Checkley Parish Council - A Rich History

At seven o’ clock on New Year’s Eve, 1894, the first elected Council for the Parish of Checkley met in the British Schools at Upper Tean, the present Greatwood School. The eleven members had been elected at a poll on December 18th when 347 electors cast their votes. This poll overturned the results of the first election which had been by show of hands on 4th December because, at the end of that meeting, a poll had been demanded by Mr William Faulkner. Four of the original names were changed by this election.

Checkley Parish Council – EJ Johnson MA

Upper Tean

The right shows Tean High Street 1900 and First World War soldiers on Tean bridge.

In the 18th century, a tape weaving company was established in the village by John and Nathaniel Philips (now converted into apartments).

In May 1895 a committee was formed to consider the best means of lighting the street of Tean. At the August meeting, the three possible sources of power were considered. J & N Philips could not produce enough electricity from water power at Tenford and said they were not able to provide gas from there plant at the mill in Tean. Oil lamps remained until 1897 when eleven gas lamps were installed at a cost of £55 (which included the supply of gas from the mill), the Lighting Act was adopted.

In 1946 the first females were elected to Checkley Parish Council, Polly Evans (serving eleven years) and Mary. E Grace (serving thirteen years).

Lower Tean and Checkley

Situated on the A522, the main road between Cheadle and Uttoxeter.

Lower Tean has views across the valley and of the local Tumulus (burial mound).

Checkley is a medieval hamlet which has history going back to Anglo-Saxon times. Although not in the Doomsday book, there are Saxon crosses in the local churchyard which date back to the 9th century.

In 1874 Hutchinson Memorial School was opened and named after Rev. William Hutchinson who was the rector of Checkley from 1839 to 1878.

Hollington, Fole and Winnothdale

Hollington is a village celebrated for its quarries of excellent white freestone, of which many churches have been erected in this county, and many thousand scythe stones are made yearly. The stone may be got in blocks of 100 feet or upwards.

Fole, a tiny hamlet on the A522 and previously the location of Fole Dairy. Opened in the 1920s to produce milk and cream it was originally owned by Co-operative Wholesale Society (C.W.S.) Milk Group. When it closed it’s doors for the final time on 31st March 2009 it employed approximately 246 people. In 2018 outline planning was passed to develop houses on the site. Once passed the site was demolished and cleared.