Davenham
Encyclopedia
Davenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the town of Northwich
, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
in England
. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556
and A533 roads and both the River Dane
and River Weaver
. It is the birthplace of marathon runner Paula Radcliffe
.
as Devenham. Its name means "hamlet on the River Dane". The site of the Norman Shipbrook Castle by the river Dane is indicated by the name of Castle Hill, between Shipbrook Bridge, and Shipbrook Hill Farm, but no traces now remain.
In 1936 the whole of Eaton (near Davenham) and part of Leftwich
civil parish (which extended into Davenham village) was added to Davenham, and in 1955 part of Davenham was added to Northwich civil parish.
Between 1996 and 2006 a large housing development was built on farmland to the north west of the village centre. The estate is known as Kingsmead and is separated from the historic village of Davenham by the A556, Northwich bypass. This area was originally the Kingsmead ward of the civil parish with five members representing the ward on Davenham Parish council. It has now formed a separate parish with its own Parish Council. In 2006 the Kingsmead Residents Association was formed by residents who were concerned at the state of maintenance of the public areas of the estate. By Easter 2007 the Kingsmead Residents Association had expanded to have over 500 members and has expanded its interests to cover topics such as litter on the estate, speeding on the main spine and loop roads and the adoption of the estate's roads by the County Council, in addition to the Association's primary aim which is to take over the Estate Management company responsible for the upkeep of the public areas of the estate.
Davenham Parish Council along with Moulton Parish Council decided in 2007 to part fund a P.C.S.O. (Police Community Support Officer) in order to keep a Police presence in Davenham and Kingsmead. Due to policing boundaries it was decided that 1 PCSO from Winsford NPU (Neighbourhood Policing Unit) would police Davenham and Moulton whilst a PCSO from Northwich NPU would cover Kingsmead and Leftwich.
Sign posts on the various major roads provide a 'Welcome to Davenham Village'. When travelling into Kingsmead from Northwich, the signpost situated at the entrance to the estate is geographically incorrect. At this point you are not entering 'Davenham Village', as the village itself lies the other side of the Northwich bypass, you are instead entering 'Kingsmead, part of Davenham Parish'.
The village's football team reached the final of the 1887 Welsh FA Cup, losing to Chirk
.
Davenham is situated in the centre of the Cheshire Plain
between the River Weaver and River Dane. It is surrounded by the civil parishes of Northwich
, Hartford
, Rudheath
, Byley
, Bostock
, Moulton
and Winsford
.
goes back to the Domesday period but the current edifice is the fourth on the site, dating from a major reconstruction between 1844 and 1870 in the Victorian Gothic revival style. The tower has a recessed spire built in 1850.
Legend says that the church was founded by St Wilfrid on a journey through Cheshire in the 7th Century, but the first documented evidence of a church on the site is an existing priest and church in 1086.
Both these schools are feeder schools to the County High School Leftwich
as well as other, more distant secondary schools.
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It 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 Health...
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...
in 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...
. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556
A556 road
The A556 is a road in England which extends from the village of Delamere in Cheshire to the village of Bowdon in Greater Manchester. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections and forms a large part of the route between Manchester and Chester...
and A533 roads and both the River Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
and 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...
. It is the birthplace of marathon runner Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
.
History
Davenham is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Devenham. Its name means "hamlet on the River Dane". The site of the Norman Shipbrook Castle by the river Dane is indicated by the name of Castle Hill, between Shipbrook Bridge, and Shipbrook Hill Farm, but no traces now remain.
In 1936 the whole of Eaton (near Davenham) and part of Leftwich
Leftwich
Leftwich is a village in Cheshire, England. It lies just south of the town of Northwich, and is situated within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester....
civil parish (which extended into Davenham village) was added to Davenham, and in 1955 part of Davenham was added to Northwich civil parish.
Between 1996 and 2006 a large housing development was built on farmland to the north west of the village centre. The estate is known as Kingsmead and is separated from the historic village of Davenham by the A556, Northwich bypass. This area was originally the Kingsmead ward of the civil parish with five members representing the ward on Davenham Parish council. It has now formed a separate parish with its own Parish Council. In 2006 the Kingsmead Residents Association was formed by residents who were concerned at the state of maintenance of the public areas of the estate. By Easter 2007 the Kingsmead Residents Association had expanded to have over 500 members and has expanded its interests to cover topics such as litter on the estate, speeding on the main spine and loop roads and the adoption of the estate's roads by the County Council, in addition to the Association's primary aim which is to take over the Estate Management company responsible for the upkeep of the public areas of the estate.
Davenham Parish Council along with Moulton Parish Council decided in 2007 to part fund a P.C.S.O. (Police Community Support Officer) in order to keep a Police presence in Davenham and Kingsmead. Due to policing boundaries it was decided that 1 PCSO from Winsford NPU (Neighbourhood Policing Unit) would police Davenham and Moulton whilst a PCSO from Northwich NPU would cover Kingsmead and Leftwich.
Sign posts on the various major roads provide a 'Welcome to Davenham Village'. When travelling into Kingsmead from Northwich, the signpost situated at the entrance to the estate is geographically incorrect. At this point you are not entering 'Davenham Village', as the village itself lies the other side of the Northwich bypass, you are instead entering 'Kingsmead, part of Davenham Parish'.
The village's football team reached the final of the 1887 Welsh FA Cup, losing to Chirk
Chirk
Chirk is a small town and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It has a population of over 4,000....
.
Geography
Cheshire Plain
The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland situated almost entirely within the county of Cheshire in northwest England. It is bounded by the hills of North Wales to the west, and the Peak District of Derbyshire and North Staffordshire to the east and southeast...
between the River Weaver and River Dane. It is surrounded by the civil parishes of Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Hartford
Hartford, Cheshire
Hartford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies at the intersection of the A559 road and the West Coast Mainline and is less than south west of the town of Northwich...
, Rudheath
Rudheath
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Rudheath within the former borough of Vale RoyalRudheath is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north west of England, approximately 2 miles east of Northwich.This...
, Byley
Byley
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Byley within the former borough of Vale RoyalByley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 2½ miles north of Middlewich....
, Bostock
Bostock
right|200px|thumb|Map of civil parish of Bostock in the former borough of Vale RoyalBostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 229. The village is...
, Moulton
Moulton, Cheshire
thumb|right|200px|Map of civil parish of Moulton within the former borough of Vale RoyalMoulton is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and near the centre of the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, situated south of Northwich and north of...
and Winsford
Winsford
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
.
Church
The church of St. WilfridSt Wilfrid's Church, Davenham
St Wilfrid's Church, Davenham is in the village of Davenham, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of...
goes back to the Domesday period but the current edifice is the fourth on the site, dating from a major reconstruction between 1844 and 1870 in the Victorian Gothic revival style. The tower has a recessed spire built in 1850.
Legend says that the church was founded by St Wilfrid on a journey through Cheshire in the 7th Century, but the first documented evidence of a church on the site is an existing priest and church in 1086.
Schools
Davenham has traditionally had a Primary school, Davenham Church of England Primary School. However the parish now includes parts of the Kingsmead development which includes Kingsmead Primary School built in 2004.Both these schools are feeder schools to the County High School Leftwich
County High School Leftwich
The County High School Leftwich is a small sized Media Arts co-educational comprehensive school that serves approximately 950 students between 11 to 16 years of age. It is next to the A556 bypass at the A533 junction, and near the River Dane.-Admissions:...
as well as other, more distant secondary schools.