The Knutsford Incident

I have blipped before about Alfred Waterhouse's Gothic style of Knutsford Old Town Hall. I passed it again today on my walk back from the supermarket, and thought it would be nice to include the whole building this time.

The sun was shining, and I was reminded of rumours this summer that the empty building was to become a JD Wetherspoon pub. Don't get me wrong, I like a drink more as much as the next man; and appreciate that the drinks at this pub chain are highly reasonable for once (Kempy also swears by their excellent-but-cheap 28-day matured 10 oz rib-eye steaks); but surely it would be sacrilege in a building with an architectural heritage like this.

It is a pedigree that even includes a global 'Knutsford Incident' in 1944, created by General George S Patton. It involved a major Russian diplomatic scandal just before D-Day that was to pre-date the McCarthy Witch-Hunts and the Cold War to come. All this in boring little Knutsford - who would have thought it?

Coincidently, just after taking my photo and crossing at the traffic lights opposite, up sped a car flashing it's lights and pulled over. Strange I thought, but then spotted it was friends Martin and Angela. They were calling in again on their drive home from Bolton to Bristol. "Well it is the best service station" said Angela. The pit stop was just tea and some cakes this time. What a shame.

Postscript: General Patton was almost sacked after his infamous 'Knutsford Incident' outside the Old Town Hall. The building also authentically featured in a passage in the George C Scott film of Patton from 1970.

It all harked back to him delivering a controversial speech on the opening of a Welcome Club for American Servicemen just 6 weeks before D-Day. Patton made off-the-cuff remarks that it was the "evident destiny" of America and Britain to rule the world one day. This was considered a slight to Russia, as they were mentioned only as an after though.

Picked-up by the world press, this almost ended his career before his fame had begun. Eisenhower was furious but Patton maintained the leak of the 'incident' was no accident, but was a frame-up by Churchill.