A Brief History"In 1861 there is reference to John Maddock Jnr. living at Milton House, the family being earthenware manufacturers originating in Burslem.
The 1850's and 60's were times of great growth in Alsager as Pot Bank owners and other wealthy people moved in following the construction of the railway.
In 1864 the house was acquired by William Young Craig and after 2 years of renovation and rebuilding the present House was completed.
Milton House was self sufficient in all kinds of fruit, vegetables and flowers as well as eggs and coal. Electricity was produced from a large generator in the grounds and water was pumped from a large well. Both were sufficient to supply the main house and West Lodge.
East Lodge was supplied by mains water and had gas lighting. Coal was brought from Craig-owned mines in Wales by freight train to Alsager and was delivered by horse drawn wagon in 2 loads. This coal was used in the furnaces heating the green houses, in East Lodge and the main house.
In 1907, on the death of his mother, Ernest Craig purchased Milton House belonging to his father. He lived at Milton House and by profession he was a mining engineer but later turned to Public Affairs. He represented the Crewe constituency in the House of Commons from 1912-1918 and again from 1924 to 1929. He died in 1933 and the remaining family, probably on the persuasion of Sir Ernest's American daughter in Law, went to live in America in the late 1930's.
Milton House was offered to the Council at the beginning of the war in 1939. The estate comprised the house and outbuildings set in 8 acres. However in 1940 the house had been taken over by the MOD and put to a different use. Internal partitioning of Milton House was carried out, adding an Annex and a Games Room to provide accommodation for Royal Ordnance Factory R.O.F.) personnel.
Milton GardensIn 1965 Alsager Urban District Council took over the Park and the House reverted to private ownership. Until this time the gardens were bordered by an 8 foot high wall which stretched from the Top Lodge to the Bottom Lodge, running alongside Crewe Road.
Behind this South facing wall was a kitchen garden where vegetables and fruit were grown for the House. It had two greenhouses, the larger was used for growing orchids, pot plants and ferns and the smaller for tomatoes, cucumbers, seed sowing and starting young plants by taking cuttings.
Next to the kitchen garden were the potting and tool sheds. A hedge bordering drive ran along the lower end of the kitchen garden.
Beyond the buildings housing the well and generator was the sunken garden. This had been made into a large rock garden in the thirties, when rocks were brought in and pockets containing various plants were made. There had possibly been a fountain originally with water supplied from the well.
The existing semi circle was produced by Alsager Urban District Council after they took over the grounds in 1965 and removed the wall. The main part of the gardens is laid out prior to the war time changes including the rose garden, the sunken garden and open space (now used as a football and events field).
Winifred Rigby lived at Top Lodge with her father who was head gardener to the Craigs for 15 years assisted by 2 under gardeners."
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