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= SJ635715

Hartford is a village and civil parish in 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 (3.5 km) south west of the town of Northwich. It forms part of the Vale 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
* Cuddington

Demographics

Population figures for Hartford are:

* 1801: 472
* 1851: 950
* 1901: 850
* 1951: 2919
* 2001: 5515

History

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 of Kinderton.

Hartford was once part of neighbouring Weaverham and is twinned with Mornant which is a canton of the Arrondissement 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 1833

Education

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 the River Weaver, is known as "Hartford Bridge" or "Blue Bridge" 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.

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" Hilditch, footballer
* Tim Lamb, cricketer
* Ann Todd, actress
* Gary Barlow,singer

External 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]