- Hartford, Cheshire
infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Hartford
map_type= Cheshire
latitude= 53.2450
longitude= -2.5490
population = 5,515 (2001)
country= England
region= North West England
shire_county =Cheshire
shire_district=Vale Royal
constituency_westminster= Weaver Vale
post_town= Northwich
postcode_district = CW8
postcode_area= CW
dial_code= 01606
os_grid_reference= SJ635715Hartford is a village and
civil parish inCheshire ,England . It lies at the intersection of theA559 road and theWest Coast Mainline (betweenLiverpool andCrewe ) and is less than 2 miles (3.5 km) south west of the town ofNorthwich . It forms part of theVale Royal district council and the Weaver Vale parliamentary constituency.Geography
Hartford is situated in the Cheshire Plain to the south west of the town on Northwich. Hartford is surrounded by the following civil parishes within the Vale Royal borough, starting due north and proceeding in a clockwise direction:
*
Weaverham
*Northwich
*Davenham
*Winsford
* CuddingtonDemographics
Population figures for Hartford are:
* 1801: 472
* 1851: 950
* 1901: 850
* 1951: 2919
* 2001: 5515History
Hartford can be traced back to the
Domesday Book of 1086, when the Manor was held by Gilbert de Venables as part of the Barony ofKinderton .Hartford was once part of neighbouring
Weaverham and is twinned withMornant which is a canton of theArrondissement of Lyon ,France .Landmarks
Churches
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. The nearest church at that time was Witton, 2 miles away. Building started in 1822 and the church and churchyard were consecrated by the
Bishop of Chester in 1824 as a chapel to the church at Witton. The building cost about £1,450.Population growth in Hartford over the next 40 years meant that this church was soon too small and so in 1873 a new church 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 6 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. The current building dates from 1891, but an original building was constructed in 1833Education
Hartford is home to several schools namely
St. Nicholas Catholic High School ,Hartford High School , Hartford County Primary School (locally known as "Riddings Lane"), St. Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School and Hartford Manor. 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 .hops
Hartford has two shopping parades, the larger on Chester Road. This includes the Red Lion pub and nail studio, newsagents, bakery, video store and green grocers.
Transport
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 theRiver Weaver , is known as "Hartford Bridge" or "Blue Bridge" was built in 1938.Hartford is served by
Hartford railway station on theWest Coast Mainline between Liverpool and Crewe and byGreenbank railway station on theMid-Cheshire Line between Chester and Manchester Piccadilly.Economics
Hartford contains the registered office of
Holidaybreak Plc . Until recently it was also a key location forAMEC plc , with offices at Sandiway House off Littledales Lane. The site (Sandiway House) is now up for sale.Famous people
* Clarence "Lal" Hilditch, footballer
*Tim Lamb , cricketer
*Ann Todd , actress
*Gary Barlow ,singerExternal links
* [http://www.stjohnshartford.org/ St. John's Church]
* [http://www.hartfordparishcouncil.org.uk/ Hartford Parish Council]
* [http://www.acny.org.uk/parishmap.php?pcode=9/120 Hartford Parish Boundary]
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