Cholmondeley, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Cholmondeley is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
, which lies to the north east of Malpas
and to the west of Nantwich
. It includes the small settlements of Croxton Green and Dowse Green , with a total population of a little over a hundred. Nearby villages include Bickerton
to the north east, Bulkeley
to the north, Chorley
to the east, No Man's Heath
to the south west, and Bickley Moss
to the south.
Cholmondeley Castle
is located in Cholmondeley, and much of the civil parish falls within the Cholmondeley Estate. Its parkland includes mixed woodland and plantations, lakes, gardens and farmland.
The civil parish has a total area of 2647 acres (1,071.2 ha). The Cholmondeley Estate
stretches from the A49
in the east to the Cholmondeley lane to the west and the parish boundary to the south; it is designated an area of special county value. The parkland extends to 251.5 hectares. The parish contains part of the large mixed woodland of Moss Wood (centred around ), as well as Long Plantation , Marl Piece , Garden Covert , Nevill's Wood , Coronation Wood and several unnamed smaller woods and plantations. There are two large lakes, Chapel Mere and Deer Park Mere , as well as several smaller meres. Chapel Mere has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. The high point is 125 metres on Castle Hill in Cholmondeley Park, at . The River Weaver
runs through the parish from the north west to the south east.
The A49
runs north–south through the parish. Other through routes include an unclassified road running broadly east–west, crossing the A49 at , which connects with the settlements of Bickerton
, Chorley
and Wrenbury
.
The land use is predominantly agricultural, with cattle pasture and some arable land
. Cholmondeley Park supports rare-breed cattle, sheep and goats, including longhorn cattle
. Cholmondeley Castle gardens are a tourist attraction.
Cholmondeley Castle
is a grade-II*-listed castellated mansion house located at , 4 miles from Malpas
and 7¼ miles from Nantwich
. The sandstone building dates from 1801–04; turrets and towers were added in 1817–19 by Robert Smirke
to give the "castle" its present appearance. The surviving parts of the grade-II-listed Old Hall date from 1707; the hall formerly included an Elizabethan building which was demolished in 1801.
Parkland
The parkland of the castle was originally laid out in the late 17th century, and is included in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens (grade II). The gates at the south-west entrance to the park date from 1722 and are listed at grade II*. The castle gardens contain several grade-II-listed structures; Temple Gardens has a sandstone temple, a lead statue of three winged cherubs supporting a flower basket, a rotunda, a stone bridge over a lily pond carved with dolphins and a gated entrance; the stone bridge across Chapel Mere is also listed.
Chapel
The castle's private chapel
, dedicated to St Nicholas, is of a much earlier date and is listed at grade I. The original timber-framed
building dates from the late 15th century; it was rebuilt in brick in 1717 by John Vanbrugh
and extended during the 19th century. John Betjeman
suggests that the attribution to Vanbrugh is incorrect since Thomas Fetherston contracted for the work in 1716. The transepts were added in 1829. The chancel roof is medieval and the furniture of the chancel is of about 1552. The north and south gates to the chapel date from 1722 and were formerly fences to the Old Hall; they are listed at grade II.
Gate lodges
The park has five grade-II-listed gate lodges, Beeston Lodge, Deer Park Lodge, Nantwich Lodge, Park House Lodge and Somerset Lodge. Other estate buildings also listed at grade II include Castle Farm House, Park House, Scotch Farm, Shingles Cottages and The Mews.
at , is included in the Good Pubs Guide. The Cholmondeley Castle Farm Shop, in the Castle Farm House at , sells produce from the Cholmondeley Estate and incorporates a post office.
The grade-II-listed Field's Farmhouse dates originally from 1648 and was restored in 1903. A three-bay farmhouse with timber framing
and brick infilling, it features jetties
and close studding
with a middle rail. Higginsfield House was formerly the Cholmondeley Estate's dower house
; a five-bay, two-storey, white-painted brick house with a projecting porch, it dates from the early 19th century and is listed at grade II.
and Bishop Heber High School
in Malpas
.
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
and the ceremonial county of 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, which lies to the north east of Malpas
Malpas, Cheshire
Malpas is a large village which used to be a market town, and it is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish lies on the border with Shropshire and Wales...
and to the west of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
. It includes the small settlements of Croxton Green and Dowse Green , with a total population of a little over a hundred. Nearby villages include Bickerton
Bickerton, Cheshire
Bickerton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about eight miles north of Whitchurch in Shropshire. The parish also includes the small settlement of Gallantry Bank, with a total population of over 200...
to the north east, Bulkeley
Bulkeley
Bulkeley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is situated at on the A534 about 9 miles west of Nantwich. The civil parish also includes the small settlement of Bulkelehay at , with a total population...
to the north, Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
to the east, No Man's Heath
No Man's Heath, Cheshire
No Mans Heath, which is known locally as Nomansheath, is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies two miles east of the village of Malpas and north west of Whitchurch, Shropshire. Originally on the A41 road, there is...
to the south west, and Bickley Moss
Bickley
Bickley is an affluent residential area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles south east of Charing Cross...
to the south.
Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is surrounded by a estate.-House:...
is located in Cholmondeley, and much of the civil parish falls within the Cholmondeley Estate. Its parkland includes mixed woodland and plantations, lakes, gardens and farmland.
Geography, transport and economy
Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is surrounded by a estate.-House:...
stretches from the A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
in the east to the Cholmondeley lane to the west and the parish boundary to the south; it is designated an area of special county value. The parkland extends to 251.5 hectares. The parish contains part of the large mixed woodland of Moss Wood (centred around ), as well as Long Plantation , Marl Piece , Garden Covert , Nevill's Wood , Coronation Wood and several unnamed smaller woods and plantations. There are two large lakes, Chapel Mere and Deer Park Mere , as well as several smaller meres. Chapel Mere has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The high point is 125 metres on Castle Hill in Cholmondeley Park, at . The River Weaver
River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
runs through the parish from the north west to the south east.
The A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
runs north–south through the parish. Other through routes include an unclassified road running broadly east–west, crossing the A49 at , which connects with the settlements of Bickerton
Bickerton, Cheshire
Bickerton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about eight miles north of Whitchurch in Shropshire. The parish also includes the small settlement of Gallantry Bank, with a total population of over 200...
, Chorley
Chorley, Crewe and Nantwich
Chorley is a hamlet and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet lies 5 miles to the west of Nantwich and 6 miles to the north east of Malpas. Nearby villages include Faddiley, Norbury, Ravensmoor and Wrenbury...
and Wrenbury
Wrenbury
Wrenbury is a village in the civil parish of Wrenbury cum Frith, the unitary authority of Cheshire East, and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
.
The land use is predominantly agricultural, with cattle pasture and some arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
. Cholmondeley Park supports rare-breed cattle, sheep and goats, including longhorn cattle
Longhorn cattle
Longhorn cattle are a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle originating from Craven in the north of England. They have a white patch along the line of their spine and under their bellies....
. Cholmondeley Castle gardens are a tourist attraction.
Demography
In 2006, the total population of the civil parish was estimated as 130. The 2001 census recorded a population of 136, in 63 households. The population has decreased since 1951; the historical population figures were 292 (1801), 269 (1851), 298 (1901) and 266 (1951).Cholmondeley Castle and Park
Cholmondeley Castle
Cholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is surrounded by a estate.-House:...
is a grade-II*-listed castellated mansion house located at , 4 miles from Malpas
Malpas, Cheshire
Malpas is a large village which used to be a market town, and it is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish lies on the border with Shropshire and Wales...
and 7¼ miles from Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
. The sandstone building dates from 1801–04; turrets and towers were added in 1817–19 by Robert Smirke
Robert Smirke (architect)
Sir Robert Smirke was an English architect, one of the leaders of Greek Revival architecture his best known building in that style is the British Museum, though he also designed using other architectural styles...
to give the "castle" its present appearance. The surviving parts of the grade-II-listed Old Hall date from 1707; the hall formerly included an Elizabethan building which was demolished in 1801.
Parkland
Chapel
The castle's private chapel
St Nicholas' Chapel, Cholmondeley
St Nicholas' Chapel, Cholmondeley is a private chapel in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire, England, the ancient seat of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.-History:This...
, dedicated to St Nicholas, is of a much earlier date and is listed at grade I. The original timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
building dates from the late 15th century; it was rebuilt in brick in 1717 by John Vanbrugh
John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh – 26 March 1726) was an English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, The Relapse and The Provoked Wife , which have become enduring stage favourites...
and extended during the 19th century. John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
suggests that the attribution to Vanbrugh is incorrect since Thomas Fetherston contracted for the work in 1716. The transepts were added in 1829. The chancel roof is medieval and the furniture of the chancel is of about 1552. The north and south gates to the chapel date from 1722 and were formerly fences to the Old Hall; they are listed at grade II.
Gate lodges
The park has five grade-II-listed gate lodges, Beeston Lodge, Deer Park Lodge, Nantwich Lodge, Park House Lodge and Somerset Lodge. Other estate buildings also listed at grade II include Castle Farm House, Park House, Scotch Farm, Shingles Cottages and The Mews.
Other landmarks
The Cholmondeley Arms public house, a converted schoolhouse on the A49A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
at , is included in the Good Pubs Guide. The Cholmondeley Castle Farm Shop, in the Castle Farm House at , sells produce from the Cholmondeley Estate and incorporates a post office.
The grade-II-listed Field's Farmhouse dates originally from 1648 and was restored in 1903. A three-bay farmhouse with timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
and brick infilling, it features jetties
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
and close studding
Close studding
Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels...
with a middle rail. Higginsfield House was formerly the Cholmondeley Estate's dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
; a five-bay, two-storey, white-painted brick house with a projecting porch, it dates from the early 19th century and is listed at grade II.
Education
Cholmondeley civil parish falls within the catchment areas of Bickerton Holy Trinity CE Primary School in BickertonBickerton, Cheshire
Bickerton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about eight miles north of Whitchurch in Shropshire. The parish also includes the small settlement of Gallantry Bank, with a total population of over 200...
and Bishop Heber High School
Bishop Heber High School
Bishop Heber High School is a comprehensive secondary school and specialist languages college in Malpas, Cheshire. The school itself is named after Reginald Heber who was an English bishop born in Malpas, Cheshire and is now remembered chiefly as a hymn-writer.-Notable alumni:*Ben Foden, Rugby...
in Malpas
Malpas, Cheshire
Malpas is a large village which used to be a market town, and it is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish lies on the border with Shropshire and Wales...
.