Welcome to Cheadle: A sign of our times

There are eight ways into Cheadle. Town Councillor and BTEC chair, Paul Keeling, knows them all only too well. Paul is the person responsible for the ongoing renovation and replacement of our Heritage Welcome Signs.

When you visit a new area, a pleasant sign helps us find our way, know where we are on the satnav, but more importantly, the sign makes us feel something. In Cheadle's case, our signage was designed in heritage colors and a style to connect them with the magnificent Pugin's Gem, to invoke a feeling that you are entering a place with 1,000 years of history, but connected to modern life. In recent years, these signs had become dilapidated; one even disappeared when a new housing developer accidentally threw it away.

These aren't the type of signs you can buy online; they require meticulous care in their creation and restoration. Paul fortunately connected with Neil Rowlinson of Rowlinson Signs, who kindly donated his time, and Paul persuaded Cheadle Town Council to provide the £1000 needed for the materials. It's been a labor of love, taking a whole year so far. Here's what was involved:

April 2024: The restoration/replacement of the ‘Cheadle Welcome Signs’ is delegated to Paul Keeling, with eight Welcome Signs to be restored/replaced.

1-Delphouse Road to be painted (not completed).

2 - Draycott Cross Road (near the Recycling Centre) – painted

3- Leek Road (near the JCB factory) – to be painted (not completed).

4- Froghall Road (located on Kingsley Parish land) – damaged repaired

5- Oakamoor Road (near Hales Hall Pool) – to be painted (not completed).

6- Tean Road (sign near Lime Trees vets) – to be painted (not completed).

7- Rakeway Road – painted

8 - Ashbourne Road – New sign.

Our town now has all eight signs repaired and installed. The remaining signs to be painted will be removed and taken to Neil’s workshop and then installed back in their locations during 2025/26, ensuring our signs give a warm welcome to visitors for many years to come.

Welcome to Cheadle: A sign of our times - created 1.4.25