Hartford, Cheshire
| Hartford | |
| Cheshire | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ635715 |
| Location: | 53°14’42"N, 2°32’56"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,515 (2001) |
| Post town: | Northwich |
| Postcode: | CW8 |
| Dialling code: | 01606 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cheshire West & Chester |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Weaver Vale |
Hartford is a village in Cheshire, standing in the Cheshire Plain less than 2 miles southwest of the town of Northwich. It is within the Eddisbury Hundred.
The village is found at the intersection of the A559 road and also on the West Coast Mainline between Liverpool and Crewe. Nearby are sweetly-named the villages of Weaverham, Davenham, Winsford and Cuddington.
Hartford has two shopping parades, on Chester Road and on School Lane.
History
Hartford was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, when the Manor was held by Gilbert de Venables as part of the Barony of Kinderton. Until the reign of Edward III it was held by a family who assumed the local name of Hartford, from which it passed to the Horton, Massey, Holcroft, Marbury and Davies families[1]
Hartford was formerly a township divided between two ancient parishes, with the greater part belonging to the Witton chapelry of the parish of Great Budworth, while a much smaller part belonged to the parish of Weaverham cum Milton.[2]
Churches
The parish church is St John the Baptist.
The village had no church of its own until the early nineteenth century, for most of the township was served by the Witton Chapel, 2 miles away, and a small area south of Chester Road formed a detached part of Weaverham parish.[3] In 1821 a meeting of the inhabitants of resolved to raise sufficient funds for the building of a church for Hartford. Building began the next year and the new church and churchyard were consecrated by the Bishop of Chester in 1824 as a chapel to Witton. The building cost about £1,450.
Population growth in Hartford over the next forty years meant that this church was soon too small and so in 1873 a new building 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 six bells was installed to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee.
Hartford also has a Methodist church, situated on Beech Road. The current building dates from 1891, replacing an earlier building nearby which was constructed in 1833 and is now used as the Methodist Church Hall.
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, and 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.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Hartford, Cheshire) |
References
- ↑ Kelly's Directory of Cheshire (1939), p. 189
- ↑ Youngs (1991, pp. 20,40)
- ↑ Ordnance Survey (1875). Cheshire Sheet XXXIV (SW), 1st edition
