Great Warford

Infobox UK place
official_name= Great Warford
population= 710
os_grid_reference= SJ817770
latitude = 53.289
longitude = -2.275
post_town= STOCKPORT
postcode_area= SK
postcode_district= SK9
dial_code= 01565
constituency_westminster= Tatton
civil_parish= Great Warford
shire_district= Macclesfield
shire_county= Cheshire
region = North West England
country = England
website=

Great Warford (pronEng|grɪtˈwɔrfəd) is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England.

A farming settlement that has existed for existed for about a thousand years, it is now an important landmark in the world of private healthcare and property development.

The population today is 710. [http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2678E545-381C-4617-B617-133ED959040B/0/PopE22.pdf Cheshire Current Facts & Figures] ] There is no real municipal centre dominating the village in terms of population density and importance. Great Warford does not have much access to national transport networks, with no railway or bus station.

It has proximity with Manchester Airport and a successful local golf club and an assortment of local footpaths provide the only remarkable tourist attractions.

Defining Great Warford

Great Warford can be defined as the area presided over by Great Warford Parish Council. A slightly larger population can be estimated by inclusion of farmland (former or current) occupying space between the boundaries of Great Warford and neighbouring Chelford, Chorley, Marthall, Mobberley and Nether Alderley. Area beyond this is assigned to other practicing parish councils. The core area could be said to be the area encompassing the Stag’s Head public house, Warford Crescent and Warford Hall. Within Warford, Dean Green, Gatley Green, Monks Heath and Soss Moss all have status as hamlets and the separate village of Little Warford is joined by a border on Mill Lane.

The entirety of Great Warford is covered by the SK9 postal area. The local telephone area code is 01565 which it has in common with Knutsford but not nearby Alderley Edge. Welcome signs on all inroads define the ‘Great Warford area’. It is part of the electoral district of Tatton.

The built-up area of Great Warford has not expanded much in the last 200 years. This is due to its origins as a farming settlement and the ‘greenbelt’ status of the general location. The area is policed by the Cheshire Police Authority. Unlike neighbouring Little Warford, Great Warford lacks a defining village hall. This has led to contention of Great Warford’s official status as a village. However, this has led to no official review to date.

Perhaps the site with most historical interest is Great Warford Baptist Chapel on Merrimans Lane. It is the closest thing the village has to a central focal point. A visit to holy communion on Easter Sunday for local residents, whatever their faith is something of a tradition.

Geography and climate

Topography and Climate

Great Warford covers an area of 1181 acres making it a medium-sized village. Its primary geographical feature is Mobberley Brook, an unnavigable stream which crosses the outskirts of the village from the west to the east. The valley that it runs through is a floodplain surrounded by gently undulating farmland such as Springfield and Pownall House Farm. These farms and others like them present the origins of Great Warford as an agricultural settlement, and therefore Great Warford is of irregular shape.

Mobberley Brook is a tributary of the River Bollin with a slow, placid current like its parent. After flowing east through Chorley, it becomes the Whitehall Brook. The slow current of the brook abates the threat of flooding which would otherwise be a concern on such flat land.

Districts

Great Warford contains 4 separate hamlets:

*Dean Green: in the east of the village, this grew around Dean Green Farm on Nursery Lane, close to the railway track.
*Gateley Green: Formerly Gatley Green, this also grew around Gatley Green Farm east of the A535.
*Soss Moss: Lies to the south and is now the area containing the main unit of Mary Dendy Hospital. Contains a large woodland.
*Monks Heath: An area developed around the crossroad intersection of the A537 and the A34.

Built Environment

Much of the local housing is Victorian in design. Council houses built during the early 20th century were occupied by local health workers from the 1950s onward and are now owned privately as semi-detached property. A new housing estate at Buttermere Drive now occupies the site were the hospitals administrative centre once stood. Other buildings of note include:

*‘Warford Hall’ – An old hall with a spire recently purchased by ex-footballer Ashley Ward. Like many local buildings, it is the ex-property of Mary Dendy Hospital.
*‘Great Warford Baptist Chapel’ was reputed to have been founded in 1640 by Parliamentary soldiers. [ [Cheshire, 1660-1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution By John Howard Hodson Published 1978 [Eng.] Cheshire Community Council Publications Trust] ]
*‘Heathgate Farmhouse’ A large, striking, white detached building which has a showjumping course on it land.

Parks and Gardens

Warford Green (lying next to Warford Crescent) is a large stomach-shaped green populated by several large trees. The local residents used to hold an annual bonfire and fireworks party here every Guy Fawkes Night. The bonfire would be built during the preceding months relying entirely on contributions from the locals. This practice was halted by the Parish Council in the early 1990’s due to health and safety concerns regarding its proximity to Merrimans Lane and its unregulated nature in general.

The course at Wilmslow Golf Club (situated in Great Warford despite its name) doubles as a recreational park and woodland area, it being traversed by several public footpaths.

History

Early Great Warford

Great Warford is mentioned in the Domesday Book under its contemporary name of ‘Warforde’. Its entry dates from 1086 and contains a list of local families and landowners (including Ralph the Huntsman).

Role in Norman and Medieval Cheshire

The village did not expand much in the Medieval and Norman periods due to its boundaries being defined agriculturally. Little Warford, Marthall, Nether Alderley, Chelford, Mobberley and Chorley (as Alderley Edge was then known) all had their own land which meant that expansion beyond the existing borders was impossible.

Rise of Modern Great Warford

Great Warford’s contribution to agriculture continued through the 20th Century to the modern day. However, for the last 60 years, other industries such as leisure and healthcare have begun to dominate Great Warford’s identity.

Government

Local government

The village is presided over by Great Warford Parish Council. The Parish is nearly the lowest level of local government formed at a time when there was little difference, to the local people, between the Church and the State. A parish like Great Warford usually formed around a village or other small community and used to be centred around the Parish Church. Today Church and State have separated but the same area is now represented as a local authority by the Great Warford Parish Council and the Church of England by the Parochial Church Council.The Parish Councils have few major rights and/or obligations and are responsible to the higher authorities above them. They do however manage local amenities and have a watching brief on local issues and their opinion is noted by those higher authorities in matters concerning them such as local planning issues. The Parish of Great Warford and its council is responsible to the council of the Borough of Macclesfield and that of the County of Cheshire in which it is located. [ [http://www.british-towns.net/en/level_4_display.asp?GetL3=4808 Map of Great Warford.] Retrieval Date: 10 July 2007.]

National government

Great Warford is part of the Parliamentary Constituency of Tatton. The incumbent representative is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbourne.

* Electoral districts: North Cheshire (1832-67); East Cheshire (1868-85); Knutsford (1885-1948); Macclesfield (1949-74)

Economy

The villages main contributions to local industry come in agriculture (several working farms still operate in the area), leisure (Wilmslow Golf Club), food (the eateries at the Stags Head and Frozen Mop public houses) and mental healthcare in both the public (Mary Dendy Hospital) and private (David Lewis Centre) sectors.

Demographics

In the context of National Statistics, Great Warford belongs to the ward of Chelford. The 2001 Census portrayed the population to be [ [http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/censusprofiles/Chelford%20Ward%20Profile.doc 2001 Census date.] Retrieval Date: 10 July, 2007.] :
*Males 49%
*Females 51%
*Age 0-15 19%
*Age 16-17 2%
*Age 18-24 4%
*Age 25-59 46%
*Age 60-64 7%
*Age 65-74 12%
*Age 75+ 11%

Ethnicity

The 2001 Census showed the racial breakdown to be 98% white. Of the remaining 2%, the dominant ethnic background was Asian or Asian British.

Foreign born

The increase of migrant workers from Eastern Europe after entry to the EU has had a significant impact on nearby Alderley Edge and Wilmslow, with many foreign nationals now living and working there. However, this is not true of Warford, presumably because of the lack of a railway station, the unlikelihood of an immigrant worker owning a car and the lack of local job vacancies. As a result, the population of the village is still almost exclusively British.

Religion

The 2001 census showed:
*Christian 84%
*Other major religions 2%
*Other religion 0%
*No Religion 10%
*Religion not stated 4%

Transport

Rail

There is no national railway station in Warford, the population being serviced by the stations at Alderley Edge and Chelford. The stretch of line between these two stations runs under a road bridge and past the fields at Dean Green and this excellent vantage point has been used constantly by trainspotters and railway enthusiasts to photograph trains, particularly during special runs.

Bus

The days when a regular bus to and from Alderley Edge ran from the bus stop at Warford Crescent are no longer. Now, the only bus route that passes through Great Warford is the 288 service running from Knutsford to Altrincham and back, via Wilmslow.

Air

The village has good access to Manchester Airport, but is situated just out of the main flight path.

Road

Access to the main national road network is provided by the A535 which runs between Alderley Edge and Holmes Chapel. The B5085 also provides direct access to Knutsford as well as a direct route to Wilmslow bypassing Alderley Edge.

Education

Great Warford is in the catchment area for many schools both primary and secondary, including but not limited to:

*Brooke Dean Community School
*The Wilmslow Prep School
*Oakenclough Primary School
*Alderley Edge Community Primary School
*Pownall Hall School
*Wilmslow Grange Community Primary School
*Lacey Green Primary School
*Wilmslow High School
*Dean Row Community Junior School
*Fulshaw C of E Primary School
*Ashdene Primary School
*Alderley Edge School for Girls
*Styal Primary School
*St. Benedicts R.C School
*Lindow Community Primary School
*The Ryleys School
*Oaklands Community Infants School
*Gorsey Bank Primary School

ociety and culture

Leisure and entertainment

Great Warford contains two pubs: The Stags Head on Mill Lane and The Frozen Mop on Faulkners Lane both of them functioning as reputable eateries. Wilmslow Golf Club has already been mentioned in this article. There is also an outdoor football pitch on Mill Lane which was once used by Mary Dendy Football Team, a team originally made up of staff from the hospital which continues to play today although now open to all.

Literature and Film

Cheshire County Council published ‘The Baptist Chapel, Great Warford’, a guide to the aforementioned chapel in 1989. The author David Wright alluded to Great Warford’s history of healthcare in his 1996 publication From Idiocy to Mental Deficiency: Historical Perspectives on People with Learning Disabilities, published by Routledge.

An episode of the television series Who Do You Think You Are? which follows celebrities attempts to trace back their family history centred on David Dickinson and revealed how his Turkish grandfather Hrant Gulessarian lived the life of an English country gentleman with his wife Marie-Adelaide, the daughter of a Moss Side baker, in Great Warford just 20 minutes' drive from David's present-day home. [ [http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/224/224639_return_to_his_roots_brought_david_to_tears.html Report on TV Program about David Dickinson's ancestors.] Retrieval Date: 10 July, 2007.]

Music

Classical & World Music

In late 2006, a local pre-school began to include African influences in its art and music lessons. In particular they added a new dimension to their music sessions by exploring an assortment of African musical instruments which they borrowed from Chelford School [ [http://www.ollertonwithmarthall.org.uk/WebPPost2007Feb.pdf "Parish Post, Parish Journal of Ollerton with Marthall and Little Warford." February 2007.] Retrieval Date: 10 July, 2007.]

Opera

Access to open air theatre season, including Shakespearean classics and light opera, comedy, jazz, and drama is provided by nearby Gawsworth Hall.

Ballet

Wilton Crescent in nearby Alderley Edge is home to the Sue Morris School of Ballet.

Rock/Pop music

The session guitarist Anil Armitt was born and raised in Great Warford and lives locally to this day.

port

Wilmslow Golf Club is located just inside Great Warford to the north. Also, the local football team Mary Dendy Hospital Football Team originally formed by staff from the local hospital continues to compete in the regional leagues to this day using Mill Lane for their home fixtures.

ee also

*Chelford
*Marthall
*Alderley Edge
*Mary Dendy Hospital
*Soss Moss
*Dean Green
*Gatley Green
*Monk's Heath

Notes