Can you believe that Newchapel is actually one of the most ancient places in the country. The truth is that our tiny village dates back to Alfred the Great and the very beginning of the English nation , although it was known by a different name back then. There are references to Thursfield or "Thorsveld" in the Domesday book written over 900 years ago, which certainly implies a Scandinavian influence, but the first written evidence of Newchapel dates from 1691.
A stone chapel was built in 1558, possibly to commemorate the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but we can only assume that this is what gave the parish its name. It is believed that there has been a place of worship of some form, in the area since the 13th century and that the new chapel of 1558 was built to replace an existing one. In 1767 the chapel was once again rebuilt, this time using brick. There have been some additions over the years but some parts are thought to be original.
To get some idea of what the village was like, in 1708 the Free Grammar School was set up from the estate of Robert Hulme M.D of Sandbach. This school was to be used for teaching eighteen poor boys from Newchapel, but as there were only three houses in the village, boys from Turnhurst, Chell, and Tunstall were allowed to attend. This school lasted for over a century and finally closed in 1877 but the building still stands today and is opposite the Grapes pub.
By 1765 the number of properties had increased, - the exact figure is not recorded, this information coming from a document which records that the rateable value of all properties making up the parish of Newchapel was £2,338. Figures available for 1847 show that the village was considerably larger, possibly due to the rapidly expanding Birchenwood works, with the rateable value now put at £28,494.
There also were four inns at one time in the village, but only one remains today, The Grapes. As of yet I don't have a great deal of information on the other three apart from there names, The Royal Oak - which was almost next door to the Grapes, The Manor House and The Rising Sun. The Grapes was used as a local courtroom betwen 1834 and 1841.
