Delamere Park
Encyclopedia
Delamere Park is an English
housing estate with parkland situated in Cuddington
, near Northwich
, Cheshire
.
.
Delamere Lodge (later retitled Delamere House), with its 100 acre (0.404686 km²) parkland, was built of Devon granite and became a symbol of the almost baronial power in the district of the Wilbrahams. During almost two centuries the family owned and controlled thousands of acres of land and farms around Cuddington and neighbouring villages. They also employed a veritable army of staff and built numerous workers' cottages and farmhouses, most of which survive to this day. Delamere House survived until just before the Second World War when the last George Wilbraham built Delamere Manor nearby. During the late 1990s to mid 2000s Delamere Manor was occupied by the British pop musician Gary Barlow
.
During World War II
, Delamere Park became an army transit camp providing accommodation not only for British soldiers but also for thousands of Americans who had arrived in preparation for the forthcoming D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. General George Patton even visited 'Camp Delamere' and gave a speech to the American 3rd Army troops. After the war, the army huts used to accommodate the soldiers were transformed into houses for the use of many local residents awaiting council houses from Northwich
Rural District Council. These included people who were relatives of serving Polish soldiers. The presence of local people housed in temporary accommodation in what was a green belt
area enabled the development of the current housing estate to take place.
The estate as it currently exists was built during the 1970s, spearheaded by Tom Baron, a director of Whelmar Limited. Delamere Park was voted North West's Best Development of the 1970s by the National House Building Council.
With the end of the war the MOD were faced with a new problem, that of Polish forces that fought along side the British throughout the war, not only to free Poland but also Europe form Nazi domination. Sadly the Yalta Conference did not give Poland its freedom, on the contrary Poland now found itself under communist control. The Polish forces felt betrayed and unwilling to go back to communist dominated Poland. The now disused camps found a new lease of life as accommodation for the Polish troops and their families.
Under the Polish Resettlement Act the first Polish troops arrived at Delamere from Italy in the summer of 1946. They were General Anders' 2 Corps Command Group. Little is known that throughout the campaign, through Persia, the Middle East and Italy the 2 Corps artillery supply mascot was Wojtek an orphaned baby bear. Although Wojtek did not come to Delamere camp, many of the soldiers arriving there knew him and had stories about him.. Wojtek's story can be found in books and on the internet.
Over the next few months the camp was filling up with women and children. Many families were reunited after years of separation arriving with no more than the clothes on their backs and a few meagre possessions. The huts had to be shared by several families so, to have some privacy, they were partitioned off with army Blankets. All sanitary facilities were shared in central ablution blocks
Although Delamere was classified as a Polish Displaced Persons' camp, it was not run by the National Assistance Board. When the MOD left, the camp came under the jurisdiction of the local authority and with the shortage of houses it also became home to bombed out British families.
Later on the Ministry of Housing and the Local Authority modernised the huts into two bedroom accommodation with a sitting room, kitchen , running water and bathroom so the living conditions for the Poles improved. The two communities co-existed side by side with little integration between them. Devoted to their culture, language and religious ideals the Poles kept themselves to themselves carrying on with their deep rooted traditions.
In March 2004 a fire destroyed the leisure club building, which was then redesigned and reopened some two years later. In March, 2007, and in common with other areas of the former Vale Royal
District, several plaques were erected in Delamere Park illustrating the area's history.
army base and its subsequent accommodation for Polish military families were unable to return to their homeland. The book was released in 2008 co-authored by A.D.Coxhead and R.M.Bevan http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/midcheshirechronicles/tm_headline=authors-seek-information-on-delamere-park&method=full&objectid=19289525&siteid=50020-name_page.html
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...
housing estate with parkland situated in Cuddington
Cuddington, Vale Royal
Cuddington is a civil parish and rural village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about six miles west of Northwich and fourteen miles east of Chester....
, near 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...
, 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...
.
General history
The Wilbraham family owned the manor of Delamere Park from 1784-1939. In 1784 the extremely wealthy and powerful Wilbrahams moved the family seat from Nantwich to Cuddington building in the process one of the largest houses in the district, Delamere Lodge. It is believed that George Wilbraham, the head of the family, favoured Cuddington because it was in the midst of excellent hunting country and close to Tarporley where he was a founder member of the Tarporley Hunt ClubTarporley Hunt Club
The Tarporley Hunt Club is a hunt club which meets at Tarporley in Cheshire, England. Founded in 1762, it is the oldest surviving such society in England, and possibly the oldest in the world. Its members' exploits were immortalised in the Hunting Songs of Rowland Egerton-Warburton. The club also...
.
Delamere Lodge (later retitled Delamere House), with its 100 acre (0.404686 km²) parkland, was built of Devon granite and became a symbol of the almost baronial power in the district of the Wilbrahams. During almost two centuries the family owned and controlled thousands of acres of land and farms around Cuddington and neighbouring villages. They also employed a veritable army of staff and built numerous workers' cottages and farmhouses, most of which survive to this day. Delamere House survived until just before the Second World War when the last George Wilbraham built Delamere Manor nearby. During the late 1990s to mid 2000s Delamere Manor was occupied by the British pop musician Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Delamere Park became an army transit camp providing accommodation not only for British soldiers but also for thousands of Americans who had arrived in preparation for the forthcoming D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. General George Patton even visited 'Camp Delamere' and gave a speech to the American 3rd Army troops. After the war, the army huts used to accommodate the soldiers were transformed into houses for the use of many local residents awaiting council houses from 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...
Rural District Council. These included people who were relatives of serving Polish soldiers. The presence of local people housed in temporary accommodation in what was a green belt
Green Belt (UK)
In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...
area enabled the development of the current housing estate to take place.
The estate as it currently exists was built during the 1970s, spearheaded by Tom Baron, a director of Whelmar Limited. Delamere Park was voted North West's Best Development of the 1970s by the National House Building Council.
Delamere Camp
The modern day appearance of Delamere Park is far removed from its past setting as one of the largest displaced persons camps in the North West of England. Delamere House itself and its surrounding parkland had been deserted for nearly a year when in 1939 the Second World War broke when Hitler's troops invaded Poland. In Britain as part of the war effort huge areas of land from several country estates were requisitioned by the War Office in order to build airfields and army camps necessary for the war effort. By 1941 Delamere Park was transformed into a vast army camp consisting of Laing and Nissan huts which housed around 15,000 American troops.With the end of the war the MOD were faced with a new problem, that of Polish forces that fought along side the British throughout the war, not only to free Poland but also Europe form Nazi domination. Sadly the Yalta Conference did not give Poland its freedom, on the contrary Poland now found itself under communist control. The Polish forces felt betrayed and unwilling to go back to communist dominated Poland. The now disused camps found a new lease of life as accommodation for the Polish troops and their families.
Under the Polish Resettlement Act the first Polish troops arrived at Delamere from Italy in the summer of 1946. They were General Anders' 2 Corps Command Group. Little is known that throughout the campaign, through Persia, the Middle East and Italy the 2 Corps artillery supply mascot was Wojtek an orphaned baby bear. Although Wojtek did not come to Delamere camp, many of the soldiers arriving there knew him and had stories about him.. Wojtek's story can be found in books and on the internet.
Over the next few months the camp was filling up with women and children. Many families were reunited after years of separation arriving with no more than the clothes on their backs and a few meagre possessions. The huts had to be shared by several families so, to have some privacy, they were partitioned off with army Blankets. All sanitary facilities were shared in central ablution blocks
Although Delamere was classified as a Polish Displaced Persons' camp, it was not run by the National Assistance Board. When the MOD left, the camp came under the jurisdiction of the local authority and with the shortage of houses it also became home to bombed out British families.
Later on the Ministry of Housing and the Local Authority modernised the huts into two bedroom accommodation with a sitting room, kitchen , running water and bathroom so the living conditions for the Poles improved. The two communities co-existed side by side with little integration between them. Devoted to their culture, language and religious ideals the Poles kept themselves to themselves carrying on with their deep rooted traditions.
Today
The Park has a mixture of mostly detached, 3-5 bedroom housing, together with an associated exclusive leisure facilities and community groups.In March 2004 a fire destroyed the leisure club building, which was then redesigned and reopened some two years later. In March, 2007, and in common with other areas of the former Vale Royal
Vale Royal
Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.-Creation:...
District, several plaques were erected in Delamere Park illustrating the area's history.
Book
On the 13th June 2007 it was announced that CC Publishing were preparing to publish a book chronicling the Park's detailed history; focusing mainly on its time as a World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
army base and its subsequent accommodation for Polish military families were unable to return to their homeland. The book was released in 2008 co-authored by A.D.Coxhead and R.M.Bevan http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/midcheshirechronicles/tm_headline=authors-seek-information-on-delamere-park&method=full&objectid=19289525&siteid=50020-name_page.html