Audlem is approximately 7 mi (11 km) south of Nantwich. just a mile north of the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, the village is eight miles (13 km) east of Whitchurch and seven miles (11 km) north of Market Drayton. It is also approximately 9 mi (14 km) from the border with Wales.
Audlem was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Aldelime. By the late 13th century, St James' Church had been founded and Edward I granted it a market charter in 1295.[2]
The arrival of the Shropshire Union Canal in 1835 was a significant development for Audlem. The canal boosted the local economy by facilitating the transport of goods and materials, particularly agricultural produce and coal. During this period, many of the village's distinctive Georgian and Victorian buildings were constructed. Audlem’s flight of 15 locks, designed by Thomas Telford, are a notable engineering feature. Though commercial activity on the canal virtually ceased in the 1950s, it is now an important source of tourism for the village. The canal continues to draw visitors and leisure boaters alike along the waterway itself and to walk the picturesque path.[3][4]
In 2008 village residents launched an online referendum on moving the village to Wales from England – in a protest over prescription charges in England.[3][4]
Audlem is located at the junction of the A525 and A529 roads in south Cheshire. The A525 road runs from Newcastle under Lyme and Woore from the east and Whitchurch from the west. The A529 runs from Nantwich in the north and from Market Drayton in the south.
Audlem is approximately 10 miles west of the M6 motorway. The closest junctions are junction 16 from the North and junctions 15 and 14 from the South.[6]
Audlem is on the Shropshire Union Canal, which has a flight of 15 locks, to raise the canal 93 feet (28 m) from the Cheshire Plain to the Shropshire Plain. The River Weaver passes west of the village.
Audlem is served by the number 72 and 73 buses between Nantwich, Wrenbury and Audlem. They are operated by D&G Bus on behalf of Cheshire East Council.[8]
Isabella Whitney (c.1546/48–after 1624), the first woman known to have published secular poetry in the English language, grew up in Ryle Green when her father took a lease of a farm there.[9] Her brother, Geoffrey Whitney (c.1548–c.1601), is likewise believed to have been brought up there; also a poet, he is known for his collection Choice of Emblemes.[10]
William Baker (1705–71), architect, surveyor and building contractor, lived at Highfields from the 1740s.[11]
Peter McGarr (born 1953), classical composer and teacher; he has written several pieces inspired by Audlem ('Audlem Sonatas', 'Night-time' and 'Mourning Gamelan'), as homage to his mother, who lived in the village when she was a child.[17]
