Baddington

Baddington is a civil parish in the Crewe and Nantwich district of Cheshire, England, which lies immediately to the south west of Nantwich and north of Audlem. Predominantly rural with scattered farms, the civil parish has a total population of around 100 people and includes the dispersed settlement of Hack Green, the site of a former RAF base and Home Defence regional headquarters. Nearby villages include Aston, Broomhall Green, Hankelow, Ravensmoor, Sound Heath and Stapeley.

Since 1950, Baddington has been administered by Sound and District Parish Council. [Latham, p. 140]

History

The name Baddington is of Saxon origin, and means "Beada's Farm". [Latham, p. 16] It is not mentioned by name in the Domesday survey, the first record being in the period 1175–84. [Latham, p. 19] The civil parish fell within the ancient parish of Acton in the Nantwich Hundred; it was served by St Mary's Church, Acton. [Latham, p. 9] In reign of Edward III (1327–77), the land was acquired by the Bromley family, who had their seat at Baddington Hall. [Latham, pp. 23, 125] A famous member of that family was Sir John Bromley, who served in the wars in France and, according to Hall's "History of Nantwich", "heroically recovered the British Standard at Corbie" in 1415, just before the Battle of Agincourt. He was buried at Acton in 1419. [Hall J. "A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, or Wich Malbank, in the County Palatine of Chester" (2nd edn), p. 89 (E. J. Morten; 1972) (ISBN 0-901598-24-0)] In the 16th century, the Fouleshurst family were also landowners in the parish. [Latham, p. 25] Later the land passed to the Lords Kilmorley, the owner in 1800, who was a major landowner in this part of Cheshire. [Latham, p. 23] A gazetteer entry of 1870–2 mentions twenty houses, with a total property value of £1,715. [Wilson JM. "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales" (1870–2). Quoted in [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=2089&st=Baddington Vision of Britain Through the Ages] (accessed 5 April 2008)] In 1936, a small area of the civil parish was transferred to Nantwich. [http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/baddington.html Genuki: Baddington] (accessed 4 April 2008)]

Part of Baddington and the adjacent parish of Austerson was forest until at least the mid-17th century, with wood being used as fuel for salt production in nearby Nantwich. [Latham, pp. 25, 36] Salt might also have been produced within the parish, as a brine spring is shown on an 1831 map of the area. [Latham, p. 82] The parish formerly had a small water-powered mill and a brick kiln field. [Latham, p. 83] Agriculture was the major land use by the early 19th century. [Latham, p. 77]

The road between Nantwich and Edleston crossed the parish; in 1607, the right of way was 12 feet wide. [Latham, p. 110] Transport connections improved in the 19th century with the construction first of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, now part of the Shropshire Union (1835), [http://www.cheshirecc.org.uk/forms/parishplans/Acton%20Edleston%20Henhull%20Parish%20Plan.pdf Acton, Edleston and Henhull Parish Plan] (accessed 17 August 2007)] and then the now-dismantled Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway (1863). [http://www.audlem.org/content.php?ContID=132&SubCat=13 The Village of Audlem: Village History] (accessed 5 April 2008)]

Geography and transport

The civil parish is relatively flat, with an average elevation of around 50 metres. The Shropshire Union Canal runs broadly north–south through the parish.Ordnance Survey Explorer 257: Crewe & Nantwich: Whitchurch & Tattenhall] [http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?e=364217&n=349297&mpp=10&layers=BOU.PLA.PLO.PAR&hLayer=PAR&hField=OBJECTID&hValue=73 Cheshire County Council: Interactive Mapping: Baddington CP] (accessed 4 April 2008)] The Baddington section of the canal contains the two Hackgreen Locks as well as two cast-iron canal mile posts; all date from around 1826 and are listed at grade II. [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56942 Images of England: Hack Green Lock No.1] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56945 Images of England: Hack Green Lock No.2] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56944 Images of England: Canal mile post 30m north of Hack Green Bridge] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=412848 Images of England: Milepost c 100m north of Baddington Lane Bridge (No 88)] (accessed 4 April 2008)] It is also crossed by two road bridges, Baddington Lane Bridge (A530) and Burrow's Bridge (French Lane), as well as Hack Green footbridge; all three canal bridges are listed at grade II. [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56938 Images of England: Baddington Lane Bridge No.88] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56939 Images of England: Burrows Bridge No.85] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56943 Images of England: Hack Green Bridge No.86] (accessed 4 April 2008)]

A short stretch of the River Weaver near Nantwich Lake runs through the northern tip of the parish, and Shrew Bridge (A530) lies on the parish boundary. Several small meres and ponds are scattered across the farmland. There are two small woods, Broomhall Gorse and Gorse Covert, which lie to the west of the canal, as well as other smaller areas of unnamed woodland.

The A530 (known successively as Whitchurch Road, Baddington Lane and Shrewbridge Road) runs through the parish from the south west to the north east. Coole Lane runs north–south, joining the A530 at the north of the parish; French Lane/French Lane End runs east–west. The Welsh Marches Railway runs immediately to the north west of the parish, being less than 50 metres beyond the boundary at the closest point. The Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk crosses the northern tip of the parish.

Demography

According to the 2001 census, the civil parish had a population of 98, in 38 households. [ [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=792555&c=Baddington&d=16&e=15&g=428085&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1207278438565&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 Neighbourhood Statistics: Baddington CP] (accessed 4 April 2008)] Historical population figures were 121 (1801), 155 (1851), 123 (1901) and 132 (1951).

Hack Green

During the Second World War, Hack Green was at first used as a decoy for Crewe railway junction. In 1941, an RAF camp was established there, with a fixed ground-controlled intercept radar station, one of a network of twenty-one across the country. After the war, the camp was converted into a partially underground bunker protecting a long-range radar installation, part of the ROTOR network. Between 1958 and 1966, Hack Green served as a joint civil and military air traffic control site. In 1976–84, the abandoned RAF site was converted into a nuclear bunker complex, which was the Home Defence regional headquarters for a large area of the North West until 1993. [http://www.hackgreen.co.uk/Hack_Green_History/hack_green_history.htm Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker: Bunker History] , [http://www.hackgreen.co.uk/Cold_War_Role/cold_war_role.htm Cold War Role] & [http://www.hackgreen.co.uk/BMEWS/bmews.htm B.M.E.W.S.] (accessed 4 April 2008)] [ [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/h/hack_green/index.html Subterranea Britannica: Hack Green R6 Rotor Station/RGHQ] (accessed 4 April 2008)]

The site, now known as "Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker" (gbmappingsmall|SJ645478), became a museum in 1998. In addition to the Hack Green installations, the museum houses Ballistic Missile Early Warning System equipment from RAF High Wycombe, as well as decommissioned nuclear weapons from various sites.

Other landmarks

Hack House on French Lane (gbmappingsmall|SJ643480) is a timber-framed farmhouse with brick infill, featuring small framing. Dating originally from the early 17th century, it is listed at grade II*. [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56940 Images of England: Hack House] (accessed 4 April 2008)] Also on French Lane is the grade-II-listed Hack House Farm House (gbmappingsmall|SJ649486), a roughcast brick farmhouse dating originally from the early 17th century. [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56941 Images of England: Hack House Farm House] (accessed 5 April 2008)] Baddington Bank Farm on Baddington Lane (gbmappingsmall|SJ639497) is an L-shaped red-brick farmhouse dating from the late 17th century, and is also listed at grade II. [ [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=56937 Images of England: Baddington Bank Farm] (accessed 5 April 2008)] Other landmarks within the civil parish include a dry moated site. [Latham, p. 22]

Education

There are no educational facilities within the civil parish. Baddington falls within the catchment areas of Sound and District Primary School in Sound and Brine Leas High School in Nantwich. [http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?e=364186&n=349241&mpp=5&layers=BOU.PLA.PLO.PAR.PSCA.SSCA&hLayer=&hField=&hValue= Cheshire County Council: Interactive Mapping: Baddington CP: Primary and secondary schools] (accessed 4 April 2008)]

References

ource

*Latham FA, ed. "Acton", p. 9, (The Local History Group; 1995) (ISBN 0 9522284 1 6)

External links

* [http://www.hackgreen.co.uk/index.htm Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker]