Knutsford at Home

Knutsford was a mini ‘Ideal Home Exhibition’ on September 21st, with its home and interior design shops hosting its third Knutsford at Home Event. Knutsford at Home was sponsored by Slater and Gordon.

The event was a collaboration between the home and interior shops and businesses in the town centre and coordinated by Knutsford Town Council under their Discover Knutsford brand. It offered shoppers a ‘menu of inspiration’ including talks from artists such as Diane Marsland in Holly Johnson Antiques, an alcohol Ink Art workshop In Havwoods and a gardening talk by RHS Associate of Honour Sam Youd. There were also two ‘Ask the Architect sessions’ – Hive Architects in Arthur Lee and Bianca Morgan in Susie Watson Designs. The full list of shops taking part was, Arthur Lee Interiors, Detaljer, Havwoods, Holly Johnson Antiques, Kendal Quality Carpets, NaturalMat, Oil Art Advisory, Oka, RI Home, Sofas and Stuff, Susie Watson Designs and Terzetto Stone.

Helen Dufton co-owner of Arthur Lee said, “’This was our third Knutsford at Home event, and it was lovely to see our shop buzzing with customers both new and old. We opened our side terrace too so customers could enjoy the September sun. A huge thanks to everyone who popped into see us and our fellow Knutsford businesses.”

Andrea Young of Havwoods, said: ‘12 of our lovely clients attended our In Art workshop hosted by our very talented friend and amazing artist Louise Williamson aka Big Canvas Art. I have to say we were blown away by the unique art work that was created by a group of complete novices. Images of ocean landscapes, flower gardens, abstract and my very own atomic explosion. We also welcomed new customers to the showroom throughout the day. A big thank you to everyone who attended and also to Lyndsey Dyson for helping me host such a successful event.’’

Sandra Curties, Knutsford Town Council’s Town Centre Manager, said, “These events are all about promoting Knutsford as a destination shopping venue and offering a bespoke shopping experience that cannot be replicated online. A huge thanks to those who gave up their time to deliver the workshops. We loved the way our shops worked together and seeing visitors mapping out their day using the flyers was fabulous.  We look forward to a better and bigger event next year.”

A group of people sat on sofas inside Oka
Four ladies gathered around a table inside Holly Johnson Antiques

Heritage Open Days comes to Knutsford 6-8th September

A bustling programme of heritage activity is available in Knutsford next weekend as part of the national Heritage Open Days event.

Knutsford Town Council has coordinated a programme of activity as part of the heritage festival which aims to celebrate the rich heritage across the UK. The council’s aim is to promote Knutsford as a place to visit for the first weekend of Heritage Open Days and to foster a better appreciation of the rich heritage we have on our doorstep. Materials to support the event have been funded by the UK Government as part of the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Heritage Open Days is always a free programme of events and Knutsford’s main events take place over the weekend of 6th– 8th September. While all events are free, some do require booking so please visit www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/heritageopendays for full details and booking information. 

Printed guides are also available from the Heritage Centre, Library, Council Offices and businesses around town.

Taking place on Friday 6th September is a tour of Booths Hall, Booths Mere and the ruins of St Helena’s Church, an exhibition on Knutsford’s links with Mrs Gaskell and the arrival of the railway and two screenings of the Knutsford: Tales of War film at the Curzon. Friday also sees the launch of a new book by local historian Jenny Collis with a book talk and signing for Knutsford, our streets through time.  You can also take a guide tour of St Cross Church, visit the Tabley House collection and take part in a ghost walk!

Saturday 7th starts with a fully booked tour of the Courthouse and later that afternoon there is a talk at Egerton Place on the Egerton Connection from Knutsford to Kenya.

On Sunday 8th you could take part in a guided tours of the town’s historic coaching inns, take part in the ghost walk you missed on Friday evening or visit the Brook St Chapel for a special history themed service.

Perfect Park Pictures

Perfect Parks Exhibition

A mini display of Knutsford’s primary school pupils’ artwork depicting their ‘perfect park’ is currently being exhibited at Knutsford Market Hall on Silk Mill Street. 

The exhibition was part of Knutsford Town Council’s Green Spaces research which took place before the school summer holidays. The perfect park competition asked children to draw their perfect park whilst adults completed a survey giving their opinions on the town’s current green spaces. The results of this research will help to inform, guide and secure investment in public open space across the town.

Town Clerk Adam Keppel Green said “The pictures children drew were delightful and deserve to be seen by everyone. We had everything from paddling pools and climbing walls to a giraffe DJ!”

The display will be at the Market Hall until end of September.

Sigiriya Knutsford

Sigiriya joins Taste Knutsford

One of Knutsford’s newest restaurants, Sigiriya, has joined Taste Knutsford, a popular monthly food tour that takes place in Cheshire’s leading foodie market town.

Don Buddhika owner of Sigiriya said, “We are excited to join the Taste Knutsford team and meet the tour guests. We will be offering a lunch option with a range of our ‘small plates’ giving customers a true and authentic taste of Sri Lanka.”

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager, said, “Sigiriya opened in late 2023 and has become a popular fixture on Knutsford’s hospitality scene. Our tour only champions our independent and small regional eateries and Sigiriya offers something a little bit different. We are sure this will be a popular stop!

Sandra, continued, “We love arranging these tours and our venues always roll out the red carpet to our guests. The feedback we receive regarding the tours is always positive with guests leaving very full! Our tour guides are knowledgeable about each venue and the town, encouraging quests to stay, linger and spend in Knutsford.”

Taste Knutsford was established in 2018 and promotes and supports a range of independent venues in the town centre including: April’s Kitchen, Cranford Café & Sandwich Bar, Dexter and Jones, Evuna, Morgan Edwards, Hot Cocoa, King Street Kitchen, Real Fruit Creamery, Café on the Corner, The Market Hall Butcher, The Market Café, The Tea Room, Detaljer and Tatton Perk.

Any small regional or independent hospitality venue can take part in the tour and if you wish to take part in a tour you can book via www.tasteknutsford.co.uk  Private tours for 8 or more can also be arranged.

Sigiriya is located on 15 Tatton Street Knutsford WA16 6AB and bookings can be made here https://www.sevenrooms.com/reservations/sigiriyagrill

Laura Christie of Linden Stores

£20 Knutsford Voucher Launched

Knutsford’s own high street voucher has had a makeover, with a new £20 voucher launched too.

The Knutsford Voucher was launched in 2020 with a simple idea: don’t buy an Amazon or Love2Shop voucher, instead buy a gift voucher that gets spent in Knutsford and goes direct to local shop owners and into the town’s economy.

Sandra Curties, Knutsford Town Council’s Town Centre Manager said, “The scheme is a cost-effective way to direct spend to our town’s independent shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. We have redesigned the £10 voucher and added a £20 option. Both of these reflect our new Discover Knutsford branding, and the £5 voucher will soon follow suit.”

“We have also added a beautiful gift card, and these will be posted out with the vouchers making a perfect gift!” Sandra added.

A full list of business accepting the voucher can be found on the town council’s website alongside how to purchase vouchers. A broad selection of businesses accepts the vouchers including Flock of Arts, Detaljer, Arthur Lee, Hal Whittaker, and Knutsford Olde Sweet Shop. In the autumn you will also be able to purchase them on the council’s tourism focused sister-site – www.discoverknutsford.com

Omar Ashlan owner of Amador on King Street, who has recently signed up to the scheme, said “I am delighted to accept the Knutsford voucher. The scheme is a great way to support local businesses and keep spend local. As an additional incentive Amador will be offering 15% off any purchase paid or part paid by a Knutsford voucher. So, if you have some to spend pop down and visit us on King Street!”

Vouchers can also now be spent at Cheshire Granite worktops. Co-owner Donna O’Keefe co-owner said, “Not only are we going to accept the vouchers, but we are going to offer them as a thank you gift to customers. We are based on Stanley Road and love supporting our fellow Knutsford businesses”

The scheme is administered by the Town Council with businesses receiving 100% of the face value of vouchers redeemed in their shops.

King Street’s Lanigan and Hulme has also signed up to accept the voucher, Phil Lanigan said, “The Knutsford voucher is the perfect gift anytime of the year! We are excited to be part of the scheme. Our shop is full of womenswear, childrenswear and menswear that is solely made in the UK and Ireland so if you have a voucher come down and visit us on 23 King Street.”

Laura Christie co-owner of foodie haven Linden Stores on Minshull Street said, ‘We will be celebrating our first year in Knutsford this autumn and we love being part of this vibrant market town. We are more than happy to be part of this scheme so if you are looking for a unique present for someone, buy some Knutsford vouchers!’

If any Knutsford based business is interested in the scheme, they should contact Sandra Curties on 01565 653929. Please note only Knutsford based shops (not surrounding villages) can take the vouchers.

Family Fest Knutsford

Fun family day out at Family Fest

The sun was shining on Sunday 11th August for the second Knutsford Family Fest. Families flocked to the town to take advantage of the variety of family friendly activities across shops, restaurants and community spaces in Knutsford town centre.

Attendees had options to start the day gently with a yoga session from Sataya Sanctuary or enjoy a morning story time at Waterstones. Stable Minds also opened their doors for the day allowing families to do some mindfulness activities and view their art therapy rooms and sensory area.

For the creatives there were music taster sessions from Popcat, art sessions hosted by Kim Smart Art and even pizza making at Gusto. Party Time punctuated the end of the day at Charlton Lodge with a party session hosted by Bunny Business and Disney character Stitch.

The Knutsford Fire Service was in attendance outside the Lost and Found showing children around the fire engine and Knutsford Police were positioned at the top of Minshull Street allowing families to view the police car. Minshull Street and the area outside The Lost and Found were both bustling with diners as restaurants hosted alfresco eating.

Knutsford Olde Sweet Shoppe hosted a fancy dress competition presenting a prize from Hal Whittaker for the overall winner and a little bag of sweets for each entrant. The competition was judged by former mayor, Cllr Peter Coan.

The sponsor of the event, Evuna, put on a special Family Fest menu especially for the kids. They also had a visit from Disney character Stitch over lunch time, much to the delight of the children.

Sandra Curties, Town Centra Manager at Knutsford Town Council said; We were delighted with the response to our second family Fest. The sun shone and children of all ages seemed to have a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone who collaborated on this event, we can’t wait for Family Fest 2025!

Natalie Abrams from Popcats Music Time said ’I loved being involved in Family Fest this year. Getting to know new families and exploring music and movement together. What a fun day we all had! As a family we also enjoyed the activities that were on too’

Business reps gather to promote Knutsford at Home

Knutsford At Home to return in September

Knutsford at Home, Knutsford’s home and interiors inspiration event, returns to the town centre this Autumn on Saturday 21st September. Designed to inspire attendees with their upcoming home projects no matter how big or small, the event is the product of a collaboration between local interior businesses and Knutsford Town Council.

Highlighting the vast collection of home interior shops and specialists available in Knutsford, the day includes artist workshops, architect consults, exclusive offers, and the launch of new collections.

Participants can also attend a talk by former Head Gardener at Tatton Park, Sam Youd. He will draw upon his vast experience in horticulture to present a talk titled ‘Plotting & Planning’ held in the Secret Room at Lost & Found.

There will also be several artist workshops including one focussed on ‘Alcohol Ink Art’ at Havwoods, a flooring shop on Regent Street. Hosted by Louise Williamson from Big Canvas Art, this day long workshop will take you through the process to create stunning artwork. At Holly Johnson Antiques decorative surface designer Diane Marsland will be demonstrating her techniques for hand painting chinoiserie silk. The next day on the 22nd September she will be co-hosting a taster Silk Painting Workshop alongside Julie Hamer where participants can further explore these painting techniques themselves.

Designer experts and architects will be available throughout shops in town to advise and inspire attendees with their projects. Many shops will also serve light refreshments for a relaxed shopping environment.

Business taking part include;

  • KQC, King Street
  • Havwoods, Regent Street
  • Detaljer, Princess Street
  • Oka, King Edward Road
  • Arthur Lee, Toft Road
  • R.I Home, King Street
  • Holly Johnson Antiques, Egerton Square
  • Oil Art Advisory, King Street
  • Susie Watson Designs, King Street
  • Terzetto Stone, King Street
  • Naturalmat, Tatton Street
  • Fired Earth
  • Bianca Morgan Architects
  • Hive Architects

The event has generously been sponsored by the Knutsford Family Law office of Slater & Gordon.

A leaflet containing information about the event including all booking details for  activities has been distributed around Knutsford Town Centre. There is also further information on www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk and on socials @discoverknutsford.

Alfresco Dining Knutsford

Alfresco Dining

The venues taking part in the final alfresco day of 2024 are hoping for a sunny August Sunday.

King Street (from after the junction with Church Hill to Egerton Place) will close to through traffic to allow the following venues participate in alfresco dining:

  • Rose and Crown
  • Gusto
  • King Street Kitchen
  • Wine and Wallop
  • Morgan Edwards
  • Smokehouse and Cellar

Ben Antoniak, General Manager of King Street Kitchen, said, ‘We are excited to take part in this event again. We are looking forward to greeting customers (new and existing) and offering our popular summer drinks and food menu. Last time the atmosphere was amazing so let’s hope the sun shines again!

Knutsford Town Council collaborated with local hospitality venues to organise four alfresco days for summer 2024. Two were for King Street venues and two for Minshull Street and outside the Lost and Found.

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager said, “These Sunday road closures provide additional outside space for our hospitality venues’ customers to enjoy the amazing food and drink Knutsford offers while also enjoying the iconic surroundings of Knutsford town centre. We hope August 18th is busy and the town centre has a lively continental atmosphere.”

Sandra continues, “After each season we evaluate the programme with the venues and will plan for next year. We know the public would like more and if the venues agree (and the weather plays ball!) all we can say is watch this space. We do have factor in applying for road closure permission with Cheshire East and this does limit our flexibility to close roads when the sun is shining.”

Patrons are urged to contact their chosen venue direct to see whether they need to book a space in advance. If the evenings are cancelled due to adverse weather, the cancellation will be announced across both Knutsford Town Council, Discover Knutsford, and the participating venues social media platforms.

Arthur Lee

Knutsford Town Council recognises longstanding businesses

Knutsford Town Council has introduced a rolling programme to recognise Knutsford’s long-standing businesses. The retail recognition scheme celebrates businesses who have traded in the town from a minimum of five years to a 75+ “lifetime achievement” award. 

Town Centre Manager Sandra Curties said “Knutsford is home to independent, regional and national names who each contribute to the vitality of our town centre. This programme recognises the importance of the achievement of staying on our high street, especially in our post-covid, online shopping times. This will be a rolling programme that hopefully continues for an extremely long time!”

The programme was launched at the end of July with a mix of businesses receiving the first certificates and window stickers from Town Mayor Cllr Colin Banks. Colin said,  “I was delighted to present our first batch of business recognition awards. Of course, our high street has changed but it still offers both locals and visitors a vibrant mix of shops and services. Meeting local shop owners from Booths to Partners Hairdressing was a lovely way to spend a summer morning and I am looking forward to meeting more local shop owners over the coming weeks”

Amongst the first to receive their awards was Hal Whittaker, the Princess Street toy shop that first opened its doors in the post-war era. Owner Stuart Andrew said, “We are proud to be part of a family business that served the local community through the generations.”

Helen Dufton co-owner of Arthur Lee alongside sister Vicky Wragg said, “As soon as the Mayor left, we placed our sticker in the window! We love running our shop and know our parents will also be pleased with this recognition. We’ve been here since 1919 and even supplied LS Lowry with an armchair so if you haven’t visited us yet, please pop in.”

The programme recognises those who have traded in the town for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 75+ years. The certificates will be handed out over the coming months.

Knutsford shop windows in full bloom for RHS Tatton Flower Show

Knutsford is adorned in flowers to coincide with the RHS Tatton Flower Show as many local businesses have decorated their windows with foliage displays.

Two competitions were held over the 17th and 18th of July. One was organised and judged by the RHS, with a specific criterion for entering and a theme of ‘Raising Awareness’ to interpret. The second, less formal competition was organised by Knutsford Town Council.

Naturalmat was awarded ‘Best Overall Window’ in the RHS competition. Their display, featuring sheep sculptures made from wool and foliage, was all made by the Naturalmat Knutsford team with help from their families. The display is a complete sensory experience with a calming soundtrack of the countryside (a sound recording taken outside the Naturalmat workshop in Devon) as background noise.

The Manager of Naturalmat’s Knutsford store, Faye Ravenscroft said  “As a new store to the town, we have enjoyed being able to join in with other local business to take part in this competition. We, like everyone else who took part, have worked very hard to bring this together and are extremely proud to have won. Our awareness theme was ‘sustainability’ to reflect our company core values and demonstrate our materials in a fun and interesting way.”

“The local support has been fantastic! we have enjoyed all the fun new interactions with locals and visitors who have come to see our display and will look forward to more in the future.” 

Morgan Edwards was awarded ‘Best Floral Inspired Window’ in the RHS competition. This is the second year in a row that they have gained an award in this competition with an impressive floral display. The theme for their installation is  ‘Shop Local’ with the logos of Knutsford shops hanging from the display.

Winners for the Town Council’s floral walk were chosen after careful consideration from Knutsford Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr James McCulloch and Sam Youd, former head gardener of Tatton Park.

First place went to Detaljer for their beautiful display that aimed to raise awareness on mental health. Second place went to Gareth West for their abundant floral façade and third place went to Morgan Edwards.

A joint award went to Dafferns and Knutsford Olde Sweet Shoppe for ‘Best Small Window.’ Their displays cleverly used their space and reflected the identify of their shops.  And ‘Best Charity Shop Window’ went to the Age UK shop.

Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager said: “Knutsford is looking beautiful just now thanks to the great efforts our local businesses have gone to with these displays.

“Touring the shop windows is a magical experience and I would highly recommend taking them in if you haven’t already’

Cllr James McCulloch, Deputy Mayor of Knutsford, said: “A huge congratulations to everybody involved in the Best Dressed Window Competition this year! The effort the businesses have put in is evident and the displays have brought a lot of fun to the town centre’

Sam Youd added “The quality of the displays have really shone through as they have all held up well despite the hot weather. Well done to all involved ”