In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Leek like this:
Leek, market town and par., Staffordshire, 13½ miles SE. of Macclesfield and 152 milss from London by rail - par.,33,258 ac., pop. 17,210; town, 1460ac., pop. 12,863; 2 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Wednesday. Leek is a well-built town, beautifully situated on a height overlooking the river Churnet, and possessing a number of spacious streets. Its principal mfrs. are connected with the silk trade, and comprise sewing silk, buttons, twist, ribbons, handkerchiefs, &c. There are also dye-works and agricultural implement works. A branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal is connected with the town.
Leek through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Leek has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of Staffordshire Moorlands. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Leek and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Leek in Staffordshire Moorlands | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/1016
Date accessed: 23rd May 2013
Not where you were looking for?
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Leek".
