Bretton, Flintshire
Encyclopedia
Bretton is a village in Flintshire
, Wales
. It is located to the west of the city of Chester
, near the border with Cheshire
, England. Along with the nearby village of Broughton
, the population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census
.
(ON) Bretar 'relating to the Britons (historical)
, the Welsh (people)' and the Old English language (OE) tūn 'relating to farm or estate' The original settlers in Bretton were Viking
welshmen, possibly second or third generation expatriates, distinctive in origin, culture, dress, accent or speech, who may may well have called themselves, or been described by the English (and perhaps the Welsh), as ON Bretar rather than OE Walas or OE Cumbras.
Bretton Canal (also known as Sir John Glynne's Canal
) was the western end of the waterway that crossed the Saltney
Marsh on a route for two miles, and then turned to meet the new channel of the Dee a short distance away. It was used to transport coal from the mines owned by the Glynne family. The canal was abandoned in 1775 after only 10 years use, it eventually disappeared with the Saltney Marsh Enclosure Act of 1778.
The village has had two public houses, The Grosvenor Arms, located adjacent to the bakery and nicknamed "The Dogs" and The Glynne Arms located near the station. The Grosvenor Arms closed in the early part of the 20th century and The Glynne Arms closed in 2007 and re-opened in 2010 as The New Glynne Arms.
Bretton also has a water pump on a roadside green. The disappearance of the pump during remodelling of the road junction was a source of concern to local residents in the 1970s, until it was traced to a council storage yard and reinstated.
Bretton Wood (south east of the village) is marked on Ordnance Survey
maps of the area, in past times it was referred to as Bretton Forest, it stretches a considerable distance into Lower Kinnerton
and Dodleston
where it is known as Black Wood. The wood was cut into two parts when the Chester Southerly By-pass (A55 road
) was constructed in 1976.
Bretton Lodge was a gatehouse
, at the entrance of Bretton Wood for the carriage road that led, via Balderton, Cheshire
to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, evidence suggests that a lodge building was present in the 17th century. It was demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the extension to the bridge over the A55 road
.
On 26 September 1976 a disaster struck the houses adjacent to the south side of the main Chester
road (now the A5104 road). Workmen in Saltney
left a drainage ditch with a temporary cofferdam
in place over the weekend that caused extensive flooding when the water from a deluge of rain backed up and flooded all the houses and surrounding land.
In 2010 a residents committee was formed, Bretton Residents Action Group (BRAG), to ensure that future development surrounding the village did not adversely affect village life and to develop community activities. A link to the village website is at the foot of the webpage.
stating that the Members of the Methodist Congregation assembled at Bretton, in the County of Flint, whose Names are thereunto subscribed; praying their Lordships "to adopt Measures for the Extinction of Slavery, and the Extension of all the Blessings of Freedom to the utmost Limits of the British Empire; and for a Reform of Parliament:"
The chapel was extended, in 1920, by the addition of a front porch to commemorate the villagers who gave their lives in World War I. Two stone inscriptions, either side of the entrance, are dedicated to the memory of:-
Not commemorated on the remembrance porch, but on the list inside the chapel entrance:-
Estate, formerly belonging to the Glynne family. Several farming properties and tied cottages carry emblems or design features of these estates.
Many diverse farming practices have been seen during the 20th and 21st century these include traditional arable
and small herd dairy farming
, intensive pig farming
and turf farming.
Catherine Farm (and Mary Farm in nearby Broughton, Flintshire
) disappeared from the landscape when the Vickers Armstrong
aircraft factory was built in 1939.
Farms-
Bretton Hall
Bretton Hall Farm
Hopes Place
Hopes Place Farm
Holly Bush Farm
Well House Farm
Brook Farm
Digby Farm
Elm Farm
Bretton Farm
Bretton House Farm
Bretton Lodge Farm
Springfield Farm
(BRS) depot and vehicle workshop, Premier Garage, was built on the main road, later becoming a commercial vehicle garage, undergoing several name changes; H&J Quick, Quicks of Chester, Bramhall Quick and now Evans Halshaw.
A provender mill was built at the end of Broughton Mills Road, Bretton to provide animal feed for the area. After the mill closed it was taken over, for a period, by the No-Nail Box Company for manufacture and distribution of their products. Several haulage and storage firms used the premises in the 1980s before the whole building was refurbished and became a curtain factory.
to Saltney
. As well as transporting minerals mined in the Mold area, the railway also carried passengers. Opened in August 1849, the station provided a transport link for local residents. When opened the station was called Broughton but it was renamed by the LNWR in April 1861 to Broughton Hall. It received another name change in July 1908 to Broughton and Bretton.
The station closed to regular passenger services on 28 April 1962 but it remained in use for a workmen's train service from Chester to serve the nearby aircraft factory until 2 September 1963. After lying derelict since the closure of the railway, the station became a private dwelling before becoming the Station House Veterinary Centre, Bretton.
Bretton used to be connected via road link to Broughton via Bretton Bridge
. This was an old railway bridge that existed until the creation of the Broughton Park shopping complex. The bridge is now a public footpath with flagpoles at its summit. It is also of interest to note that in the late 1980s, residents in the Boulevard, Broughton have found remains of railway sleepers in rear gardens, from when the railway connected the villages of Broughton and Kinnerton. From the top of Bretton Bridge, the route of the former railway can be discerned. Part of the former trackbed is now a surface water drain within the country park
in Broughton.
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is located to the west of the city of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, near the border with Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. Along with the nearby village of Broughton
Broughton, Flintshire
Broughton is a small district in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border and located to the west of the City of Chester, England. Along with the nearby village of Bretton, the total population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census....
, the population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
History
The placename Bretton is probably derived from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
(ON) Bretar 'relating to the Britons (historical)
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
, the Welsh (people)' and the Old English language (OE) tūn 'relating to farm or estate' The original settlers in Bretton were Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
welshmen, possibly second or third generation expatriates, distinctive in origin, culture, dress, accent or speech, who may may well have called themselves, or been described by the English (and perhaps the Welsh), as ON Bretar rather than OE Walas or OE Cumbras.
Bretton Canal (also known as Sir John Glynne's Canal
Sir John Glynne's Canal
Sir John Glynne's Canal was a canal in England built by Sir John Glynne. It ran from Saltney, just outside Chester to Bretton, a distance of about one mile. It was built about 1768, and was in use until 1779. It was used for the transportation of coal from mines in Flintshire into Chester....
) was the western end of the waterway that crossed the Saltney
Saltney
Saltney is a small town in Flintshire, Wales. It is immediately to the west of the border with Cheshire in England and is contiguous with the Chester urban area.The name is derived from the former salt marshes on which it is built, lying on the River Dee...
Marsh on a route for two miles, and then turned to meet the new channel of the Dee a short distance away. It was used to transport coal from the mines owned by the Glynne family. The canal was abandoned in 1775 after only 10 years use, it eventually disappeared with the Saltney Marsh Enclosure Act of 1778.
The village has had two public houses, The Grosvenor Arms, located adjacent to the bakery and nicknamed "The Dogs" and The Glynne Arms located near the station. The Grosvenor Arms closed in the early part of the 20th century and The Glynne Arms closed in 2007 and re-opened in 2010 as The New Glynne Arms.
Bretton also has a water pump on a roadside green. The disappearance of the pump during remodelling of the road junction was a source of concern to local residents in the 1970s, until it was traced to a council storage yard and reinstated.
Bretton Wood (south east of the village) is marked on Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps of the area, in past times it was referred to as Bretton Forest, it stretches a considerable distance into Lower Kinnerton
Lower Kinnerton
Lower Kinnerton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales. It has a population of 119. The village is located south of Broughton and to the north west of the parish...
and Dodleston
Dodleston
Dodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales...
where it is known as Black Wood. The wood was cut into two parts when the Chester Southerly By-pass (A55 road
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
) was constructed in 1976.
Bretton Lodge was a gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
, at the entrance of Bretton Wood for the carriage road that led, via Balderton, Cheshire
Balderton, Cheshire
Balderton is a village in Cheshire, England.Nearby is Eaton Hall from where the one of the first 15 inch gauge railways ran to the goods yard of the GWR railway station. Both of these have closed....
to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, evidence suggests that a lodge building was present in the 17th century. It was demolished in the early 1980s to make way for the extension to the bridge over the A55 road
A55 road
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. Its entire length is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the point where it crosses the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. All junctions are grade separated except for two roundabouts — one...
.
On 26 September 1976 a disaster struck the houses adjacent to the south side of the main Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
road (now the A5104 road). Workmen in Saltney
Saltney
Saltney is a small town in Flintshire, Wales. It is immediately to the west of the border with Cheshire in England and is contiguous with the Chester urban area.The name is derived from the former salt marshes on which it is built, lying on the River Dee...
left a drainage ditch with a temporary cofferdam
Cofferdam
A cofferdam is a temporary enclosure built within, or in pairs across, a body of water and constructed to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out, creating a dry work environment for the major work to proceed...
in place over the weekend that caused extensive flooding when the water from a deluge of rain backed up and flooded all the houses and surrounding land.
In 2010 a residents committee was formed, Bretton Residents Action Group (BRAG), to ensure that future development surrounding the village did not adversely affect village life and to develop community activities. A link to the village website is at the foot of the webpage.
Methodist Chapel
The current Methodist chapel was built in 1859, although evidence suggests that Methodist worship was present in the village before this. In 1830 a petition was submitted to the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
stating that the Members of the Methodist Congregation assembled at Bretton, in the County of Flint, whose Names are thereunto subscribed; praying their Lordships "to adopt Measures for the Extinction of Slavery, and the Extension of all the Blessings of Freedom to the utmost Limits of the British Empire; and for a Reform of Parliament:"
The chapel was extended, in 1920, by the addition of a front porch to commemorate the villagers who gave their lives in World War I. Two stone inscriptions, either side of the entrance, are dedicated to the memory of:-
- Private Edward James ALLMAN 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers, died 28 May 1918, commemorated SoissonsSoissonsSoissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
Memorial, AisneAisneAisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
, France. Son of George & Mary Ann Allman of Bretton Lodge - Lance Corporal Henry Thomas ASBURY Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
died 1st Feb 1919, buried Murmansk, New British Cemetery, Russian Federation. - Private Walter LONG 1st Battalion Cheshire RegimentCheshire RegimentThe Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
, died 20th Jun 1915, commemorated YpresYpresYpres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
(Menin GateMenin GateThe Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
), Belgium. - Private Jonas PATTLE 4th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, died 23 May 1918, commemorated ArrasArrasArras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France. - Gunner Jack WHITELEGGE 275th Brigade Royal Field ArtilleryRoyal Field ArtilleryThe Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
, died 31st Jul 1917, commemorated YpresYpresYpres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
(Menin GateMenin GateThe Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
), Belgium.
Not commemorated on the remembrance porch, but on the list inside the chapel entrance:-
- Private Arthur THOMAS Royal Welch FusiliersRoyal Welch FusiliersThe Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
died 10th Dec 1917, buried Erquinghem-LysErquinghem-Lys-See also:*Communes of the Nord departmentErquinghem is one of a series of villages on the river Lys established by the Viking Rikiwulf in 880 AD at the time of the invasion led by Godfrid, Duke of Frisia: Racquinghem, Reclinghem, Rekkem and Rijkegem .-References:*...
Churchyard Extension, France. Son of James & Ann Thomas of Bretton Lodge
Farming
The land surrounding the village has been used for farming for several hundred years. The land that lies to the south of the village was part of the Eaton Estate belonging to the Grosvenor family, the land to the north of the village was part of the GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
Estate, formerly belonging to the Glynne family. Several farming properties and tied cottages carry emblems or design features of these estates.
Many diverse farming practices have been seen during the 20th and 21st century these include traditional arable
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
and small herd dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
, intensive pig farming
Intensive pig farming
Intensive piggeries are a type of factory farm ' specialized in the raising of domestic pigs up to slaughter weight...
and turf farming.
Catherine Farm (and Mary Farm in nearby Broughton, Flintshire
Broughton, Flintshire
Broughton is a small district in Flintshire, Wales, close to the Wales–England border and located to the west of the City of Chester, England. Along with the nearby village of Bretton, the total population was 5,791 at the 2001 Census....
) disappeared from the landscape when the Vickers Armstrong
Vickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
aircraft factory was built in 1939.
Farms-
Bretton Hall
- - The boundary between Bretton in Wales and DodlestonDodlestonDodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales...
in England cuts through the corner of this farmland.
Bretton Hall Farm
- - former Grosvenor Estate farm with distinctive John Douglas (architect)John Douglas (architect)John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
style design features, now converted into offices available for rental.
Hopes Place
- -empty property, not farmed
Hopes Place Farm
- - former Grosvenor Estate farm with distinctive John Douglas (architect)John Douglas (architect)John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
style design features, now family owned dairy farm. Suggestion is made that the Hope family descended from Hugh Hope of HawardenHawardenHawarden is a village in Flintshire, North Wales. Hawarden forms part of the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh/English border. At the 2001 Census, the population of Hawarden Ward was 1,858...
and that Place is a corruption of the WelshWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word plas meaning 'large house or mansion'. In several instances in the Parish Registers it is given as if the name of a township.
Holly Bush Farm
- - former Grosvenor Estate farm, demolished in the late 1960s and rebuilt, former pig farm now free range poultry.
Well House Farm
- - private residence, farm outbuildings converted into offices.
Brook Farm
- - owned by Flintshire County Council and renamed providing training and hands on work experience for adults with learning difficulties who interested in horticultureHorticultureHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
.
Digby Farm
- - now a Caravan ClubCaravan ClubThe Caravan Club is an organisation representing caravanners in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and now represents nearly 1 million members.-History:...
touring caravanConvoyA convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
site.
Elm Farm
- - family owned dairy farm, with outbuildings designed by John Douglas (architect)John Douglas (architect)John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
.
Bretton Farm
- - converted, along with the outbuildings, into private residences.
Bretton House Farm
- - private residence, former veterinary surgery, farm outbuildings demolished in 1977 for a new house adjacent.
Bretton Lodge Farm
- - family owned arable farm.
Springfield Farm
- - former poultry farm, now private residence.
Industry and Commerce
After World War II a large British Road ServicesBritish Road Services
The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, it was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
(BRS) depot and vehicle workshop, Premier Garage, was built on the main road, later becoming a commercial vehicle garage, undergoing several name changes; H&J Quick, Quicks of Chester, Bramhall Quick and now Evans Halshaw.
A provender mill was built at the end of Broughton Mills Road, Bretton to provide animal feed for the area. After the mill closed it was taken over, for a period, by the No-Nail Box Company for manufacture and distribution of their products. Several haulage and storage firms used the premises in the 1980s before the whole building was refurbished and became a curtain factory.
Transport
The Mold Railway Company in 1847 were authorised to build a railway from Mold, FlintshireMold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
to Saltney
Saltney
Saltney is a small town in Flintshire, Wales. It is immediately to the west of the border with Cheshire in England and is contiguous with the Chester urban area.The name is derived from the former salt marshes on which it is built, lying on the River Dee...
. As well as transporting minerals mined in the Mold area, the railway also carried passengers. Opened in August 1849, the station provided a transport link for local residents. When opened the station was called Broughton but it was renamed by the LNWR in April 1861 to Broughton Hall. It received another name change in July 1908 to Broughton and Bretton.
The station closed to regular passenger services on 28 April 1962 but it remained in use for a workmen's train service from Chester to serve the nearby aircraft factory until 2 September 1963. After lying derelict since the closure of the railway, the station became a private dwelling before becoming the Station House Veterinary Centre, Bretton.
Bretton used to be connected via road link to Broughton via Bretton Bridge
Bretton Bridge
Bretton Bridge is a bridge in Flintshire, Wales. Situated between the villages of Broughton and Bretton, Bretton Bridge used to be a back-road link, often used to avoid the congestion on the A5104 ....
. This was an old railway bridge that existed until the creation of the Broughton Park shopping complex. The bridge is now a public footpath with flagpoles at its summit. It is also of interest to note that in the late 1980s, residents in the Boulevard, Broughton have found remains of railway sleepers in rear gardens, from when the railway connected the villages of Broughton and Kinnerton. From the top of Bretton Bridge, the route of the former railway can be discerned. Part of the former trackbed is now a surface water drain within the country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
in Broughton.