Congleton

A superlative walk with Andy, Bonnie, Bruce, Chris and Martin today, starting in Congleton Park at the splendid cafe Stock at the Pavilion then following a river and former railway line to the Macclesfield Canal. The views from the towpath and along the canal were great.  We crossed two twisty bridges, designed to allow the horses pulling barges to cross from one side to the other without disconnecting their tow ropes. We then returned to the Town Centre, which has some fine old buildings and the Lion & Swan, serving excellent food and beer. Both the cafe and the pub had notably helpful, welcoming staff.

Two key facts about Congleton:

1. A superlative: John Bradshaw, a lawyer from Congletoin (although born in Marple in 1602) became a Chief Justice and was appointed president of the court which tried, convicted and sentenced to death King Charles I in 1649. He was thus to last judge to have "achieved" that feat.

The King himself, as well as much of the court, professed to having never heard of him. Bradshaw did not attend court until the third session after his appointment, apologising on the grounds that he had been out of London and disavowed his ability to perform "so important a task."  King Charles refused to recognise the authority of the court and would not plead. After declaring Charles guilty as a "Tyrant, Traitor, Murderer, and a public enemy," Bradshaw did not allow the king any final words. Under English law, a condemned prisoner was no longer alive and therefore did not have the right to speak, and Bradshaw followed this tradition strictly.

2. Congleton became known as "bear town" in the 1620s when bear-baiting was popular, although it is said the town could not attract large crowds because it lacked the money to pay for an aggressive bear. In Summer 2011 Congleton welcomed 28,000 visitors to "Bearmania" when over sixty 5 foot fibreglass sculptures were erected around the town. We saw two today.