For generations of British railway users, the term “Change at Crewe” is as much a part of the English language as “The weather can’t make its mind up” or “Only if you’re having one”. That’s because Crewe is the countryside junction where a host of historic railways met, so travelling from North to South or East to West quite often involved a change on one of the platforms that were built. Its location away from the major cities, but central in England, made it perfect.
Inevitably, it became a prime location to site railway works, and around them came homes, shops, businesses, hotels and all the trappings of modern life. So while most stations are named after the town or city they are in, with Crewe, it’s the other way round – the town was named after the junction and the station, as there wasn’t much here before the railways came.
All that engineering know-how concentrated in one place was music to the ears of later industrialists, and it was here that the Bentley and Rolls Royce factories were built, and during the war they switched production from cars to aircraft engines for the war effort. Crewe remains a great place to build things and is home to BAE Systems, Bentley, Bombardier, Fujitsu and the most important industry of all – Whitby Morrison, who make most of Britain’s ice cream vans.
Things to do in Crewe
You can’t visit Crewe without doing something connected with the railway, so if you’re looking for a great day out, you have to visit the Crewe Heritage Centre. Among the exhibits is the prototype of the Advanced Passenger Train, Britain’s 1970s/80s answer to the Italian Pendolino, which you might well travel to Crewe on. There’s also a shop and cafe there, so why not spend a few hours amongst the trains.
If you’ve got a little time to spare and the sun is shining, you should take a wander around Queen’s Park, a Victorian-era garden built at the height of the British park-building craze that was intended to enhance the lifestyles of working Britons. It has changed little in the intervening century and a half, and you never know, there could be an ice cream van there that was built a stone’s throw from where you’re standing.
Bentley is a name synonymous with luxury driving, and the cars are the sole preserve of celebrities, footballers and successful business people. But there’s nothing stopping you from booking on a tour of the factory to see the master craftspeople at work on these cars, the designs of which are made to the customer’s detailed specifications. And while you’re there, don’t forget to put your deposit down on your next Bentley – it’ll save you a trip.
