The market town with a community pub and musical pedigree

Macclesfield has become a pilgrimage for music fans and the mural of Joy Divisionsinger Ian Curtis, painted by the Manchester-based artist Akse, has firmly put Macclesfield on the tourism map. Curtis lived on Barton Street until his death in 1980. 

The most moving stop is Curtis’s grave beside Macclesfield Crematorium, a location featured in Anton Corbijn’s 2007 film Control. The tour ends at Proper Sound, a record store and café with a collection of Joy Division memorabilia.