Hartford, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Hartford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
. It lies at the intersection of the A559 road and the West Coast Mainline (between Liverpool
and Crewe
) and is less than 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of the town of Northwich
. It forms part of the Weaver Vale
parliamentary constituency.
Hartford is situated in the Cheshire Plain to the south west of the town of Northwich, and is surrounded by the following civil parishes, starting due north and proceeding in a clockwise direction:
of 1086, when the Manor was held by Gilbert de Venables as part of the Barony of Kinderton. Prior to the reign of Edward III it was held by a family who assumed the local name, from which it passed to the Horton, Massey, Holcroft, Marbury and Davies families
of Great Budworth ancient parish
, and a much smaller part in Weaverham cum Milton ancient parish
. It also formed part of Eddisbury Hundred
, and in 1836 was placed in Northwich poor law union
. It was constituted a civil parish in 1866, and in 1875 was added to the newly-formed Northwich rural sanitary district. Part of Hartford was transferred to the Northwich urban sanitary district when the boundaries of the latter were extended in 1880.
The civil parish has experienced three boundary changes. In 1894, the eastermost part (in Northwich urban sanitary district) was lost when the area between Beach Road and Darwin Street — including Greenbank railway station
— was transferred to Northwich
civil parish. There were very small boundary adustments with neighbouring parishes in 1936, and in 1955 the newly-built Greenbank Estate was transferred from the parish of Hartford to Northwich.
From 1894 to 1974 the whole of Hartford was part of Northwich rural district, and it was served by Vale Royal
borough council. In April 2009 the latter ceased to exist, and Hartford is now a civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
.
The beginning of the church in Hartford was 1821 when a meeting of the inhabitants of resolved to raise sufficient funds for the building of a church. At that time most of the township was served by Witton Chapel
, 2 miles away, except for a small area south of Chester Road which formed a detached part of Weaverham
parish.
Building started in 1822 and the new church and churchyard were consecrated by the Bishop of Chester
in 1824 as a chapel to Witton. The building cost about £1,450.
Population growth in Hartford over the next forty years meant that this church was soon too small and so in 1873 a new building dedicated to St John the Baptist
was commissioned. It was designed by John Douglas and the new church was consecrated in 1875 by the Bishop of Chester.
The tower was built and dedicated by the Bishop of Chester in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 1897 a ring of six bells was installed to commemorate her diamond jubilee.
In 1998 a new entrance hall and extension was added to the church.
Hartford also has a Methodist Church, situated on Beech Road. The current building dates from 1891, replacing an earlier building nearby which was constructed in 1833 and is now used as the Methodist Church Hall.
, Hartford High School
, a specialist sports and languages school, Hartford County Primary School (locally known as "Riddings Lane"), St. Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School and Hartford Manor Community Primary School. The private school The Grange is also located in Hartford (both the primary and secondary) and is frequently placed in the top 50 mixed schools in the country. It is also home to the special schools Cloughwood and Greenbank.
It is also home to the main campus for Mid Cheshire College
.
Hartford is bisected by the A559, known as Chester Road. The A556 road
bypasses the village as part of the Northwich bypass. The bridge that carries the road over the River Weaver
is known as Hartford Bridge
or Blue Bridge, and was built in 1938.
Hartford is served by Hartford railway station
on the West Coast Mainline between Liverpool and Crewe and by Greenbank railway station
on the Mid-Cheshire Line
between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly.
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...
. It lies at the intersection of the A559 road and the West Coast Mainline (between Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
) and is less than 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of the town 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...
. It forms part of the Weaver Vale
Weaver Vale (UK Parliament constituency)
Weaver Vale is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
parliamentary constituency.
Geography
- WeaverhamWeaverhamright|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Weaverham within former borough of Vale RoyalWeaverham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. Just off the A49, it is just to the west of Northwich and south of the River...
- NorthwichNorthwichNorthwich 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...
- DavenhamDavenhamDavenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately south of the town of Northwich, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and...
- WinsfordWinsfordWinsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the River Weaver south of Northwich and west of Middlewich, and grew around the salt mining industry after the river was canalised in the...
- CuddingtonCuddington, Vale RoyalCuddington 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....
Demographics
Population figures for Hartford are:- 1801: 472
- 1851: 950
- 1901: 850
- 1951: 2919
- 2001: 5515
History
Hartford was recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
of 1086, when the Manor was held by Gilbert de Venables as part of the Barony of Kinderton. Prior to the reign of Edward III it was held by a family who assumed the local name, from which it passed to the Horton, Massey, Holcroft, Marbury and Davies families
Governance
Hartford was formerly a township divided between two ancient parishes, with the greater part belonging to Witton chapelrySt Helen Witton Church, Northwich
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich, is in the centre of the town of Northwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The church is now known as "St Helen's, Witton" or "Northwich Parish Church". It is an active Anglican parish church...
of Great Budworth ancient parish
Ancient parishes of Cheshire
The Ancient Parishes of Cheshire refers to the group of parishes that existed in Cheshire, roughly within the period of 1200–1800. Initially, the ancient parishes had only an ecclesiastical function, but reforms initiated by King Henry VIII, developed by Queen Elizabeth I and expanded by...
, and a much smaller part in Weaverham cum Milton ancient parish
Ancient parishes of Cheshire
The Ancient Parishes of Cheshire refers to the group of parishes that existed in Cheshire, roughly within the period of 1200–1800. Initially, the ancient parishes had only an ecclesiastical function, but reforms initiated by King Henry VIII, developed by Queen Elizabeth I and expanded by...
. It also formed part of Eddisbury Hundred
Hundreds of Cheshire
The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative, military and judicial purposes. They were introduced in Cheshire some time before the Norman conquest...
, and in 1836 was placed in Northwich poor law union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
. It was constituted a civil parish in 1866, and in 1875 was added to the newly-formed Northwich rural sanitary district. Part of Hartford was transferred to the Northwich urban sanitary district when the boundaries of the latter were extended in 1880.
The civil parish has experienced three boundary changes. In 1894, the eastermost part (in Northwich urban sanitary district) was lost when the area between Beach Road and Darwin Street — including Greenbank railway station
Greenbank railway station
Greenbank railway station serves the village of Hartford, Cheshire as well as the Castle area of Northwich, Cheshire, England. The station is situated on the A559 road from Northwich to Chester.-The station today:...
— was transferred to 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...
civil parish. There were very small boundary adustments with neighbouring parishes in 1936, and in 1955 the newly-built Greenbank Estate was transferred from the parish of Hartford to Northwich.
From 1894 to 1974 the whole of Hartford was part of Northwich rural district, and it was served by 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:...
borough council. In April 2009 the latter ceased to exist, and Hartford is now a civil parish within 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...
.
Churches
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich
St Helen Witton Church, Northwich, is in the centre of the town of Northwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. The church is now known as "St Helen's, Witton" or "Northwich Parish Church". It is an active Anglican parish church...
, 2 miles away, except for a small area south of Chester Road which formed a detached part of Weaverham
St Mary's Church, Weaverham
St Mary's Church, Weaverham is in the village of Weaverham, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of...
parish.
Building started in 1822 and the new church and churchyard were consecrated by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
in 1824 as a chapel to Witton. The building cost about £1,450.
Population growth in Hartford over the next forty years meant that this church was soon too small and so in 1873 a new building dedicated to St John the Baptist
St John the Baptist's Church, Hartford
St John the Baptist Church, Hartford is in the village of Hartford, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, and is the Anglican parish church of Hartford and Greenbank...
was commissioned. It was designed by John Douglas and the new church was consecrated in 1875 by the Bishop of Chester.
The tower was built and dedicated by the Bishop of Chester in 1887 to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. In 1897 a ring of six bells was installed to commemorate her diamond jubilee.
In 1998 a new entrance hall and extension was added to the church.
Hartford also has a Methodist Church, situated on Beech Road. The current building dates from 1891, replacing an earlier building nearby which was constructed in 1833 and is now used as the Methodist Church Hall.
Education
Hartford is home to several schools namely St. Nicholas Catholic High SchoolSt. Nicholas Catholic High School
St. Nicholas Catholic High School is in Hartford, near Northwich, in Cheshire, England. It also has a Sixth Form. Both the main school and the Sixth Form perform very well in Ofsted reports: the Sixth Form was described as "good" in the last report...
, Hartford High School
Hartford High School
Hartford High School is a comprehensive secondary school on Chester Road in Hartford, Cheshire, for students aged between eleven and sixteen. The school is unique in having dual specialist college status in both languages and sports...
, a specialist sports and languages school, Hartford County Primary School (locally known as "Riddings Lane"), St. Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School and Hartford Manor Community Primary School. The private school The Grange is also located in Hartford (both the primary and secondary) and is frequently placed in the top 50 mixed schools in the country. It is also home to the special schools Cloughwood and Greenbank.
It is also home to the main campus for Mid Cheshire College
Mid Cheshire College
Mid Cheshire College is a further education college. Its main campus is in the village of Hartford, Cheshire. John Reilly is the college principal. He joined the college in 2002 after leaving the Tameside College in East Manchester where he was Director of Development...
.
Shops
Hartford has two shopping parades. The larger is on Chester Road. This includes the Red Lion pub and an Estate Agents, two hair salons, a butchers, St. Lukes Charity shop, a bakery, a video store and a Co-op. The smaller parade, on School Lane, includes a dry cleaners, a nail studio, women's and gents' hairdressers plus a contemporary cafe bar.Transport
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...
bypasses the village as part of the Northwich bypass. The bridge that carries the road over the River Weaver
River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
is known as Hartford Bridge
Hartford Bridge, Cheshire
The Hartford Bridge, or Blue Bridge, is a single-span road bridge crossing the River Weaver at Hartford, Cheshire in England. The bridge is located on the A556 as part of the Northwich bypass....
or Blue Bridge, and was built in 1938.
Hartford is served by Hartford railway station
Hartford railway station
Hartford railway station is in the village of Hartford, in Cheshire, England. It is situated on the A559 road approximately two miles west of the town of Northwich.-Current station operations:...
on the West Coast Mainline between Liverpool and Crewe and by Greenbank railway station
Greenbank railway station
Greenbank railway station serves the village of Hartford, Cheshire as well as the Castle area of Northwich, Cheshire, England. The station is situated on the A559 road from Northwich to Chester.-The station today:...
on the Mid-Cheshire Line
Mid-Cheshire Line
The Mid-Cheshire Line is a railway line in the north-west of England, between Chester and Manchester.- History :The Mid Cheshire line has its origins in railways promoted by three separate railway companies in the 19th century. The Cheshire Midland Railway was opened to passengers between...
between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly.
Economics
Hartford contains the registered office of Holidaybreak Plc. Until recently it was also a key location for AMEC plc, with offices at Sandiway House off Littledales Lane. The site (Sandiway House) is now up for sale.Famous people
- Clarence "Lal" HilditchLal HilditchGeorge Clarence "Lal" Hilditch , also known as Clarrie Hilditch, was an English footballer, and is the only person ever to have been simultaneously a player and the manager at Manchester United....
, footballer - Tim LambTim LambTimothy Michael Lamb was an English County Cricketer and Cricket Administrator, the first Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board and is now Chief Executive of the Sport and Recreation Alliance .He was educated at Shrewsbury School and The Queen's College, Oxford University...
, cricketer - Ann ToddAnn ToddDorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
, actress