Thelwall
Encyclopedia
Thelwall is a suburban village in Warrington
, North
Cheshire
, England
, close to the Lymm
junction of the M6
.
and Grappenhall
, and (across the Manchester Ship Canal
), Latchford
. It is also one of the two principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall
civil parish. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 9,377.
Thelwall is perhaps best known for the Thelwall Viaduct
, which carries the M6 Motorway
across Manchester Ship Canal
which opened in July 1963 and another in 1996. The village is situated between this Canal and the Bridgewater Canal
, being on the East-West A56
and B5157. To the East, between the village and the M6, is Statham
.
constituency, Thelwall is currently represented in the House of Commons by David Mowat MP
. Thelwall is also represented on Warrington Borough Council and by Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council.
Council, and is allocated three representative seats. The current Councillor
s representing Thelwall are:
The following is a list of those members representing Thelwall Ward on the Parish Council, including the current Chairperson of the Council who is a serving representative of the Thelwall Ward:
during the reign of King Edward the Elder
, which is mentioned in two very early sources, including the Anglo Saxon Chronicle:
An inscription on the Pickering
Arms
records that "In the year 920 King
Edward the Elder
founded a city
here and called it Thelwall". According to Sir Peter Leycester
it was "so called from the stakes and stumps, cut from the trees, wherewith it was environed about as a wall". It is more likely that the original meaning of Thelwall was "pool by a plank bridge" (the earliest record of the name is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 923 as "Thelwæl", in 1241 it occurs as "Thelewell").
Earthworks remain of an embankment, possibly part of these fortifications, found in the grounds of Chaigeley School. These remains are a designated English Heritage
Nation
al Monument
.
At Thelwall derive many stories of ghosts, since many of the old buildings still remain in the area: sightings are relayed from the local pub, "The Little Manor". However, there are stories of witches at the well of the "Old White House" too, on the outskirts of Thelwall.
inspection July 2008, the infant school was judged to be 'outstanding'.; the second school is Thelwall Junior School which is for Key Stage 2
, children between the ages of 7 and 11. The Junior School is serves primary education, and is a satellite school that feeds Lymm High School
(formerly Lymm Grammar School), a nearby secondary education institute. There is a pre-school at Thelwall Parish Hall, an around-school and holiday Ferry Link Club that also operates that Thelwall Parish Hall and a private day nursery Little Wonders Nursery on Thelwall New Road.
is represented by All Saints Church
where several scion
s of the ancient Cheshire
Booth
family are buried.
The village has a football
club, Thelwall Rangers A.F.C. and a cricket
club, Thelwall Parish CC.
Thelwall also has its own Morris Dancing team, the "Thelwall Morris Men", and its own amateur dramatic
group, the "Bridgewater Players",
During the summer months, Thelwall hosts its very own Rose Queen
, an event that the residents are very proud of as it has now been running for well over 50 years. The event hosts the biggest float parade in the locality, featuring a different theme every year. The whole community comes together and makes for a very special day. Scouts, schools and residents take part in the parade every year. Each year its popularity has increased, getting bigger and better, with more attractions and ever more stalls set up on Thelwall Parish Field.
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...
, North
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
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...
, close to the Lymm
Lymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
junction of the M6
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
.
Geography
Thelwall nowadays borders the villages of LymmLymm
Lymm is a large village and civil parish within the Warrington borough of Cheshire, in North West England. Lymm was an urban district of Cheshire from 1894 to 1974. The civil parish of Lymm incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little...
and Grappenhall
Grappenhall
Grappenhall is a suburban village in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is situated along the Bridgewater Canal, and forms one of the principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish...
, and (across the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
), Latchford
Latchford
Latchford is a suburban district and electoral ward of the unitary borough of Warrington, in Cheshire, England. It is around one mile south of Warrington town centre and has a total resident population of 7,856....
. It is also one of the two principal settlements of Grappenhall and Thelwall
Grappenhall and Thelwall
Grappenhall and Thelwall is a civil parish within the Borough of Warrington and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 9,377....
civil parish. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 9,377.
Thelwall is perhaps best known for the Thelwall Viaduct
Thelwall Viaduct
The Thelwall Viaduct is a steel composite girder viaduct in Thelwall, Warrington, England. It carries the M6 motorway across the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey...
, which carries the M6 Motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
across Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
which opened in July 1963 and another in 1996. The village is situated between this Canal and the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
, being on the East-West A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
and B5157. To the East, between the village and the M6, is Statham
Statham
-Places:* Statham, Georgia in the United States* Statham, a hamlet in the civil parish of Lymm, part of the borough of Warrington, England, UK-People:* Alan Statham* Brian Statham* Harry Statham* Jason Statham, action film actor* Kyley Statham* Nick Statham...
.
Politics
As a locality within the Warrington SouthWarrington South (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:In 2006 Paul Kennedy joined the Conservative Party, becoming a Conservative Councillor on Warrington Borough Council in May 2008, representing the Hatton, Stretton & Walton Ward.-Elections in the 1990s:...
constituency, Thelwall is currently represented in the House of Commons by David Mowat MP
David Mowat
David John Mowat is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Warrington South, and was first elected at the 2010 general election.- Early life :...
. Thelwall is also represented on Warrington Borough Council and by Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council.
Warrington Borough Council
Thelwall returns officers from the Grappenhall and Thelwall Ward to serve on the BoroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
Council, and is allocated three representative seats. The current Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s representing Thelwall are:
- Councillor - Mike Biggin (Liberal Democrat)
- Councillor - Elaine Welborn (Liberal Democrat)
- Councillor - Wendy Johnson (Liberal Democrat)
Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council
The Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council consists of sixteen elected officials serving a term of four years, currently all sixteen Councillors are members of the Liberal Democrat Party.The following is a list of those members representing Thelwall Ward on the Parish Council, including the current Chairperson of the Council who is a serving representative of the Thelwall Ward:
- Chairperson of the Parish Council - Louise K. Fernyhough (Liberal Democrat)
- Councillor - Peter J. H. Catterall (Liberal Democrat)
- Councillor - Clifford G. Taylor (Liberal Democrat)
- Councillor - Chris White (Liberal Democrat)
History
A fortified village was established at Thelwall in 923923
Year 923 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* June 15 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed, and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.- Americas :* Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl becomes...
during the reign of King Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
, which is mentioned in two very early sources, including the Anglo Saxon Chronicle:
"Kynge Edwarde made a cite at Thelewall in [th]e northe parte of [th]e Marches, nye the water of Mersee, where he put certeyne knyghtes."--Higden's Polychronicon
"A.D. 923. This year went King Edward with an army, late in the harvest, to Thelwall; and ordered the boroughBoroughA borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
to be repaired, and inhabited, and manned. And he ordered another army also from the population of MerciaMerciaMercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
, the while he sat there to go to ManchesterManchesterManchester 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...
in NorthumbriaNorthumbriaNorthumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
, to repair and to man it. This year died Archbishop PlegmundPlegmundPlegmund , after spending time as a hermit, became Archbishop of Canterbury in England from 890 to 914. He reorganised the Diocese of Winchester, creating four new sees, and worked with other scholars in translating religious works...
; and King Reynold won YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
."--Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
An inscription on the Pickering
Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. It sits at the foot of the Moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south...
Arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
records that "In the year 920 King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
founded a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
here and called it Thelwall". According to Sir Peter Leycester
Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet
Sir Peter Leycester, 1st Baronet was an English antiquarian and historian. He was involved in the English Civil War on the royalist side and was subsequently made a baronet...
it was "so called from the stakes and stumps, cut from the trees, wherewith it was environed about as a wall". It is more likely that the original meaning of Thelwall was "pool by a plank bridge" (the earliest record of the name is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 923 as "Thelwæl", in 1241 it occurs as "Thelewell").
Earthworks remain of an embankment, possibly part of these fortifications, found in the grounds of Chaigeley School. These remains are a designated English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
Nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al Monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
.
At Thelwall derive many stories of ghosts, since many of the old buildings still remain in the area: sightings are relayed from the local pub, "The Little Manor". However, there are stories of witches at the well of the "Old White House" too, on the outskirts of Thelwall.
Education
The village of Thelwall contains two schools; the first is Thelwall Infant School which provides for children in Key Stages 0 (Reception) and 1 (Years 1 and 2): in its 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 ....
inspection July 2008, the infant school was judged to be 'outstanding'.; the second school is Thelwall Junior School which is for Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
, children between the ages of 7 and 11. The Junior School is serves primary education, and is a satellite school that feeds Lymm High School
Lymm High School
Lymm High School is an English comprehensive school, located in Lymm, Warrington, Cheshire, of which the grammar school part had a history stretching back to the late 16th century...
(formerly Lymm Grammar School), a nearby secondary education institute. There is a pre-school at Thelwall Parish Hall, an around-school and holiday Ferry Link Club that also operates that Thelwall Parish Hall and a private day nursery Little Wonders Nursery on Thelwall New Road.
Culture
The Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
is represented by All Saints Church
All Saints Church, Thelwall
All Saints Church, Thelwall, is in the village of Thelwall, 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 Great...
where several scion
Scion
Scion may refer to:*In kinship, a descendant , a son or daughter*Scion , a detached shoot or twig containing buds from a woody plant which is grafted onto the stock...
s of the ancient 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...
Booth
Booth Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Booth, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2010...
family are buried.
The village has a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, Thelwall Rangers A.F.C. and a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club, Thelwall Parish CC.
Thelwall also has its own Morris Dancing team, the "Thelwall Morris Men", and its own amateur dramatic
Amateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
group, the "Bridgewater Players",
During the summer months, Thelwall hosts its very own Rose Queen
Tournament of Roses Parade
The Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration", a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day , produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.The annual...
, an event that the residents are very proud of as it has now been running for well over 50 years. The event hosts the biggest float parade in the locality, featuring a different theme every year. The whole community comes together and makes for a very special day. Scouts, schools and residents take part in the parade every year. Each year its popularity has increased, getting bigger and better, with more attractions and ever more stalls set up on Thelwall Parish Field.