Holmeswood

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Holmeswood
Holmeswood Methodist church and school.JPG
Holmeswood Methodist church and school
Location map United Kingdom Borough of West Lancashire.svg
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Holmeswood
Location in West Lancashire
Lancashire UK location map.svg
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Holmeswood
Location within Lancashire
OS grid reference SD430167
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Ormskirk
Postcode district L40
Dialling code 01704
Police Lancashire
Fire Lancashire
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Lancashire
53°38′38″N2°51′40″W / 53.644°N 2.861°W / 53.644; -2.861 Coordinates: 53°38′38″N2°51′40″W / 53.644°N 2.861°W / 53.644; -2.861

Holmeswood is a small agricultural village in West Lancashire, in the north-west of England. It lies just north of the Martin Mere Wetland Centre and to the south of North Meols about six miles east of the Irish Sea coast at Southport.

Contents

The village's position on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain lends it very fertile soil; unsurprisingly, agriculture (primarily of vegetables, though also some grain) is the economic mainstay of the village. Some smaller-scale pastoral farming is also seen, too.

In contrast to the more northerly villages around Banks, Holmeswood has remained largely undeveloped, although it is conveniently placed for commuting to the nearby towns of Southport, Preston, Burscough and Ormskirk. For local matters, the village falls under Rufford Parish Council.

The village lies almost wholly on the B5246, which runs from Mere Brow to Rufford.

As befits an agricultural village of its size, Holmeswood has a small village hall (now home to the village nursery school), Methodist primary school and a bowling and tennis club.

Geography

Architecture

Holmeswood Hall stands among the dark woods between the villages of Mere Brow and Holmeswood. Thomas Hesketh, son of Nicholas Hesketh, was born at Holmeswood Hall in 1406. [1] The present Holmeswood Hall was built in 1568 which is the date given on the 1847 Ordnance Survey map at Lancashire Records Office. [2] This makes the building a grade II listed building. [3] The Hesketh family being the owners of Rufford Old Hall, re-built the present hall as a hunting lodge. The rise or 'brow' in approaching the hall is the ancient bank of Martin Mere. It can be seen today as a wood between Mere Brow and the hall itself the road is the ridge of the bank. [1]

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Banks, Lancashire Human settlement in England

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Mere Brow Human settlement in England

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Holmes, Lancashire Human settlement in England

Holmes is a hamlet in West Lancashire, England. It is adjacent to the larger village of Mere Brow, which is between the much larger villages of Banks to the west and Tarleton to the east. It is directly situated on the A565 road, which gives the village good links with Preston, Southport and Liverpool. Historically, the village was an agricultural settlement, due to the excellent soil, and farming is still important.

Hundred End Human settlement in England

Hundred End is a coastal hamlet in West Lancashire, England. It is 2 miles east of the larger village of Banks and 2 miles west of the larger village of Hesketh Bank.

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Hilldale, Lancashire Human settlement in England

Hilldale is civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, containing the village of Hill Dale and the neighbouring hamlet of Andertons Mill. Formerly part of Wrightington, Hilldale became a separate civil parish in 1999. As of 2011, Hilldale has a population of 581.

Mere Sands Wood

Mere Sands Wood is a 105 acres (42 ha) nature reserve between the villages of Holmeswood and Rufford in west Lancashire, England, managed by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester & North Merseyside. It lies about five miles from Ormskirk. The name derives from when the area was on the shore of Martin Mere.

References

  1. 1 2 "Untitled Document".
  2. Ordnance Survey Map, published 27 December 1847, Captain Tucker and Captain Stanley.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)