The first part of the name comes from the Common Brittonic word which survives in modern Welsh as coed ("woodland"), and was thus once a place-name meaning "wood".

[5] It was built by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, who was commissioned by John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury to create a church that "would have no rival".

[8] At the turn of the 20th century the first open air swimming baths were constructed at Brookhouses, and telephone installation began in 1904.

At a later period sand, gravel and aggregates used for building purposes were transported from the station as well as coal.

One of the British Signals Intelligence Y-stations called RAF Cheadle was situated at Woodhead Hall, from land purchased by the Air Ministry playing a vital role in helping intercept German Luftwaffe radio communications during the Second World War.

The 200 feet (61 m) spire of St Giles' Catholic Church dominates Cheadle's skyline.

[5] The church featured heavily in local events celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Pugin.

It was totally rebuilt in 1837–39 to the design of J. P. Pritchett, but incorporating fragments and furniture from the earlier church.

To the south-east of Cheadle are the remains of Croxden Abbey, founded in 1176 by Bertram de Verdun for monks of the Cistercian Order.

Cheadle is a base for exploring the Peak District National Park area, which is popular with walkers and rock climbers.

Surrounded by lofty hills, Cheadle is the gateway to the wooded Churnet Valley and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

The town and the nearby village of Tean also had a textiles industry in tape weaving: the mill has since been converted into flats.

There are also several small industrial units on the site of the former New Haden Colliery and the local Alton Towers Resort employs many of its work force from the Cheadle area.

The weekly Cheadle Post & Times and the daily Sentinel newspapers also cover the town.

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central.

It took almost thirty years of petitioning by the local coalmasters and notables in the town for the Cheadle Railway Company to build the small branch line and station.

Even though the branch was only about four miles (6 km) long it was difficult to build as a tunnel had to be constructed under the huge Bunter Sandstone Hill at Huntley.

The line closed to passenger traffic in 1963 but remained open to serve local gravel quarries until 1982.