Mere, Cheshire

Mere is a civil parish and linear village along the A556 road in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, North West England, about 7 km (4.3 mi) south-west of Altrincham. Bucklow Hill is at its northeast end, and the Mere crossroads is at the far end. The village of Mere is about a mile long and has a varied stock of housing. Some houses are large and have ample gardens leading down to the lake; these are along the inner sides of a triangle formed by the A556, A50 and A5034 roads. Inside the triangle is a lake after which Mere was named, and the golf and country club.^[1]

Geography

The village of Mere has two hotels (The Swan, and Mere Court Hotel), a filling station (Orchard Service Station), and two car dealers (Bucklow Hill Garage and Parkside Cars). At Hoo Green (about a kilometre west of Mere) is a hotel called The Kilton, and a post office which also functions as a newsagent and grocer. Knutsford and Altrincham are the nearest towns where a broader range of shops can be found. The Parish Club has facilities for bowling, cricket and snooker.

Transport

Motor traffic is however a considerable problem here: on the A556, one of Europe's busiest highways, about 60,000 cars travel through Mere each day. The residents have long petitioned for a bypass and in December of 2008, the Government agreed to build one. This is due for completion by 2015. There are two alternative planned routes, both western bypasses on the A556:

1. Bypassing the Mere junction.
2. Bypassing the whole of Mere and Bucklow Hill (preferred route).^[2]

Travel around the village has been made more complicated in recent years by the erection of "no right turn" signs at the Mere crossroads and on Bucklowhill Lane. This restriction will be removed when the bypass is completed.

Notable buildings

There are two halls in Mere: Mere Old Hall dates from the Regency period and has some decorative features in that style. Mere New Hall was built in 1834 and the architect used the style of the Elizabethan period. It is a brick-built mansion consisting of a medium-sized central block and a long L-shaped wing on one side. The central portion is symmetrical at the rear and has a porte-cochère at the front. The interiors are also in the Elizabethan style.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Mere Golf and Country Club". Mere Golf and Country Club. http://www.meregolf.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2010. 
2. ^ "A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Environmental Improvement – Publications". Highways Agency. http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/14911.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-04. 
3. ^ Pevsner, N. & Hubbard, E. (1971) Cheshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; p. 279

External links

• Map sources for Mere, Cheshire

Coordinates: 53°20′23″N 2°24′25″W / 53.33961°N 2.40696°W / 53.33961; -2.40696