West Heath, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
West Heath is a suburb to the west of Congleton
, in Cheshire
, England
. It is the site of Astbury Mere Country Park.
The West Heath area has three schools, with one of Congleton's two secondary schools, Congleton High School
being based there.
lies at a zone of transition between the Cheshire Plain
and Peak District
( Pennine
} Mountains. West Heath lies on the Cheshire plain and consists of rolling farmland, suburbs and small woodlands.
The River Dane
passes through areas of West Heath and much of the areas woodlands are found here. West Heath is notably more affluent than some other areas of Congleton, most notably Buglawton and Bromley Farm Estate and many people commute to other towns to work.
The flora of the area is typical of the Cheshire Plain, but is well wooded and with small areas of heathlands
still surviving in isolated pockets, mainly in Astbury Mere.
. It had an opencast sand quarry
, now a lake
known as Astbury Mere. It has its own recently redeveloped shopping centre with a Somerfield
supermarket and a Aldi
supermarket recently finished.
West Heath was until the 1930s mainly farmland and woodland, and many of the old hawthorn boundary hedges and small woodlands can still be seen.
The name 'Astbury Mere' is technically incorrect as no part of it falls within the boundaries of Newbold Astbury
. The area was formerly referred to as 'Astbury Marsh' but is within the boundaries of Congleton
town and within the West Heath area.
It is a former sand quarry which has been converted into a public area but the country park doesn't extend to the beaches surrounding the lake which are owned and used by anglers from the Stoke on Trent Angling Society, although they permit people to use the beaches and have fenced of the beach for dogs to go in the lake.
There is a visitor centre at the country park and also a restaurant and sailing club / school on the opposite side of the lake to the visitor centre. There was also formerly a small park for kids beside the restaurant but it was taken down many years ago.
Some issues affecting the lake are conflicts of interest between dog walkers and anglers who both use the beaches, development encroaching close to the lake and crowding in summer (Astbury Mere is very popular with locals).
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
, 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...
. It is the site of Astbury Mere Country Park.
The West Heath area has three schools, with one of Congleton's two secondary schools, Congleton High School
Congleton High School
Congleton High School is a Community, comprehensive school, for boys and girls aged 11-18, with an engineering specialism, situated on the edge of Congleton in Cheshire.-External links:**...
being based there.
Geography and environment
CongletonCongleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
lies at a zone of transition between the Cheshire Plain
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...
and Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
( Pennine
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
} Mountains. West Heath lies on the Cheshire plain and consists of rolling farmland, suburbs and small woodlands.
The River Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
passes through areas of West Heath and much of the areas woodlands are found here. West Heath is notably more affluent than some other areas of Congleton, most notably Buglawton and Bromley Farm Estate and many people commute to other towns to work.
The flora of the area is typical of the Cheshire Plain, but is well wooded and with small areas of heathlands
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
still surviving in isolated pockets, mainly in Astbury Mere.
History
West Heath was formerly an area of large heathland and woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. It had an opencast sand quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
, now a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
known as Astbury Mere. It has its own recently redeveloped shopping centre with a Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
supermarket and a Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
supermarket recently finished.
West Heath was until the 1930s mainly farmland and woodland, and many of the old hawthorn boundary hedges and small woodlands can still be seen.
Astbury Mere
Astbury Mere is a local country park and is popular with walkers, dog walkers, cyclists, fishermen and adventure sports enthusiasts.The name 'Astbury Mere' is technically incorrect as no part of it falls within the boundaries of Newbold Astbury
Newbold Astbury
thumb|AstburyNewbold Astbury is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north-west of England. It is situated to the south of Congleton on the A34 road to Scholar Green; the A34 forms one side of the triangular village green...
. The area was formerly referred to as 'Astbury Marsh' but is within the boundaries of Congleton
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
town and within the West Heath area.
It is a former sand quarry which has been converted into a public area but the country park doesn't extend to the beaches surrounding the lake which are owned and used by anglers from the Stoke on Trent Angling Society, although they permit people to use the beaches and have fenced of the beach for dogs to go in the lake.
There is a visitor centre at the country park and also a restaurant and sailing club / school on the opposite side of the lake to the visitor centre. There was also formerly a small park for kids beside the restaurant but it was taken down many years ago.
Some issues affecting the lake are conflicts of interest between dog walkers and anglers who both use the beaches, development encroaching close to the lake and crowding in summer (Astbury Mere is very popular with locals).