Discussion on Prestbury and Wilmslow, Cheshire

[northwichcat]

I've started this thread so that there's somewhere to continue the discussions on Prestbury and Wilmslow which had dragged the GHA Coaches thread: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=132786 off-topic.

"Pound shops" also seem to like garish livery colour schemes, but they are not the same of retail establishments as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, whose corporate images seem to fit in very well with the type of shoppers in their area remits.

"Google" my local areas of Prestbury and Alderley Edge, which will give you an idea of why my views are so pronounced on this matter of tasteful livery.

jcollins certainly was well on the mark with his recent mention of the most excellent "Cheshire Connect" livery, that once was seen on the service 19 Macclesfield to Prestbury service. The "Sapphire" branded Arriva buses that are seen on the service 130 Macclesfield to Manchester service are another example of a tasteful livery.

Thank you, but I don't need to Google Prestbury or Alderley Edge as I know the area anyway. Nothing like as snobby as parts of Surrey, but they still make a bit of an effort to be similar !
I'm very pleased to see 'tasteful' and/or traditional liveries - I'm also very happy to see bright and cheerful (not garish) liveries. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Nothing wrong with High Peak's livery.

How terrible it must be for a member of the nobility like Sidorczuk to have to share 'his' areas with garishly-painted buses and the peons that might use them. It must be quite ghastly. As for "pound shops" (sic), well, encountering them must be a real bind, mustn't it, old bean?

:roll: :roll:

Indeed, something of a "culture shock"...

Is there a pound shop in Prestbury?

A lot of shops have attracted new markets in recent years. Waitrose offering free coffees, introducing an 'essential' range and price matching on branded products has attracted less affluent shoppers. On the other hand Aldi has introduced a 'Specially Selected' range and gets some branded alcohol products on end of the line clearance deals, attracting the more affluent shoppers - some can't get enough of the cut price Champagne and Port! Waitrose have also opened new shops in some of the less affluent places, while Aldi have gone for the most affluent places.

There's people in Knutsford who are objecting to the former Mr Chips takeaway being taken over by Dominos, saying they don't want a big brand and want a locally owned Fish and Chips place. Although, Mr Chips was a locally owned Fish and Chips place and it's closed down due to a lack of demand, not helped by them selling not properly cooked food on some occasions!

Anyway this has nothing to do with the demise of GHA Coaches.

Not at all, but I note that branches of "The Works" and a very cheap card shop that opened directly opposite to Clintons have appeared in the pedestrianized shopping street in Wilmslow...

Terrible isn't it? I purchased a Sky at Night book for £5 from The Works instead of for the £12.99 RRP from Waterstones meaning I purchased from a British owned chain rather than a Russian owned chain and could spend the £8 saving in another shop. :roll:

Wilmslow has gone down badly in recent years...

How has Wilmslow gone down in recent years? From my observations last week there only seemed to be one empty unit in the town centre and workmen were doing something to that unit so there must be future plans for it.

I get the impression some people in posh Cheshire towns and villages want to look only at the negative features of both Wilmslow and Altrincham because they are anti-pedestrianisation and both Wilmslow and Altrincham have had their main shopping streets successfully pedestrianised.

It's a wonder no-one has been killed in the non-pedestrianised Knutsford town centre given how often 4x4 drivers try to park on the street when their car is too big for the space available and they drive all over the narrow pavements in the process. Either those drivers are lazy and are unwilling to walk the 25m or so from the car park or they've spent every last penny on their 4x4 and can't afford the 50p to park for an hour in the car park.

 

[FordFocus]

All that's really happened in Prestbury in recent years is it's gained a few cobbles to attempt to slow traffic down. It has a farm shop and the co op has moved to bigger premises.

Wilmslow is similar to any other town in the UK. Only difference is it has a Rolls Royce dealership and a couple of upmarket jewellery shops.

Alderley Edge is very overrated. It's a quieter place for the better since they built the A34 bypass. The restaurants and bars try to be upmarket but still serve the same flat lager as any other place but with a few more ££ on top. I have friends nearby and we tend to venture into Manchester to be wined and dined.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Who were the SIX McLarens in the Knutsford dealers last week for?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I've started this thread so that there's somewhere to continue the discussions on Prestbury and Wilmslow which had dragged the GHA Coaches thread: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=132786 off-topic.

My contention about a garish orange and blue bus livery seen in Prestbury still stands. We attended a wedding last Saturday in the ancient Grade I listed parish church of St Peter that still has its 12th century Norman chapel in the church grounds., then attended the wedding breakfast at the very old Bridge Inn that lies between the church and the River Bollin. A casual stroll along the village centre reveals no out of place establishments to upset the genteel ambiance of the village. We even have retained the village stocks.

 

[backontrack]

We even have retained the village stocks.

For the purpose of ridiculing Labour supporters and Bollingtonians, no doubt?

I personally don't see why people object to things like The Works. And as for Poundland - instead of being a magnet for destitution, maybe it'll actually work to take customers away from the more upper-class outlets (like Smiths)?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

One recent betterment in Wilmslow saw the iconic Hoopers department store finally complete its refurbishment and now has a most attractive exterior façade.

 

[Gathursty]

They are pretty places. To me, they are similar to Edenbridge and Balcombe in the South of England. I think that there are a few too many 4x4s and new cars in those areas as it makes the villages seem a bit flash. Moreover, Wilmslow, Prestbury, Alderley Edge et al seem less Countryfile and more The Real Housewives of Cheshire.

 

[edwin_m]

Is there a pound shop in Prestbury?

Perhaps it should be a guinea shop?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Perhaps it should be a guinea shop?

That may well suffice in lesser genteel areas than Prestbury, but the coin that would best be suited in Prestbury is that which was first minted for the reign of Chales II after the Restoration of the Monarchy...Five guineas...

 

[6Gman]

One recent betterment in Wilmslow saw the iconic Hoopers department store finally complete its refurbishment and now has a most attractive exterior façade.

You mean Finnegan's?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Two observations - not my area of knowledge -

(a) Was there not a "Wilmslow" card - a sort of AMEX local.?

(b) A highly ranking (now retired railway officer) - referred to this area as one where "people eat cake with a fork"...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You mean Finnegan's?

You are thirty-four years out of date with that name reference....:roll:

Hoopers department store chain was founded in Torquay in 1982 and currently has four stores:-
Torquay.................Formerly Williams & Cox (since 1982)
Wilmslow...............Formerly Finnigans (since 1982)
Harrogate..............Formerly Schofields, prior to that as Cresta House
Tunbridge Wells......Formerly Weekes

Patricia and I were based in Torquay last month on holiday and visited the Torquay store, with its top story restaurant offering views across the marina to the sea areas.
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A highly ranking (now retired railway officer) - referred to this area as one where "people eat cake with a fork"...

Doesn't everyone do this, we certainly do, It is a civilised way to eat cake.

 

[martinsh]

How has Wilmslow gone down in recent years?

Well Wetherspoons has closed for a start !

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well Wetherspoons has closed for a start !

That is a betterment, not the opposite....

 

[sprinterguy]

Doesn't everyone do this, we certainly do, It is a civilised way to eat cake.

Cakes are pudding and you eat pudding with a spoon, not a fork. Though that's only if the cake is a sticky enough job that it precludes getting stuck in with your hands. Then again I am a heathen in Macc.
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My contention about a garish orange and blue bus livery seen in Prestbury still stands.

I don't reckon that the periodic passage of an orange painted bus is really doing that much to damage the village's rural aesthetic. At Macclesfield bus station, when being faced with a plethora of identical little buses suited to the surrounding rural roads, it is useful to be able to differentiate between the orange ones and the green ones as an additional identification aid to the route numbers. Though for variety I was on a white one back from Leek the other day.

 

[Johnuk123]

Simple question - why has a thread been started to discuss this area of the country ?

 

[northwichcat]

Simple question - why has a thread been started to discuss this area of the country ?

Because some people wanted to discuss Prestbury and Wilmslow in the GHA Coaches thread (and not the bus services GHA Coaches operated in Prestbury or Wilmslow or their replacements) so it seemed a good idea to start a new thread in a more appropriate sub-forum than to continue the conversation in a thread about a former bus operator.
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I don't reckon that the periodic passage of an orange painted bus is really doing that much to damage the village's rural aesthetic. At Macclesfield bus station, when being faced with a plethora of identical little buses suited to the surrounding rural roads, it is useful to be able to differentiate between the orange ones and the green ones as an additional identification aid to the route numbers. Though for variety I was on a white one back from Leek the other day.

I overheard an old lady at Wilmslow saying she once boarded the 88 bus by mistake as she saw an Arriva bus and presumed it was the 130 (the 130 departs from the same stand 5 minutes later.) She will probably be pleased that from next Monday each bus service in Wilmslow will have a different operator.

 

[Johnuk123]

Because some people wanted to discuss Prestbury and Wilmslow in the GHA Coaches thread (and not the bus services GHA Coaches operated in Prestbury or Wilmslow or their replacements) so it seemed a good idea to start a new thread in a more appropriate sub-forum than to continue the conversation in a thread about a former bus operator.

I wonder why a small area of the country which isn't that well known has so many fans.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Of course cake is eaten with a fork.

Not with a knife and fork mind.

Rather with a spoon and fork.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Cakes are pudding and you eat pudding with a spoon, not a fork. Though that's only if the cake is a sticky enough job that it precludes getting stuck in with your hands. Then again I am a heathen in Macc.

Cakes and puddings are different types of desserts.

Heavens above, do you actually eat any form of cake with your hands!!!
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Of course cake is eaten with a fork.

Not with a knife and fork mind.

Rather with a spoon and fork.

Here speaks a most civilised personage.
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I wonder why a small area of the country which isn't that well known has so many fans.

It forms part of the "Cheshire Golden Triangle" that is well known to those who are "not short of a penny or two"...

 

[sprinterguy]

Cakes and puddings are different types of desserts.

It's all the same, pudding is a catch all term in the proper north.

Heavens above, do you actually eat any form of cake with your hands!!!

Yes, it saves on washing up. Also handy (no pun intended) if buying cake based products from bakeries or street stalls for immediate consumption where no cutlery is provided.

 

[northwichcat]

Cakes and puddings are different types of desserts.

According to the wrapper a McVities Ginger Cake is both a cake and a pudding!

Heavens above, do you actually eat any form of cake with your hands!!!

You remind me of the episode of Keeping Up Appearances where Hyacinth starts to offer a tray of biscuits to guests but then stops saying "No doily" and then tips all the biscuits back in to the tin.

 

[zuriblue]

Simple question - why has a thread been started to discuss this area of the country ?

Because it's a very exclusive area. Even the housewives are real (so my SO says, I can't be bothered with that stuff.)

 

[Johnuk123]

Because it's a very exclusive area. Even the housewives are real (so my SO says, I can't be bothered with that stuff.)

I've seen a bit of that show and if those polly fillered egotistical insecure women with the trout faces are typical of Cheshire women then God help us. Although I'm sure there must be some ordinary housewives somewhere in the county.

 

[northwichcat]

I've seen a bit of that show and if those polly fillered egotistical insecure women with the trout faces are typical of Cheshire women then God help us. Although I'm sure there must be some ordinary housewives somewhere in the county.

If Cheshire was a country they would be immigrants as they are mainly from other counties attracted to the county like some retired British people who speak limited or no Spanish are attracted to Spain.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

According to the wrapper a McVities Ginger Cake is both a cake and a pudding!

The cakes that we prefer at home are not those produced by a biscuit manufacturer, but are produced in small quantities to those of discerning tastes.

Would you enter a Betty's Tea Room and ask for the type of provision that you have stated above?
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Yes, it saves on washing up. Also handy (no pun intended) if buying cake based products from bakeries or street stalls for immediate consumption where no cutlery is provided.

I am beginning to sense the side of the barricades that you would be seen in a production of "Les Miserables"...:cry:

"Buying cake based products from bakeries or street stalls where no cutlery is provided" speaks volumes. We were brought up to use cutlery and so were our children. I understand that "fast food" outlets that cater for "in store dining" are not generally known for setting a good example to children in the correct use of cutlery.

 

[northwichcat]

The cakes that we prefer at home are not those produced by a biscuit manufacturer, but are produced in small quantities to those of discerning tastes.

Would you enter a Betty's Tea Room and ask for the type of provision that you have stated above?

Prestbury isn't on the exclusive list of places that can boast having a Betty's Tea Room, while the two places which are on the list (Harrogate and York) can boast having discount stores, buskers and charity fundraisers in their town alongside their Betty's Tea Room.

 

[sprinterguy]

I am beginning to sense the side of the barricades that you would be seen in a production of "Les Miserables"...:cry:

Yes I rather suspect that you'd be correct in any such assumption.

I understand that "fast food" outlets that cater for "in store dining" are not generally known for setting a good example to children in the correct use of cutlery.

The setting of good examples isn't something I'm particularly renowned for.

 

[martinsh]

Simple question - why has a thread been started to discuss this area of the country ?

Because the inhabitants there (mostly "immigrants") like to think they are important, and above the rest of us mere mortals.

Personally I regard it as the "Surrey of the north" and would quite gladly hive it off to some other county. Real Cheshire beigns at Macclesfield / Knutsford / Lymm

PS they can take their MP with them as well !

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Prestbury isn't on the exclusive list of places that can boast having a Betty's Tea Room, while the two places which are on the list (Harrogate and York) can boast having discount stores, buskers and charity fundraisers in their town alongside their Betty's Tea Room.

I admit that Prestbury is not where those iconic tea rooms have an establishment, but we do venture outwards from our delightful area to visit both York and Harrogate, where they are to be found. As regards those other entities to which you allude, they are as nothing to us.

As you are from another Cheshire East area to us, are you old enough to have ever visited one of the finest tea rooms in the area of St Ann's Square in Manchester that was one of my most favoured places to visit before it sadly closed...Meng and Ecker?