Rode Heath is a small village in the 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...

 of Odd Rode

Odd Rode

Odd Rode is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located near to Stoke-on-Trent, and includes the settlements of:*Scholar Green*Mow Cop*Mount Pleasant*Rode Heath*The Bank*Thurlwood...

, within the unitary authority of Cheshire East

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 in 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...

 near Alsager

Alsager

Alsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...

. According to the 2001 census

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

, Rode Heath had a population of 2,150. The village was previously two villages, Rode Heath and Thurlwood. Since extensive housing developments in Thurlwood the two are known simply as Rode Heath.

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 Rode Heath. The village has two pubs, a primary school, post office, shop and takeaway. There are two churches; the Church of the Good Shepherd, one of the three churches that make up the Parish of Odd Rode

Odd Rode

Odd Rode is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located near to Stoke-on-Trent, and includes the settlements of:*Scholar Green*Mow Cop*Mount Pleasant*Rode Heath*The Bank*Thurlwood...

, and Rode Heath Chapel. Close by is Rode Hall

Rode Hall

Rode Hall is a country house in the parish of Odd Rode, Cheshire, England. It consists of two houses, formerly separate, and now joined together. The older house was built for Randle Wilbraham in the early 18th century; it was recorded as being "recently completed" in 1708. It is a long low...

, which gardens are a tourist attraction. The current owner of Rode Hall is Lady Wilbraham.

The village has a number of gentle walks along the canal and through the countryside, popular with dog walkers.

History

In the past, Rode Heath and Thurlwood were separate settlements. There was at one point a church in Thurlwood. Rode Heath and Thurlwood are now effectively joined, although the major 'link' and where you can see the end of one village lies on the southernmost lock.