2-847-763 - Historic England Archive/Heritage Images

The Rt. Hon. Ernest Marples (facing the camera) in conversation with another man at the opening ceremony of a stretch of the M6 Motorway between North Staffordshire and Cheshire. This photograph is from a batch which is recorded in the negative register as having been taken at Knutsford. However, in December 1963 in the Laing monthly newsletter 'Team Spirit', an article records that a short ceremony occurred at Keele Service area where a film was presented to the Chairman of Staffordshire County Council. This preceded the official opening, just over two hours later, of the Hanchurch-Lymm section of the M6 by the Rt. Hon. Ernest Marples. It also mentions that the minister had a tour of the motorway by coach. The opening ceremony is known to have occurred at Knutsford but some of the photographs may also have been taken at Keele.