A petition urging our councils to restore a historic part of town has reached 300 signatures.

The Dams Steps were a centrepiece to the town's silk industry in the 1820s.

Twenty decades later, one Macc woman has taken it into her own hands to ensure history is preserved and not forgotten.

Mum Deborah Wellington (55), who has lived for 52 years in Macclesfield, has a background in honouring our town's history as the founder of the Bygone Macclesfield Facebook group.

"Allan Cooke, another true Maxonian and a friend from the Facebook group, challenged me to set up a petition to reopen The Steps", she said.

"This was after I commented saying they should never have been closed off to the public, and they should be refurbished and opened up as a pathway through to Churchill Way and the town.

"And as you can see I took the challenge.

"This is my first petition but I aim to reach 500 signatures by May.

"I plan to send the petition into Macclesfield Town Hall (Macclesfield Town Council) and also Cheshire East Council."

The Dams Steps connected the roads up to Cotton St, Barker St, Silk St and Charles St, which were built on the area originally known as Barkers Croft.

The original homes on the site were built in 1788, 1781, and 1808. Thought to be housed by workers of our Macc's well-known silk industry.

There were as many as 70 silk mills in 1826, but almost 200 years later there are little well-preserved remnants left from that time in our town.

Most of the houses around the steps were demolished in 1969. The Dams Steps of course, still remain.

"I fondly remember in my youth playing on The Dams Steps after coming out of the rear exit of The Majestic on Duke Street," Deborah added.

"I think the reopening of The Steps would bring a lot of memories back to Maxonians like me, a part of Macclesfield History being restored and not forgotten.

"Too many historical landmarks etc of Macclesfield have been lost over the years. These Steps are as important to the History of Macclesfield as 108 Steps, Brunswick Hill and Sparrow Park.

"Future generations should be able to use them and realise what used to be, and how many properties were lost to make way for Churchill Way and an awful car park on Duke St."

The three properties adjacent to the steps on Elizabeth St are letted to private tenants.

Their landlord, who has owned the houses for eight years, told Macclesfield Nub News the following:

"I am open to any reasonable discussion," they said.

"I bought the area around the steps because they had effectively been abandoned by the council.

"I understand they are a Macclesfield landmark, and the right to petition.

"But I think that if it was a thoroughfare, I think they were would be a congregation of drinkers and smokers. And my tenants share the same view.

"The cobbles below the steps are currently private parking, and to open the steps their parking would be lost.

"My primary concern is to look after my three lovely tenants who have never missed a beat over the years.

"And their interest is to not have it as a throughfare."

As of publishing of this article, the Change.org petition currently has 311 signatures.

There have been 26 comments on the petition.

Katerina Panayi said, "I am signing this petition because I don't like how the town is slowly becoming the same as every other town - we are being robbed of our heritage."

Another petition supporter, David McGuinness, also said: "Like many older Maxonians I used these steps daily when they were open and to reopen them would bring a safe access to the town."

You can sign the petition here.