Outlying Areas: Tarvin to Ince

	High Street, Tarvin Tarvin is an ancient village, mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086), though most of the present buildings are post-1752, the year of a disastrous fire. The village centre is undoubtedly very pretty though.
	St. Andrew's Church, Tarvin There was a church on this site in the 12th century, which was rebuilt in the 14th century; the south wall and south arcade survive from this time. Most of the remaining building, including the tower, is 15th century, with further restorations taking place in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are reminders of the Civil War in musket and cannon ball marks to the side of the tower. The approach from Church Street is very attractive, with 18th century gatepiers and an avenue of lime trees, and the churchyard is interesting and atmospheric.
	St. Andrew's Churchyard, Tarvin
	St. Andrew's Church Interior, Tarvin One of the most striking features of the beautiful interior of St. Andrew's Church is the 1650 Gothic hammerbeam roof of the nave. The south arcade and south aisle roof are 14th century and the Bruen Chapel, south of the chancel, has windows of this period.
	The Old Grammar School, Tarvin The Old Grammar School was founded by a London merchant in the early 17th century.
	Church Cottages and Church House, Tarvin
	The Red Lion and Georgian Town Houses, Tarvin These fine Georgian town houses, known as The Flaggs and Hamilton House were built in 1756 to replace buildings destroyed by the fire of 1752. The Red Lion pub dates from the same period.
	The George and Dragon, Tarvin The George and Dragon pub dates from the period immediately following the fire of 1752.
	Hockenhull Hall, near Tarvin The large square planned Hall dates from the late 17th century, but was remodelled in the early 18th century, the two main façades being ca. 1720.
	Hockenhull Lane, near Tarvin
	Platts Lane, near Tarvin Platts Lane is part of the ancient London to Holyhead road that had been in use for centuries when it was superceded by the Chester to Nantwich turnpike (toll) road in 1743. It is part of a surviving section that runs from Christleton to Duddon. Its great age is attested by the variety of trees forming the hedges. It was a narrow packhorse route, in places elevated above the surrounding marshy ground by a sandstone causeway (still discernible in places).
	View from Platts Lane, near Tarvin
	The Eastern and Central Packhorse Bridges, Hockenhull Platts The three narrow packhorse bridges of Hockenhull Platts, connected by causeways, date from the late 18th century, although there were bridges here in the 14th century; Edward the Black Prince passed through in 1353 and ordered repair work. The name Hockenhull is possibly of Welsh origin, hull coming from heol or paved way. This area was near the Welsh border in Anglo-Saxon times, which attests the antiquity of the route. The River Gowy was once known as the River Tarvin from the Welsh terfyn or boundary and, of course, the village of that name is nearby. Platts is Old English for bridges.
	The Central Packhorse Bridge, Hockenhull Platts The central bridge crosses the River Gowy, which was lowered when the marshes were drained.
	The Western Packhorse Bridge, Hockenhull Platts The packhorse bridges are part of Hockenhull Platts Nature Reserve, consisting of a water meadow, a poplar plantation, this pond and reed beds. The area, covering 11 acres (5 ha) is rich in plant and animal life.
	Stamford Mill, Stamford Bridge Stamford Mill on the River Gowy is first recorded in a document of 1188. The mill wheel and its associated machinery were removed around 1900 when the building was converted into a house, but the remains are still visible, as is the mill pond.
	Stamford Mill Pond, Stamford Bridge
	The Stamford Bridge Inn, Stamford Bridge This welcoming pub was established on the old Chester to Nantwich turnpike road (and the even older Roman Watling Street) next to a bridge over the River Gowy and presumably dates from that time (the latter 18th century). The bridge is now gone, but the remains can be seen from the new bridge on the main road (A51). The name Stamford comes from the Old English for stoney ford. The interior of the pub has been modernised.
	Watling Street, near Stamford Bridge The Roman road Watling Street once spanned a large part of Britain via its several branches. This branch near Tarvin lead from Chester to Northwich and on to York and Scotland. All that remains here is a pleasant rural footpath.
	Great Barrow from Watling Street A distant view of Great Barrow on its ridge with St. Bartholomew's Church.
	Great Barrow It is easy to miss the ancient centre of Great Barrow around St. Bartholomew's Church when driving through on the main road (B5132). The area has a real sense of times long past with its old buildings and lanes sunk deep into the sandstone bedrock.
	St. Bartholomew's Church, Great Barrow There was a church here at Great Barrow in the 12th century. The present tower dates from 1744 and the chancel, the oldest part, from 1671. Much of the remainder is more recent remodelling, since by the 18th century many parts were in a poor condition. The nave and aisle were rebuilt in a matching late Perpendicular style in 1883.
	St. Peter's Church, Plemstall There are records of a church here as far back as the 7th century, when the Mersey used to flood the surrounding land and the locality (barely elevated) was known as the Isle of Chester. A legend, perhaps of the 5th or 6th century, tells of a shipwrecked fisherman who, on finding refuge here, built a church as an act of thanksgiving, dedicating it to St Peter the fisherman. Although the surrounding land has been drained, the church still stands in an amazingly isolated location. According to tradition, an Irish fisherman was shipwrecked here in the 7th century and built a church on the spot. The name Plemstall or Plegmundstall ('the fenny island of Plegmund'), derives from the eponymous 9th century scholar who took refuge from the Danes as a hermit on the Isle of Chester. He became tutor to King Alfred and assisted him in the consolidation of his kingdom; he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 890 and is buried in Canterbury Cathedral. There are remains of a 12th century church, but the present sandstone building is mainly 15th century. The tower was added in 1826, replacing a wodden belfry. Most of the original glass has gone, but there are fragments from the 14th century. In a display case in the north aisle are a Breeches Bible of 1608, a King James Bible of 1611, a folio edition of the bible printed by Edward Whitchurche in 1549, a black letter bible of 1549 and a King James Bible of 1623.
	St. Peter's Church, Plemstall
	14th Century Tomb, St. Peter's Church, Plemstall This strikingly macabre 14th century tomb of the Hurleston family is located at the rear of St. Peter's church.
	St. Peter's Church, Plemstall, from the Gowy Marshes
	St. Plegmund's Well, Plemstall St. Plegmund's Well, near the church in Plemstall, was named after the local 9th scholar (see the article on St. Peter's church). It is one of two holy wells in West Cheshire, its first recorded mention dating from 1301. A faint inscription of 1907 on the stonework (which I couldn't discern) apparently reads: Here as in days when Alfred erst was king, baptismal water flows from Plegmund's spring. It is thought to have been used for baptisms up to the turn of the 20th century.
	St. Plegmund's Well, Plemstall
	Little Barrow The tiny hamlet of Little Barrow sits on the end of a low sandstone ridge above the Gowy Marshes. The few buildings cluster around the Foxcote Manor pub (unfortunately closed down when last visited). Originally The Railway, it has been a pub since about 1850, though the buildings are older dwellings. The Foxcote Manor was originally a steam locomotive that served the nearby line and station.
	Tarvin and Barrow Station, Little Barrow This station on the Cheshire Lines Committee railway to Chester first opened in 1874. It was marked as Tarvin and Barrow Station on the map of that time, which also shows the quarry over the road from where the stone used to construct St. Peter's church in Plemstall was obtained (the stonemason was a notorious local drunk, who presumably frequented the pub up the road). The station was once busy with shipments of milk from the local pastures and in the years leading up to the First World War was a destination for holidaymakers from the industrial towns to the north-east. It was closed to passengers in 1953 and is now derelict, although the railway line remains in use.
	Barrow Lodge, Little Barrow
	Sunken Lane at Little Barrow This ancient sunken lane drops down steeply from the centre of Little Barrow, carving its way deeply through the sandstone bedrock.
	Ferma Lane near Little Barrow Ferma Lane is an ancient way that contours along the eastern edge of the Gowy Marshes from Little Barrow to Great Barrow. The name comes from the Old English for fen. It is now a rough track winding among high hedges of oak, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, ash and elder. The diversity of tree types indicates great antiquity, at least 500 years.
	The Gowy Marshes from near Little Barrow The lower reaches of the River Gowy were once a vast, water-logged marshland bordering a bay on the southern edge of the Mersey. The area then cut northern Cheshire in half and was largely impassable. The original settlements around here, such as Plemstall, Little Barrow, Dunham-on-the-Hill, Ince and Thornton-le-Moors, all grew up on the few isolated sandstone outcrops available. It is thought that the first attempts to drain and dyke the marshes took place in the latter Middle Ages. The area is rich in wild life, whether of the water, land or air.
	Moel Fammau from near Little Barrow
	The River Gowy The tranquil River Gowy arises in Cheshire's Peckforton Hills only 280 ft (90 m) above sea level and follows a 20 mile (32 km) course to the River Mersey adjacent to the remains of the ancient Stanlow Abbey. The mouth of the river was much modified following the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1888-94 and Stanlow Oil Refinery, beginning in 1922.
	The River Gowy and Little Barrow
	St. Lawrence's Church, Stoak The little village of Stoak is these days entirely encircled by motorways and the Shropshire Union Canal. A Saxon chapel was originally on the site and fragments of architecture still present in the 19th century showed that a new church must have been built soon after the Norman conquest. Sources from the 14th century speak of 'a sumptuous fabric of stone and wood, of great size, with four bells, [...] then becoming ruinous'. The present church of St. Lawrence dates the rebuilding of 1827, though the north wall and the Tudor hammerbeam roof of the nave were left largely intact.
Stoak in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The church, which is the burial-place of the Bunbury family, has a Norman doorway, some ancient wooden screen-work, and a small chapel attached to the south side of the chancel; it was partially rebuilt in the year 1827.
	St. Lawrence's Church, Stoak
	The Bunbury Arms, Stoak
Great Stanney in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) This liberty, which belonged to the adjacent abbey of Stanlow, comprises 947 acres of excellent arable and meadow land, in which is found marl of very good quality, composed of alluvial matter: large trees have been dug up in the meadows. The ancient mansion here of the family of Bunbury, called Rake Hall [now a pub], has been repaired by its present owner, Sir Henry Bunbury.
	St. Mary's Church, Thornton-le-Moors A chapel was present on the site of St. Mary's in Saxon times and is recorded in the Domesday Book. The nave, chancel, south aisle and south door of the present sandstone church (formerly dedicated to St Helen) date from the 14th century and the chancel retains its medieval hammerbeam roof. A chapel (the Elton Chapel) was added in the 16th century. The tower also dates from this time, but was damaged by fire in 1909 and rebuilt in 1910. A south porch was added in the late 17th century and a full restoration was carried out in 1878. Inside, the altar rails and altar table are dated 1694 and here are two 17th century fonts and a mediaeval piscina.
Thornton-le-Moors in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The parish is situated on the banks of the river Mersey [...]. The surface is in general flat; the soil partakes of the nature of peat, and on the rising grounds is either marl or a strong clay. There is a packet daily by the river; and the Ellesmere and Chester canal, which passes about a mile from the western boundary of the parish, also affords facilities of conveyance. [...] The church contains portions of several styles, with a handsome tower.
	Ancient and Modern at Thornton-le-Moors The vast Stanlow refinery forms a surreal backdrop to St. Mary's church.
	The Church of St. James the Great, Ince Ince is an ancient settlement that, although hemmed in by industrial sites, retains the appropriate charm and atmosphere. The approach down a leafy lane sets the scene. The name comes from the Welsh 'Ynys' or island as it was once the only habitable site in the surrounding marshland. The Church of St. James the Great is built on the site of a Norman chapel, no trace of which remains. The present church dates from the middle ages (there are 14th and 15th century windows in the chancel), though the tower and part of the chancel are all that remain of this; the remainder dates from a major rebuilding in 1854. The area is rich in ecclesiastical associations, the remains of the historic Cistercian abbey of Stanlow, founded in 1178, being nearby at Stanlow Point. It must have been a lonely spot then, but is hardly less isolated now, being inaccessible to the public situated as it is between the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey.
Ince in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) This place was distinguished for a monastic institution that belonged to the abbots of St. Werburgh's, Chester. The dormitory, refectory, and chapel still remain; the two former have been converted into a farmhouse, and the chapel into a barn, an object of great beauty, the eastern side being thickly covered with ivy. The walls are about six feet in thickness, with eight large bay windows, now bricked up; and the monastery was surrounded by a moat, still traceable by parts of its outer walls. The parish comprises by measurement 1500 acres, and is bounded on the north by the river Mersey, where a pier has been constructed, at the distance of half a mile from the village. The central portion is rising ground, and each extremity consists of marsh land protected by an embankment from the tides of the Mersey, which flow up two small brooks forming the eastern and western boundaries of the parish. [...] The church, situated on the highest point of a rock, has some traces in the Norman style, but the greater part of the building is of later date.
	The Manchester Ship Canal at Ince A delightfully rural stretch of the canal.