Upton-by-Chester | |
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![]() Holy Ascension Church, Upton by Chester | |
Location within Cheshire | |
Population | 7,956 (2011 census) [1] |
OS grid reference | SJ405665 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CHESTER |
Postcode district | CH2 |
Dialling code | 01244 |
Police | Cheshire |
Fire | Cheshire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Upton-by-Chester is a civil parish and a large suburb on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the villages of Upton and Upton Heath.
The name Upton is from the Old English upp, meaning up, higher or upon, and tūn, meaning a farmstead or settlement. [3]
Listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Optone and being in the possession of Earl Hugh of Chester, [4] its entry reads:
"In Wilaveston/Wirral Hundred. Upton. Earl Edwin held it.41/2 hides paying tax. Land for 12 ploughs. In lordship 1; 2 ploughmen; 12 villagers and 2 riders with 5 ploughs. Of this land, Hamo holds 2 parts of 1 hide of this manor; Herbert 1⁄2 hide; Mundret 1 hide. In lordship 4 ploughs; 8 ploughmen. 2 villagers and 2 smallholders with 1 plough. Meadow, 1 acre. Value of the whole manor before 1066, 60s; now the Earl’s lordship 45s, his men’s 40s." [5]
Including the hamlet of Upton Heath, Upton-by-Chester was formerly a township within the parishes of St. Mary on the Hill and St. Oswald, Broxton Hundred. [6]
Upton-by-Chester as we know it today started when the railway was built in the mid-1800s. Gentlemen's country houses were built and provided employment other than traditional rural jobs. Initially ribbon development but then housing estates were built as more people moved out of the overcrowded city. Following the post-World War II building boom there is now little development land left.
A permanent military presence was established with the completion of Dale Barracks in 1938 at nearby Moston. [7]
One building of particular interest is Upton Mill, a five storeyed brick windmill which is a Grade II listed building. Built circa 1775 this was a full working flour mill with outhouses, yard and orchard. The wind sails were removed in the early 1920s when electricity was installed. The mill closed in 1953 and remained uninhabited until 1979 when it was sold and converted as a private residence. [8] Renovation was completed in 1988.
Oakfield Manor and its stable block, now in the grounds of Chester Zoo, are both designated Grade II listed buildings. [9] [10]
Estimated to be over two hundred years old, the last remaining communal water pump in Upton-by-Chester is on Heath Road. The pump was used up to the end of the nineteenth century, but in the early years of World War II was temporarily brought back into use. The well has since been covered over. [11]
Upton has four churches; one Baptist, one United Reformed Church, one Catholic (St Columba's), and the Anglican Church of the Holy Ascension.
Upton-by-Chester is within the City of Chester parliamentary constituency.
An electoral ward in the name of Upton exists, within the borough of Cheshire West and Chester. This unitary authority replaced both Chester City Council and Cheshire County Council on 1 April 2009.
Upton-by-Chester is a civil parish, combining with nearby Bache and Moston to form a joint parish council. [2]
The population was 173 in 1801, 555 in 1851, 1,769 in 1901 and increasing significantly to 6,343 by 1951. [6] At the time of the 2001 census it was recorded as 7,806. [12]
According to the 2011 census the population of the civil parish stood at 7,956, [1] whilst the figure for the local government ward was 8,905. [13]
There are four primary schools in Upton-by-Chester; namely Acresfield Academy, Mill View Primary School, Upton Heath Church of England Primary School (formerly known as Upton Manor) and Upton Westlea Primary School. Upton-by-Chester High School is a co-educational state secondary school established in 1968.
The Countess of Chester Hospital is the principal NHS general hospital and accident & emergency department for the city of Chester and the surrounding area.
Chester Zoo opened in 1931 and is now one of the largest zoos in the United Kingdom. [14]
In and around Upton-by-Chester there are several shopping areas, including Bache, Upton-Heath and Weston Grove. In the vicinity there are at least four pubs, including the Race Horse, the Frog, the Mill@Upton (formerly the Egerton Arms Hotel) and The Wheatsheaf Inn. [15]
Other local amenities include a Royal British Legion Club, the Upton-by-Chester Golf Club, a bowling green and a village hall. [16]
Bache railway station, less than a mile from Upton village centre at Bache, is on the Wirral line of the Merseyrail network. It opened in January 1984, replacing Upton-by-Chester railway station on Liverpool Road. [17]
The Chester to Ellesmere Port section of the A41 trunk road passes through the area, separating the areas of Upton and Upton Heath. Further west is the A5116 (Liverpool Road), which joins the A41 at Moston, immediately to the north of Upton-by-Chester.
Labour Party former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott lived with his parents in Upton after moving from Yorkshire, and married his wife Pauline (nee Tilston) at Church of the Holy Ascension in 1961. [18]
The actor Tom Hughes grew up in Upton-by-Chester.
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.
Tattenhall is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tattenhall and District, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 1,986, increasing to 2,079 by the 2011 census. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Tattenhall and District.
Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a city and a borough.
Dunham-on-the-Hill is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester, and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is on the A56 road, approximately 2.3 miles (3.7 km) from Helsby and 6 miles (9.7 km) from Chester. The village is 120 feet (37 m) above sea level, south west of Helsby Hill.
Ince is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated immediately to the east of the Stanlow Oil Refinery. It shares Ince & Elton railway station with the village of Elton, which it runs into.
Chester was a rural district of Cheshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was located near the city and county borough of Chester but did not include it. The district saw various boundary changes throughout its life. It included the small civil parish of Chester Castle, an exclave of the rural district within the boundaries of the county borough of Chester.
Bache is a small civil parish and suburb of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Located to the north of the city, Bache combines with Moston and Upton-by-Chester to form a joint parish council.
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.
Mollington is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located two miles north of the city of Chester, with approximate boundaries formed by the A41 Liverpool-Chester trunk road and Shropshire Union Canal to the east and southeast, the A540 Wirral Peninsula trunk road to the south and west and the A5117 Dunkirk link road to the north.
Christleton is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The Shropshire Union Canal passes through the village.
Eccleston is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Eaton and Eccleston, in the borough of Cheshire West, in the county of Cheshire, England. The village is approximately 2.7 miles (4.3 km) to the south of the city of Chester, near to the River Dee. The village is situated on the estate of the Duke of Westminster who maintains his ancestral home at nearby Eaton Hall.
Norbury is a hamlet and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish lies on the boundary with Cheshire West and Chester, and also includes the small settlements of Gauntons Bank, Hurst Green, Swanwick Green, Norbury Common and Holtridge, with a total population of nearly 200 people in 2011. The hamlet of Norbury lies around 5 miles (8 km) north of Whitchurch in Shropshire. Nearby villages include No Man's Heath, Marbury and Wrenbury.
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. The main towns within the area are Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Sandbach, Wilmslow, Handforth, Knutsford and Nantwich. The council is based in Sandbach.
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal and the City of Chester; its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. The remainder of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington.
Warmingham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies on the River Wheelock, 3.25 miles (5.23 km) to the north of Crewe, 3.25 miles (5.23 km) to the south of Middlewich and 3.25 miles (5.23 km) miles to the west of Sandbach. The parish also includes the small settlement of Lane Ends, with a total population of just under 250. Nearby villages include Minshull Vernon, Moston and Wimboldsley.
Mickle Trafford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Mickle Trafford and District, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the area known as Plemstall. The A56 road from Chester to Warrington passes through the village and the Chester-Warrington railway line passes immediately to its east. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Mickle Trafford and District, part of it also went to Guilden Sutton.
Moston is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is in the north east of Chester, close to the Shropshire Union Canal and the A41 trunk road between Chester and Birkenhead. Moston combines with Bache and Upton-by-Chester to form a joint parish council.
Rowton is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located between Christleton and Waverton, near the A41 road. The Rowton Hall hotel is the most prominent landmark in the village. At the 2001 census Rowton had a population of 497, decreasing to 441 in the 2011 census.
Oakfield Manor was originally a country house in Upton-by-Chester, near Chester, Cheshire, England. Since the 1930s it has been the headquarters of Chester Zoo. The house and its stables are recorded separately in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade II listed buildings.
Upton-by-Chester is a civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains eight 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". Part of the parish is a suburb of the city of Chester. It also contains the Countess of Chester Hospital, and part of Chester Zoo. The listed buildings consist of two structures associated with the hospital, a former country house now located within the zoo, a church, a former windmill, a cottage, a war memorial, and a boundary stone.
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