Culcheth
Encyclopedia
Culcheth is a large village
approximately 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Warrington
, England
. It is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury
civil parish
. The village has many amenities which make it a popular place to live. These include a library
, a village hall, sports facilities, two supermarkets, and a wide range of smaller shops clustered in and around its centre. It has several good restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaways. It is primarily residential, with a large village green at its heart where the annual Community Day is held. Walks are to be found along the old railway line, now known as Culcheth Linear Park.
Another suggestion is that the name is Norman, from one of the families who settled in the area. Four families settled in the region, including the de Culcheths, de Risleys and de Holcrofts, and each contributed part of their crest to the crest of Culcheth. The area is known to have been established before or around the time of the Norman invasion, from its mention in the Domesday Book
. Culcheth Hall was latterly owned by the Withington family until its demolition after World War II
.
The infamous Colonel Thomas Blood
, who nearly succeeded in stealing the Crown Jewels
, was married at Newchurch Parish Church, and resided for a while at Holcroft Hall on Holcroft Lane.
Until 1974, Culcheth was in Lancashire but was moved into Cheshire by the local government reorganisation. On 1 April 1998, the Warrington
unitary authority
was created of which Culcheth is a part.
), and the M62 motorway
into Liverpool and Manchester. It is also accessible via Common Lane (the B5207 from Lowton), linking to the A580 East Lancashire Road
, and Holcroft Lane (the B5212) which meets the A57
Warrington-Manchester road near Warburton Bridge.
operate two bus
services between Warrington
Town Centre and Leigh
via the village centre. A combined 15 minute frequency is provided by services 19 and 28/28A on Monday to Saturday daytimes, with a combined 30 minute frequency on evenings and Sundays. The two services operate via the same route to Leigh, but the route to Warrington alternates between Croft
/Winwick
(service 19) and Birchwood
/Padgate
(service 28/28A) .
(GCR) line from Manchester Central
between Glazebrook
and Wigan Central railway station
. These have been turned into Culcheth Linear Park, with the Park HQ situated on top of Culcheth Station foundations.
The nearest operating train stations are now at Birchwood
and Glazebrook
, both on the line from Liverpool Lime Street
to Manchester Piccadilly.
There are 2 supermarkets in the village centre, the Co-op and Sainsbury's, as well as a wide range of smaller specialist shops.
There is also a good selection of restaurants (Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese and upmarket English), cafes and takeaways.
There are 3 pubs in Culcheth: The Cherry Tree, The Harrow Inn and The Pack Horse. Nearby Glazebury also has several pubs: The Raven Inn, The Chat Moss Hotel, The Grey Horse, The Comfortable Gill and The George and Dragon.
Bent's Garden Centre, located on the outskirts of Glazebury, is a large upmarket enterprise which also has a restaurant.
, and the Grace Fellowship Church which meets at Culcheth High School. The nearest Catholic church is St Lewis's, which is in the nearby village of Croft
.
(2009), with 'The Class of 2011' attaining the best results the school has produced so far, with 77% of pupils attaining 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths (an increase of 3% on 2010). The school also has a successful sixth form, whose 'Class of 2011' produced their best results with an overall 97.5% pass rate, allowing the vast majority to attain their preferred university places, and a 100% pass rate in 20 subjects, with outstanding results in Psychology
, Media Studies
and History
. The school was picked as Warrington's 'Pathfinder' school under the now-defunct 'Building Schools for the Future
' scheme, and the brand new school buildings opened in July 2010. The old buildings have been demolished to make way for the new school fields, which should be ready for summer 2012.
The village also has 3 primary schools: Twiss Green Community Primary School (rated "outstanding" by OFSTED), Culcheth Community Primary School and Newchurch Community Primary School.
The Culcheth Sports Club (formerly the Daten) provides a wide range of sports facilities such as table tennis, cricket, tennis, croquet and bowls. The Sports Club also has teams in various leagues in different sports, including numerous table tennis teams, a football team, a tennis league and a croquet team.
Culcheth Eagles ARLFC is a successful rugby league team, which runs many youth teams and an Open Age team, which all compete in the North West Counties
leagues.
FC Culcheth Sports is a newly established football club in the village with teams in the Wigan and District Amateur League and the Warrington Sunday League.
and hot chestnuts. Village centre car parks are closed to accommodate children's fairground rides, with music provided by a local brass band. The whole event is crowned by a free firework display on the village green.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
approximately 6 miles (10 km) north-east of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, 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 is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury
Culcheth and Glazebury
Culcheth and Glazebury is a civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Warrington Borough in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.-Culcheth:...
civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
. The village has many amenities which make it a popular place to live. These include a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, a village hall, sports facilities, two supermarkets, and a wide range of smaller shops clustered in and around its centre. It has several good restaurants, cafes, pubs and takeaways. It is primarily residential, with a large village green at its heart where the annual Community Day is held. Walks are to be found along the old railway line, now known as Culcheth Linear Park.
History
On Saxon maps showing South Lancashire the village is marked as "Calchuth" or "Celchyth." On these very early maps and deeds the name is also written as "Kilcheth," "Kylchith," and "Kilshaw." It is believed to derive from the Cumbric, 'at the edge of a wood,' 'black wood' or 'retreat in a wood.', although the less likely Anglo-Saxon alternative, 'shoe-shaped heath' has also been suggested.Another suggestion is that the name is Norman, from one of the families who settled in the area. Four families settled in the region, including the de Culcheths, de Risleys and de Holcrofts, and each contributed part of their crest to the crest of Culcheth. The area is known to have been established before or around the time of the Norman invasion, from its mention in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
. Culcheth Hall was latterly owned by the Withington family until its demolition after 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...
.
The infamous Colonel Thomas Blood
Thomas Blood
Colonel Thomas Blood was an Irish colonel best known for attempting to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671...
, who nearly succeeded in stealing the Crown Jewels
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions...
, was married at Newchurch Parish Church, and resided for a while at Holcroft Hall on Holcroft Lane.
Until 1974, Culcheth was in Lancashire but was moved into Cheshire by the local government reorganisation. On 1 April 1998, the Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
was created of which Culcheth is a part.
Governance
Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council operates as part of the Warrington Borough Council, covering the matters the borough has delegated to the parish councils within WarringtonRoad
One of the reasons for Culcheth's popularity as a place to live is its proximity to the main road links into Warrington (A574A574 road
The A574 is a road in England, running through the borough of Warrington before terminating at the end of Butts Bridge in Leigh, Greater Manchester...
), and the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
into Liverpool and Manchester. It is also accessible via Common Lane (the B5207 from Lowton), linking to the A580 East Lancashire Road
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
, and Holcroft Lane (the B5212) which meets the A57
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
Warrington-Manchester road near Warburton Bridge.
Bus
Warrington Borough TransportWarrington Borough Transport
Warrington Borough Transport is a bus operator running a network of services within the Borough of Warrington, England and into the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown and Northwich. The network of services is marketed under the Network Warrington name, with both names...
operate two bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services between Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
Town Centre and Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
via the village centre. A combined 15 minute frequency is provided by services 19 and 28/28A on Monday to Saturday daytimes, with a combined 30 minute frequency on evenings and Sundays. The two services operate via the same route to Leigh, but the route to Warrington alternates between Croft
Croft, Cheshire
Croft is a village and civil parish in Warrington, Cheshire, England, about five miles north of Warrington town centre. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 2,920. It is a rural, residential district....
/Winwick
Winwick, Cheshire
Winwick is a village and civil parish in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. Historically within Lancashire, until 1 April 1974, Winwick was administered as part of Lancashire with the rest of north Warrington. It is situated about three miles north of Warrington town centre, near...
(service 19) and Birchwood
Birchwood
Birchwood is a civil parish in the north-eastern part of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 . Historically a part of Lancashire, it is the easternmost part of the Warrington urban area. It was built during the time of much expansion in Warrington as it became a "new town"...
/Padgate
Padgate
Padgate was a village on the edge of Warrington, England, and today it is a large residential part of the town. During World War II it had a small RAF Station. RAF Padgate will be well-remembered by thousands of young men who were selected for RAF national service and on this site received their...
(service 28/28A) .
Rail
Between 1884 and 1964, Culcheth was served by two railway stations on the Great Central RailwayGreat Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
(GCR) line from Manchester Central
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
between Glazebrook
Glazebrook railway station
Glazebrook railway station is in the Warrington unitary authority in the north west of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail...
and Wigan Central railway station
Wigan Central railway station
Wigan Central railway station was a railway station near the centre of Wigan, England and was some way away from the two main stations which were on the western edge of the town centre. Central station was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and opened on 3 October 1892...
. These have been turned into Culcheth Linear Park, with the Park HQ situated on top of Culcheth Station foundations.
The nearest operating train stations are now at Birchwood
Birchwood railway station
Birchwood railway station is a railway station serving the Birchwood district to the north east of Warrington, Cheshire, in the north west of England. The station is 21 km west of Manchester Piccadilly on the Manchester-Liverpool Line....
and Glazebrook
Glazebrook railway station
Glazebrook railway station is in the Warrington unitary authority in the north west of England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail...
, both on the line from Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
to Manchester Piccadilly.
Economy
The science and business parks at nearby Birchwood employ around 5000 people. The Taylor Industrial Estate / Taylor Business Park provides rented premises and facilities to many small and medium-sized businesses firms on the outskirts of the village on the road between Culcheth and Risley.There are 2 supermarkets in the village centre, the Co-op and Sainsbury's, as well as a wide range of smaller specialist shops.
There is also a good selection of restaurants (Italian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese and upmarket English), cafes and takeaways.
There are 3 pubs in Culcheth: The Cherry Tree, The Harrow Inn and The Pack Horse. Nearby Glazebury also has several pubs: The Raven Inn, The Chat Moss Hotel, The Grey Horse, The Comfortable Gill and The George and Dragon.
Bent's Garden Centre, located on the outskirts of Glazebury, is a large upmarket enterprise which also has a restaurant.
Religion
Culcheth has 3 churches: Newchurch Parish Church, Culcheth Methodist ChurchCulcheth Methodist Church
Culcheth Methodist Church is located in the village of Culcheth, now a part of Warrington, England.The church building is located at the corner of Ellesmere Road and Burton Close near the village centre, a short walk from the village green.-Foundation:...
, and the Grace Fellowship Church which meets at Culcheth High School. The nearest Catholic church is St Lewis's, which is in the nearby village of Croft
Croft
Croft may refer to: * Croft, an area of land with a crofter's dwelling, used for crofting .* Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, sometimes called crofts.Locations in the United Kingdom:...
.
Education
The village is well provided with schools. Culcheth High School opened in 1931, and received a 'good' rating by OfstedOfsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
(2009), with 'The Class of 2011' attaining the best results the school has produced so far, with 77% of pupils attaining 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths (an increase of 3% on 2010). The school also has a successful sixth form, whose 'Class of 2011' produced their best results with an overall 97.5% pass rate, allowing the vast majority to attain their preferred university places, and a 100% pass rate in 20 subjects, with outstanding results in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Media Studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The school was picked as Warrington's 'Pathfinder' school under the now-defunct 'Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
' scheme, and the brand new school buildings opened in July 2010. The old buildings have been demolished to make way for the new school fields, which should be ready for summer 2012.
The village also has 3 primary schools: Twiss Green Community Primary School (rated "outstanding" by OFSTED), Culcheth Community Primary School and Newchurch Community Primary School.
Sport
Leigh Golf Club is located on the north side of Culcheth.The Culcheth Sports Club (formerly the Daten) provides a wide range of sports facilities such as table tennis, cricket, tennis, croquet and bowls. The Sports Club also has teams in various leagues in different sports, including numerous table tennis teams, a football team, a tennis league and a croquet team.
Culcheth Eagles ARLFC is a successful rugby league team, which runs many youth teams and an Open Age team, which all compete in the North West Counties
North West Counties
The North West Counties A.R.L. are a series of rugby league regional leagues covering the following age groups in the North West of England:-* Age 8 to 12* Age 13 to 15* Age 16 to 18* Open Age...
leagues.
FC Culcheth Sports is a newly established football club in the village with teams in the Wigan and District Amateur League and the Warrington Sunday League.
Culture & Community
Victorian Day is a popular village event held in late November each year, with tradespeople donning Victorian attire and various stalls selling such delights as mulled wineMulled wine
Mulled wine, variations of which are popular in Europe, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas and Halloween.-Glühwein:...
and hot chestnuts. Village centre car parks are closed to accommodate children's fairground rides, with music provided by a local brass band. The whole event is crowned by a free firework display on the village green.
Notable people
- Donald AdamsonDonald AdamsonDonald Adamson is a historian, biographer, philosophical writer, textual scholar, literary critic, and translator of French literature...
(born 30 March 1939), historian and literary critic, was born in Culcheth. - Roger HuntRoger HuntRoger Hunt, MBE is an English former footballer. He was a member of the England team which won the 1966 World Cup.-Club career:...
, Liverpool FC footballer and member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning team. - Helen Crinnion , Geography teacher at Culcheth High School, and absolute legend.
- Andy Burnham, LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for LeighLeigh- In England :* Leigh, Dorset* Leigh, Greater Manchester** Leigh * Leigh, Kent* Leigh, Staffordshire* Leigh, Surrey* Leigh, Wiltshire* Leigh, Worcestershire* Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset...
.