a year or two back, but a new phoenix club, Macclesfield FC, is charging up the pyramid after consecutive promotions and will line up next season in the Northern Premier League, two levels below the National League where the old club bowed out. As a native of Stoke, Tim follows Stoke City, but had been keeping an eye on the local club's progress.
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| The Park Tavern, Bollington |
I finished my beer, said farewell, and resumed my walk towards the town centre. A few minutes later I came to RedWillow, a smart modern bar situated in a former shop situated on Park Green. Plenty of people were sat outside enjoying a drink in the sunshine, whilst inside it was somewhat less busy. This is the local tap for the brewery of the same name who are based in the town. I ordered a pint of Headless, their easy-drinking 3.9% which was pleasant enough (NBSS 3). Whilst it is quite attractively decorated, I couldn't help comparing it with their bar over in Buxton, a stunning conversion of a former bank which I'd visited last year and enjoyed, and I have to say that sadly this one didn't impress me as much.
It was pretty much the same view when I literally went next door to the second Bollington establishment in Macclesfield. This was the Fountain, which Tim at the Park Tavern had put me on to. Like the RedWillow, there were plenty of people outside in the sunshine, but inside this large bar situated on a corner it was almost deserted. I ordered half of the White Nancy, which was okay but it wasn't as good as the Park Tavern (NBSS 3).
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| Two bars in one shot: RedWillow, with The Fountain beyond |
Having done 4 of the 5 pubs in Macclesfield that are in the 2023 Good Beer Guide, I decided I would go for the fifth, which which was situated about half a mile up a hill away from the town centre. As I walked up an old guy came past shaking his head and saying the Silk Trader was closed, no doubt thinking I might have been heading there, but no, I was going a little bit further. I can confirm that he was correct, it was closed. A few minutes later I spotted The Wharf, a solid-looking building situated in a prominent position on a street corner in a predominantly residential area. Now for some obscure reason I have a theory that pubs built on a slope tend to be better than average (eg. The Sun at Coniston, Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge, Bow Bar in Edinburgh), and I can confirm that The Wharf is likewise pretty decent. Its name relates to its proximity to the Macclesfield Canal, which runs from Marple to the east of Stockport to the northern fringes of Stoke-on-Trent. The guy behind the bar was friendly, a proper good landlord, and eager to talk, not just to me but to everyone that came in. He had some family connections with Yorkshire which reflected in the beers on the bar, and so for my final pint of the trip to Macclesfield I ended up with a pint of Acorn Yorkshire Pride, a 3.7% pale ale which I rated NBSS 3, whilst I really enjoyed the pub and the array of friendly people that came in and were happy to have a chat.
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| The Wharf, Macclesfield |
And then it was back down the hill to the station, from where I caught my train back to Manchester, having had an enjoyable afternoon in Macclesfield. If you are a fan of Joy Division, musical history in general, or simply enjoy visiting pubs, I can thoroughly recommend a visit to this attractive town in the Pennine foothills....
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