Baldwins Gate and Madeley Park Wood
Baldwins Gate is a small rural village situated six mile south west of Newcastle-under-Lyme on the
A53 road to Shrewsbury. The distinctive rural character of the village derives from its valley position, surrounded by open fields and wooded hills. A strong farming presence, plus areas of special historic and landscape interest including the nearby villages of Whitmore and Maer, surrounds and completes what is a textbook country scene. The land to the north and west of the village was formerly designated an ''Area of Special Landscape'' (SLA), but the adopted Structure Plan and the new Local Plan define, instead, five landscape zones (or types) on the basis of a combination of the need for preservation, enhancement and restoration.
To the east of the West Coast Main Railway Line the land is designated Green Belt where the general presumption against inappropriate development seeks to protect existing settlements as well as the
character of the wider countryside. Some people in the village would like the station, closed in 1952, to be re-opened to support sustainable transport.
Historically, three main factors have influenced the position and development of Baldwins Gate Village. The building of the Grand Junction railway line in 1837, including Whitmore Station, gave rise to significant commercial activity, serving as it did Newcastle and the Potteries before the Stoke line was opened. The sale by the Cavenagh-Mainwaring family in 1920 of a large parcel of land either side of the railway line allowed the village to develop and expand. The auction in 1921 by direction of the Marquis of Crewe of the 4,493 acres Madeley Estate included Baldwins Gate Farm (184 acres),which is believed to have given the village its name. At this time the village consisted of a handful of cottages in Coney Greave Lane, Moss Lane, Station Approach and beside the Main Road. The Methodist Chapel at the western end of the village was built in 1859. Station House, occupied by the station master and later by the local policeman, is a Grade II listed building of particular note. The ''Sheet Anchor'' public house built by Roland Cavenagh-Mainwaring in 1839, stands to this day next to the railway.
 
The Village Primary School, located in the Meadowfields estate, was opened on 22nd April 1969:
coincidentally, village schools in Whitmore and Butterton closed. The current school roll has about 100 children drawn from a catchment area of Butterton, Chapel Chorlton, Acton, Whitmore, Aston, Blackbrook and Madeley Parkwood.
The village has two shops, a Post Office and Petrol Station (providing confectionery and lottery tickets) situated along the main road. These provide a wide range of consumer products including newspapers, general groceries, and butchery. The Sheet Anchor public house with its restaurant and children's play area is a popular venue for both local and passing trade. A branch surgery and dispensary are located on the main road on the corner of Tollgate Avenue.
 
Commercial activity includes small specialist engineers situated to the rear of the Methodist Chapel, a coal merchant in Moss Lane and an agricultural contractor in Snape Hall Lane. A BT telephone exchange is located next to the Rail Bridge. The Village Hall and playing field at the eastern end of the village are used for a range of social and leisure pursuits.
Traffic and transport issues impact considerably on the Parish and will continue to do so in the future, particularly as Baldwins Gate and Whitmore villages lie astride the main A53 Newcastle to Shrewsbury road. The road forms part of the Strategic Highway Network and carries significant volumes of traffic from and to the North Staffordshire Conurbation. National forecasts of traffic growth from 21 million today to over 32 million by 2025, the limited provision of public transport and continued commuting raises serious concerns over road safety, traffic noise, vibration, pollution and sustainability.
Madeley Park Wood is situated on the southern end of a steeply wooded hill about halfway between
Baldwins Gate and Madeley villages, overlooking the River Lea Valley and the West Coast railway line.
It contains about 130 properties and is the second largest settlement in the Parish with fine views to the east and, in some places, extensive views to the north and south.
The land on which the settlement stands was once owned by the Marquis of Crewe and formed part of
the Madeley Manor Estate. First sold in 1921 part of the Estate was resold in 1959 for development
with access from Manor Road, a winding and narrow country road. The houses to the west of Manor
Road are of individual designs, on plots of between one quarter and one acre, while those on the easterly side are also individually designed, but of higher density. Parkwood Drive forms a very long cul de sac on a steep slope where only 49 properties connect to mains sewer and the remainder to septic tanks.
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