Shocklach Oviatt | |
---|---|
River Dee Meandering below Dogkennel Farm, Shocklach | |
Location within Cheshire | |
OS grid reference | SJ441488 |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MALPAS |
Postcode district | SY14 |
Dialling code | 01244 |
Police | Cheshire |
Fire | Cheshire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Shocklach Oviatt is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish of Shocklach comprised the townships Shocklach Oviatt, Church Shocklach and Caldecott. [1] The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Shocklach Oviatt and District. [2]
Shocklach Oviatt is located approximately 16 kilometres from the border between Wales and England. Set beside the tributary of the River Dee between Wrexham (16 kilometres away) and Nantwich. The River Dee meanders alongside Shocklach Oviatt and is a major salmon and sea trout fishery; and one in which Shocklach fishery engages in. Salmon are most often caught in the sections lying between Shocklach up to Bala Lake. [3]
In the 1870s, Shocklach was described as being "on River Dee, 4½ miles N W. of Malpas, 2957 ac., pop. 325; the par. contains the townships of Shocklach Church, 1278 ac., pop. 135, and Shocklach Oviatt, 1848 ac., pop. 135". [4]
Shocklach had a population of 290 according to the 2011 census. [5] Data from the Vision of Britain website shows the total number of houses in Shocklach Oviatt parish from 1881 to 1961. [6]
Firstly, there is history behind the name of the village. According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names, the village name Shocklach means 'goblin stream'. Investigating this meaning further, the old English (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) for goblin "was scucca and lache which is a variant of letch which means wet ditch or bog or a stream flowing through boggy land; a muddy, ditch or hole". Similarly there is a village named Shobrooke in Devon, and the dictionary compares the original meaning of this name (goblin brook) with that of the village Shocklach. [7]
The village of Shocklach has two townships in Wrexham district, and a parish partly also in Great Boughton district, and all in Cheshire. The townships are Church Shocklach and Shocklach Oviatt. [8] Shocklach Oviatt was a township in Shocklach ancient parish, Broxton hundred, which became a civil parish in 1866. It includes the hamlets of Lane End, Little Green and Shocklach Green. [9]
Shocklach Oviatt and District Parish Council covers the parishes of Shocklach Oviatt, Shocklach Church, Caldecott and Horton. Meetings take place in Shocklach Oviatt Primary School on the second Thursday of six months of the year. [10] Everyone in the public is welcome to attend the parish meetings, where guest speakers are invited to talk about issues of local interest. [11]
Using information provided by the Vision of Britain website, we are able to see the history of the social structure of Shocklach village in the nineteenth century. In 1831, the largest occupational status was 'labourers and servants' (70 people), followed by 'employees and professionals' (22 people), the next 'middling sorts' (20 people) and the lowest status was a category of 'other' (3 people). [12]
Furthermore, data from 1881 gives us a much more detailed picture of the occupational structure of Shocklach Oviatt. There are nine categories of occupation; domestic services or offices, agriculture, workers in machines and implements, workers in carriages and harnesses, workers in food and lodging, workers in dress, workers in general or unspecified commodities, persons without specified occupations and the last category being unknown occupation. Many of these categories combine 'Workers and Dealers' in different commodities, so it is impossible to distinguish workers in manufacturing and services. [13]
Some buildings are regarded as historical. In 'The Buildings of England, Cheshire', St Edith's Church appears to represent the main building for the village. It is described "a small Normal building- cf. the very crudely decorated doorway with zigzag, rope, and lozenges broken by ninety degrees. Nave and chancel, and double bellcote... the odd w baptistery squeezed between the two buttresses looks a rustic job". [14]
Today, standing in the middle of fields on its own, overlooking the River Dee and Wales, St Edith's Church still remains an important building. It is a Grade I listed building and a small, isolated 12th-century church situated one mile outside the village of Shocklach. [15] The church has a beautiful Norman doorway but the level of the ground outside is higher than the base of the door. [15]
Shocklach Oviatt CE Primary School has achieved an International Award for Outstanding Development of the International Dimension. [16] A report (October 2010) states that an Outreach Children's Centre opened inside the primary school on 13 October 2010 which can serve children and families of neighbouring schools and surrounding villages. The aim of the Centre was to support and improve the lives of young children and families from a wide area, also seen as a celebration of rural partnership working. [17]
John Stephens, Director of Children and Young People's Services officially opened the Centre. He said "it has strong support from the whole community who have been involved from the outset, and it provides much needed provision within our rural areas." [18] "The Centre will add to our already thriving community and forge even stronger links between our three schools in the future." [19]
Shocklach Oviatt has a range of biodiversity that the village takes pride in. The 'Shocklach Oak' is "a wonderful tree which has a girth of 6.5 metres and has been recorder with the Woodland Trust in their Ancient Tree Record". [20] The tree is still healthy and continues to grow strong. The Shocklach village website provides a biodiversity survey, recording a diverse range of 138 species of flora (plant life) and 303 species of fauna (animal life).
Furthermore, it shows to have connections and interests in biodiversity. Interests include being a Site of Biological Importance (SBI), a Site and an Area of Nature Conservation Value(SNCV and ANCV respectively) and lastly a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Shocklach churchyard and meadows are a Grade B Site of Biological Importance and a Site of Nature Conservation value. [21]
Shocklach Oviatt still remains active in helping the environment. In 2012, tree Warden Martin Green and some of Shocklach's residents, planted 300 native trees in and around Shocklach. For the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, 50 native oak trees were planted at Shocklach Oviatt Primary School, St Edith's church and also along the approach road to Shocklach in which half survived and just before Christmas, 26 trees were replaced with strong, new saplings. [22]
Farndon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Dee, south of Chester, which here forms the England–Wales border. The Welsh town of Holt lies just over the River Dee from Farndon.
Overton or Overton-on-Dee is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is situated close to the Welsh-English border on the edge of an escarpment that winds its way around the course of the River Dee, from which Overton-on-Dee derives its name.
Gresford is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
Bulkeley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is on the A534 road, 9 miles (14 km) west of Nantwich. In the 2011 census it had a population of 239.
Malpas is an ancient market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Malpas is now referred to as a village after losing its town status. It lies near the borders with Shropshire and Wales, and had a population of 1,673 at the 2011 census.
Barnston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the county of Merseyside, England, situated to the north east of Heswall. Administratively, the village is in the Pensby & Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West. At the 2001 Census, Barnston had a population of 3,620 At the 2011 Census, the population was 947.
Farndon is a civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains 19 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. One of these is listed at Grade I, the highest grade, three at the middle grade, Grade II*, and the rest at the lowest grade, Grade II. Apart from the village of Farndon, the parish is rural. The listed buildings include houses in the village, the church and tombs in the churchyard, the ancient bridge crossing the River Dee, the former village lock-up, and a memorial.
Erbistock is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The village lies on the banks of the River Dee.
Saughall is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Located between Shotwick and Blacon, it is approximately 4.8 km (3.0 mi) north west of Chester and 1.8 km (1.1 mi) from Sealand across the Welsh border. The civil parish was abolished on 1 April 2015 to form Saughall and Shotwick Park, with parts also incorporated into the parish of Puddington and the unparished area of Chester.
Shocklach is a village in the civil parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in the Cheshire West and Chester district, in the county of Cheshire, England. Shocklach village is in the southwestern corner of Cheshire, approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) from the border between Wales and England, the River Dee. The village lies between Wrexham, 10 kilometres (6 mi) to the west, and Nantwich, 21 kilometres (13 mi) to the east.
Peover Inferior is a civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is known for its picturesque surrounding countryside and surprisingly convenient location. The name Peover is pronounced 'Peever' and derives from the Anglo-Saxon 'Peeffer' meaning 'a bright river', this 'bright river' being the River Peover which runs through the parish. The village and its neighbour Peover Superior lie on the river Peover, 'Inferior' here meaning downstream. The parish is situated on the B5081 roughly 25 km south south west of Manchester between Knutsford and Holmes Chapel and within five miles of junction 19 on the M6. Together with Nether Peover, it forms part of the village of Lower Peover, Lower Peover being the parish council. Peover Inferior is in Cheshire East, however Nether Peover is in Cheshire West, this often causes complications for the Lower Peover parish council. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 220.
Peover Superior is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is described by the Office for National Statistics as a village surrounded by inhabited countryside. The civil parish includes the village of Over Peover and the hamlet of Peover Heath.
Clutton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies nine miles from Wrexham and 11 miles from Chester. It had a population of 371 according to the 2011 census.
Church Shocklach is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. In 2001 it has a population of 113, increasing to 290 at the 2011 Census. The parish included most of the village of Shocklach. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Shocklach Oviatt and District.
Horton-by-Malpas is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. In 2001 it had a population of 62. The parish included the hamlet of Horton Green. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Shocklach Oviatt and District.
The Wych Brook, Worthenbury Brook and Red Brook, formerly known as the River Elfe, is a tributary of the River Dee in England and Wales, forming part of both the historic and present-day border between the two countries. The stream forms part of the border between Cheshire and Shropshire in England to the east, and Wales, particularly the Maelor Saesneg, to the west.
Church Shocklach is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains three buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, and the other two at Grade II. The parish contains part of the village of Shocklach, and is otherwise rural. The listed buildings consist of a Norman church, a Medieval cross in the churchyard, and a farmhouse that was originally timber-framed.
There are over 9,000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester.
Shocklach Oviatt is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Shocklach Oviatt and District, in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains three buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings, all of which are listed at Grade II. This grade is the lowest of the three gradings given to listed buildings and is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". Apart from the village of Shocklach, the parish is entirely rural. The listed buildings consist of two farmhouses and a group of farm buildings.
Media related to Shocklach Oviatt at Wikimedia Commons