Lostock Gralam
Encyclopedia
Lostock Gralam is a village
and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
, situated to the east of Northwich
. The civil parish of Lostock Gralam also includes the small hamlet of Lostock Green. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 2,317.
Lostock Gralam is situated in the centre of the Cheshire Plain
. The main street, Manchester Road is on the route of a Roman road
, sometimes known as Watling Street, from Manchester
to Chester
via Northwich
that subsequently became a turnpike road. Most through traffic is now diverted as the A556
Northwich bypass runs past the village dividing Lostock Gralam from Lostock Green.
The village is served by a railway station
on the line between Chester
and Altrincham
. The Trent and Mersey Canal
runs through the parish. There is a wharf at Wincham where the canal passes under the Manchester Road.
Lostock Gralam borders the parishes of Northwich
, Wincham
, Rudheath
, Lower Peover
, Allostock
and Plumley
.
Development work is currently under way on the 'triangle site' adjacent to the A556. The project was initially for the whole area to become the Cheshire Business Park but only the first phase of office units was constructed and remains largely unoccupied. The triangle site includes the Watermead pub, and the Northwich Lostock Gralam Travelodge hotel. An outline planning application for housing on the remainder of the triangle site was granted consent in January 2011.
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...
and civil parish in the unitary authority 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...
, 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...
, situated to the east 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...
. The civil parish of Lostock Gralam also includes the small hamlet of Lostock Green. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 2,317.
Geography and communications
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...
. The main street, Manchester Road is on the route of a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, sometimes known as Watling Street, from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to 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...
via 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...
that subsequently became a turnpike road. Most through traffic is now diverted as 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...
Northwich bypass runs past the village dividing Lostock Gralam from Lostock Green.
The village is served by a railway station
Lostock Gralam railway station
Lostock Gralam railway station serves the village of Lostock Gralam in Cheshire, England. The station is on the Mid-Cheshire Line from Chester to Manchester Piccadilly, located 30 km east of Chester....
on the line between 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...
and Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
. The Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
runs through the parish. There is a wharf at Wincham where the canal passes under the Manchester Road.
Lostock Gralam borders the 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...
, Wincham
Wincham
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Wincham in the former borough of Vale RoyalWincham is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated about three miles north of Northwich in the Cheshire Plain...
, 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...
, Lower Peover
Lower Peover
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Nether Peover within the former borough of Vale RoyalLower Peover is a village in the civil parish of Nether Peover in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, approximately 6 miles east of Northwich...
, Allostock
Allostock
thumb|right|200px|Map of Allostock civil parish within the former borough of Vale RoyalAllostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about five miles south of Knutsford. It has a population of 783...
and Plumley
Plumley
Plumley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.In the village there are two public houses, The Golden Pheasant and The Smoker , a village hall, a Methodist church, tennis courts, riding stables, a post office and a golf...
.
Schools
Lostock Gralam Church of England Primary School was formed in 1984 following the amalgamation of Lostock Gralam Junior School and Manchester Road Infant School. The school is situated next to St John the Evangelist Church in School Lane. There are approximately 140 pupils who attend the school. There is also a privately owned nursery located within the school grounds. Lostock Tiny Tots pre-school operates from the community centre on nearby Stubbs Lane.Other facilities
Within the village there is a post office, a Chinese take away, an off licence and a hair dresser's. There are three pubs, The Slow and Easy and The Sweet Waters (formerly The Wharf) - both on the main Manchester Road through the village - and the recently constructed The Watermead off Cheshire Avenue to the east.Development work is currently under way on the 'triangle site' adjacent to the A556. The project was initially for the whole area to become the Cheshire Business Park but only the first phase of office units was constructed and remains largely unoccupied. The triangle site includes the Watermead pub, and the Northwich Lostock Gralam Travelodge hotel. An outline planning application for housing on the remainder of the triangle site was granted consent in January 2011.