Baby Boom

After the Second World War, building took place on three estates within the village. (Compare the 1891 Ordinance Survey maps to the present day maps).
Arthur Morris of Madeley Heath has kindly submitted the black and white pictures.
The colour comparison pictures here are – © Kevin J. Clarke
This is a view of the row of houses on Newcastle Road below Meadows Primary School in Madeley Heath. The sign hanging from the tree stump says Elks. It was about this time that television had started to make an appearance, noticeable by the aerials on the house in the foreground and the stone cottage on the right. Worthy of note is the old road sign showing a motif of a lighted beacon warning of the school ahead.
(Photo. © Kevin J. Clarke)
Swan Bank cottages can be seen on the left of this picture and have changed very little. However, the section of houses including the old Post Office lower down are now gone. The P.O. can just be made out at the end of the row on the right.
Swan Bank in the mid 1950's.
Swanbank Today  
Unmistakable! The view on the right is the war memorial on the junction of Newcastle Road and Keele Road. On the left can be seen the end facade of Meadows Primary School. The road sign to the left of the monument will be remembered as “Halt – Major Road Ahead” What today is Vitoflint, was originally the co-operative society shop (right). In the background, between the co-op and the monument is The Old Swan public house. If someone says “Hillwood, I remember when it was all fields.” Take a look, there’s no denying it.
Monument in the mid 1950's.
All Saints  in the mid 1950's.
The photograph of All Saints church shown here was taken as the rest of these pictures, in the mid 1950’s

The Swinging Sixties

In the early 1960’s the M6 motorway cut through Madeley dividing the community in two.

The teachers training college was established in 1961, it survived until it’s closure in 1981.

Madeley Secondary School, now Madeley High School opened in the early ‘60’s.

Leycett Colliery was finally closed as a working mine in 1968.

Madeley College of Education, a teacher training college was opened on parkland in front of Madeley Manor in 1961.

In 1968, Colin and Quentin (see The War Years on the previous page) inherited land in Madeley. Quentin and his third wife, Sue (her family were the Cavendish’s of Holker Hall, Lancashire), decided to live at Netherset Hey. Their first son, Nathaniel, was born in London but was christened at Madeley. David Bailey, the photographer, in a leather cat suit and his then girlfriend, model, Penelope Tree in a see through summer dress caused quite a stir.

Princess Margaret was a friend of the family and visited at Netherset Hey. Bamber Gascoigne, Quentin’s nephew also visited .

Shane O’Neill’s widow remarried, firstly, Esmond Rothermere, a newspaper proprietor, but then more famously, Ian Fleming (1908-1964), creator of James Bond 007 and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

The 1960’s also saw housing estates spring up. Bryn Wood , The Browns Farm Estate and housing off New Road added to Knightley built in the 1920’s and the Moss in the 1950’s.In the 1990’s,land where the teacher training college had been between 1961 and 1981 was developed as College Gardens.


Madeleys’ own ‘Hollywood Bowl’

In May of 1970, a pop festival was held at Finney Green, in a field with a natural bowl called Hollywood. The two day festival was attended by an estimated 45,000 people. It attracted artists such as Mungo Jerry, Black Sabbath, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, The Grateful Dead, Family, Traffic, Free & Jose Feliciano.

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