Outlying Areas: Frodsham to Ellesmere Port

	St. Lawrence's Church, Frodsham There was a church on this site at the time of the Domesday Book, though the earliest parts of the present church, constructed from beautiful local sandstone, date from about 1180. The tower is 14th century, at which time the chancel was also lengthened; further building work was done in the 16th century and after. There are some Saxon and Norman carved stones inside the tower and the nave is said to be one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Cheshire.
Frodsham in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The Town is situated on an eminence on the bank of the river Weaver, near its confluence with the Mersey, and consists of a broad street, a mile in length, extending along the road from Chester to Warrington, and another branching from it and leading to the church. At the east end is a stone bridge of four arches over the Weaver, which is navigable here; and at the west end stood a Norman castle. [...] The church stands on elevated ground, in the village of Overton, is built of red freestone, and appears to be of high antiquity, the nave displaying traces of Norman architecture.
	St. Lawrence's Church, Frodsham
	The Ring O'Bells, Frodsham This lovely old pub, originally a farmhouse, dates from the 17th century or possibly even earlier.
	Woodhouse Hill, near Frodsham Woodhouse Hill, seen here from Helsby Hill, is traversed by an early section of the Sandstone Trail, a long distance path from Frodsham to Whitchurch through the beautiful mid-Cheshire countryside.
	Jacob's Ladder on the Sandstone Trail An entertaining scramble, for those accustomed to this kind of thing, on the Sandstone Trail near Frodsham.
	Helsby Crags Flat-topped Helsby Hill is the location of the most impressive of the sandstone crags in the Merseyside area. Traces of Stone Age and Iron Age settlements have been found in the area (including an Iron Age hill-fort called Woodhouses near the summit). The first identifiable settlers were the Vikings in the 10th century, the name being of Viking origin and meaning 'village on the edge' (of the Mersey estuary, presumably). The Domesday book lists the Normanised name Hellesbe. The hill is 427 feet (130 m) high and supported quarrying from the early 19th Century up to the 1920s, the stone being used for many buildings in Liverpool and Birkenhead. The crags are popular with rock climbers and offer everything from easy scrambles up to serious challenges.
	The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Alvanley This Grade II listed church is built of sandstone in 14th century style and was completed in 1861. There was a tradition that newly-weds leaving the church were detained by a rope held across the church gate until an agreement had been reached to buy drinks at the White Lion opposite. Alvanley is situated on the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge high above the Cheshire Gap with superb views across the plain to Wales. This small rural village has some beautifully restored thatched sandstone cottages and handsome Georgian farmhouses.
	Helsby Hill from Hapsford The vertical cliffs of the prominent sandstone outcrop of Helsby Hill are well seen from the tiny hamlet of Hapsford.
	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.
	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. The name Plemstall or Plegmundstall ('the habitation of Plegmund'), derives from an 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. The original church was 12th century, but the present sandstone building is mainly 15th century. The tower was added in 1826. 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. 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.
	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
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.