Congleton Museum

Instigated by the local community, after interesting local finds such as the Astbury log boat and the Moody Street gold coins had been farmed out to Manchester Museum and the Grosvenor Museum in Chester respectively. Congleton Museum was finally opened in 2002, with both the boat and coins returned to Congleton in due course.

Housed in a former Victorian police station, the museum displays items relating to the local and the surrounding areas, covering the Bronze Age, Roman Cheshire, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, the Second World War and much more.

Photographic memories

The museum has an extensive photograph archive, with thousands of images of Congleton past and present. The collection contains pictures of landmarks, people, objects, events and festivals charting the town’s development over the past 150 years. Copies of the photographs are available to purchase from the museum.

Time gentlemen please

You can view the 18th century, longcase clock made by John Whitehurst, and learn about the prominent clockmaker and respected Congleton citizen, who also manufactured industrial machine parts. It is believed he also owned property in the town, including the George Inn, where he would have relied on his own craftsmanship to call last orders.

Keep an eye out for the museum's events, from talks to family friendly workshops. You can also look further into the past of the area through census records, maps and documents relating to local businesses in the Research Room.