pic: St Luke's C of E
Silverdale, in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, is a former coal mining village.
Its location on the western edge of North Staffordshire means residents enjoy excellent road links, while the stunning countryside of Shropshire and Cheshire is only a short distance away.
New housing in the Newcastle suburb of Knutton has all but linked Silverdale with the borough's main town, but Silverdale remains a distinct village, benefiting from a strong community spirit forged by its mining heritage.
It has a good selection of shops including a supermarket, mostly based in the main shopping street known as The Parade.
Community facilities include a library, a community centre, Silverdale Youth Club, and the Silverdale Social Centre, and the attractive parish church of St Luke the Evangelist in Church Lane is a pleasantly dominant feature.
Silverdale is ideally situated for anyone seeking work at Keele University or local large employment parks on the outskirts of Chesterton at Holditch, Lymedale and Parkhouse.
And Silverdale is less than two miles away from the town of Newcastle, making its attractive market and wide range of shops, restaurants and services easily accessible.
The towns of Stoke-on-Trent, including city centre Hanley, are just a short drive further.
Out with the Old…
Silverdale formerly boasted a pit, ironworks and textile mill. All are now gone, although major plans are underway to develop an enterprise park on the former Silverdale Colliery site.
The agency behind the scheme, InStaffs, is optimistic that companies will be tempted by the area's excellent motorway links, and the presence of almost half a million people within a 20 minute drive time.
Another large employment park is also planned alongside the A500 at Chatterley Valley.
And, just a short walk from Silverdale, Keele University's Innovation and Science Park has been growing steadily since its construction in the 1980s, and offers around 150,000 square feet of commercial mixed-use development to a variety of businesses.
Permission has been granted for further expansion, and it's hoped that these new developments will bring renewed prosperity to the district.
Property Market in Silverdale
pic: Terraced housing
Silverdale is characterised by a high number of terraced properties.
It is split between the Newcastle Borough Council wards of Silverdale and Knutton, home to 4,120 people, and Silverdale and Parksite, which has 3,653 residents.
The village centre has two main roads, the High Street and Church Street, with a large number of terraced homes in the offshoot streets. There are also several impressive period properties close to The Bush pub on the High Street.
The Parksite housing estate, built for workers at the former colliery, lies at Silverdale's far end close to the tiny village of Leycett. Some more rural homes can be found in nearby Pepper Street and Leycett Lane.
Knutton, Silverdale's closest neighbour, has a large former Newcastle Borough Council residential estate which is now managed by Aspire Housing.
Aspire also manages around 300 homes in Silverdale, including a modern development of flats on Church Street, and around 90 at Parksite.
There have been some modern family-style homes built in the area in between Silverdale and Knutton.
Keele village is also close at hand, and provides a major contrast with its countryside feel and many expensive, sizeable homes.
There is a thriving buy-to-let market thanks to the close proximity of Keele University.
Living Here
Transport:
Trains: Easy access to Stoke-on-Trent's West Coast Main Line station provides direct links to London and Manchester, and cross country trains go to other destinations such as Crewe and Derby.
Small stations at Longport and Kidsgrove give access to cross country services.
Buses: The regular 94 and 94A services linking Newcastle with Audley travel through Silverdale and Parksite.
Newcastle bus station offers access to buses going to nearby Stoke-on-Trent and large areas of Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Roads: Silverdale is just a short drive away from the M6 junction for Stoke-on-Trent North via the A34 and A500, and the Stoke-on-Trent South junction via Clayton.
Air: Manchester, Liverpool John Lennon, East Midlands and Birmingham airports are all within an 80-minute drive.
Shopping:
The village has a good selection of shops including a newsagent, supermarket, greengrocer, launderette, hairdresser, barber shop and bookmakers, many of them based in the main shopping street known as The Parade.
A large garden centre, Garner's, is situated on the outskirts of the village on Cemetery Road.
Eating and drinking:
There are several pubs including The Bush, The Vine Inn, The Roebuck, Silver Birch and The Globe; some of them serve food. There's also a workingmen's club in the High Street.
Nearby Newcastle offers a varied choice of pubs and restaurants, with food options ranging from fish and chips to Thai, Italian and Chinese meals.
Both Newcastle and Stoke-on-Trent city centre boast vibrant nightlife.
Sports:
Silverdale has a cricket club, as has Leycett, just a short distance from Parksite.
There is a range of golf courses including nearby Wolstanton Golf Club.
The pay-and-play course at Keele, which also has a golf driving range, is in between attractive Keele village and Silverdale, and provides a pleasant open area.
There are some excellent sporting facilities available to hire on the Keele University campus.
Newcastle Borough Council provides gyms at Knutton, Kidsgrove and Newcastle, and swimming baths at Newcastle, Chesterton and Kidsgrove.
Chesterton's Loomer Road stadium is home to the professional Stoke Potters speedway team.
Leisure and Entertainment (in Newcastle borough):
Keele University hosts concerts by many well known pop and rock acts.
Excellent facilities in Newcastle borough include the New Victoria Theatre - a unique theatre in the round - at Basford, and a town centre multi-screen cinema.
Venues in nearby Stoke-on-Trent include The Regent which stages many post-West End shows, and the Victoria Hall concert venue.
Festival Park, close to Stoke-on-Trent city centre, has a multiplex cinema, bowling alley, dry ski slope - featuring a rollercoaster toboggan ride - and Waterworld indoor water park.
The busy tourist attractions of Bridgemere Garden World and Stapeley Water Gardens are also nearby.
Parks and open spaces:
Silverdale has play facilities at Back Lane and Underwood Road.
Silverdale Park has a bowling green, tennis court, football goals and skateboarding ramps.
Apedale Country Park between Silverdale and Chesterton is ideal for country walks and also has a popular mining museum.