St John's Parish Church was built in 1744. Before this time Knutsford was part of the large Rostherne parish with St Mary's in Rostherne being the local parish church.

It is St John's were the Gaskells were married. Although Elizabeth and her husband were both Unitarians, the wedding took place in Knutsford Parish Church, according to the legal requirements of the time.

Sessions House was built in 1818. Knutsford Gaol, or House of Correction as it was called, stood on the site behind the Court House. The area is now used as a Bus Station and car park. It was built in 1617 as an additional County Gaol to the one at Chester which had become overcrowded as a result of the sudden increase in petty crime after the Napoleonic Wars.