Swynnerton

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Swynnerton
St Mary's - geograph.org.uk - 5237.jpg
St Mary's Church
Staffordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Swynnerton
Location within Staffordshire
Population4,453 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference SJ8535
Civil parish
  • Swynnerton
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STONE
Postcode district ST15
Dialling code 01782
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
52°55′01″N2°13′01″W / 52.917°N 2.217°W / 52.917; -2.217

Swynnerton is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It lies in the Borough of Stafford, and at the 2001 census had a population of 4,233, [2] increasing to 4,453 at the 2011 Census.

Contents

Swynnerton is listed in the Domesday Book identifying the lord in 1066 as Brothir (of Oaken) and in 1086, Edelo (of Rauceby), who was in service to Robert de Stafford, the tenant-in-chief. The record shows the settlement consisted of ten villagers' households, and five smallholders. Property consisted of eight ploughlands suitable for one lord's plough teams, and six men's plough teams. Other resources are listed as ten acres of meadow, and one league of woodland. The owner's value was estimated at £2. [3]

St Mary's Church dates back to at least the 13th century, and as far back as the 11th century. [4] [5] Swynnerton received its charter from Edward I in 1306. During the 14th century a market used to be held every Wednesday and an annual fair was held on 15 August each year.

A grand manor house used to exist until its destruction in the English Civil War by Cromwell's men, its replacement being Swynnerton Hall, built in 1725 by Francis Smith of Warwick, which still dominates the Swynnerton skyline today. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady [6] adjoins the hall, which was built in 1868 by Gilbert Blount. Most of the houses in the village are post World War II.

Nearby Cold Meece houses a British Army training area that used to be a Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Swynnerton. It is often used by the Air Training Corps and the Army Cadet Force, but is also a regular training area for the British Army. During the war, the factory was served by Cold Meece railway station.

Yarnfield and Cold Meece civil parish and parish council came into being in April 2019, with two wards, Yarnfield and Cold Meece. [7] [8] It is included in the Borough of Stafford, and was previously the southern part of Swynnerton parish.

The village pub, the Fitzherbert Arms, [9] has three bars, two dining areas and accommodation.

Transport

Swynnerton is directly connected to Eccleshall by the Swynnerton Road. It is also a 10 minute drive from Stone and Meaford via the A51. The nearest city is Stoke-on-Trent, a 15 minute drive via the A51 and A34 roads.

The village is poorly served by public transport. The D&G Bus service number 14 [10] previously called at the church bus stop five times a day on its way to and from Hanley, Trentham, Barlaston, Stone, Eccleshall and Stafford in 2017, however as of 2023 only a bus Stone via Yarnfield operates. This is 5 times a day Monday - Friday [11] , twice on Saturday's [12] with no service on Sundays [13] .

The nearest train station is Stone railway station, known officially as Stone (Staffs) [14] and by railway code SNE [15] 4.3 miles away.


HS2

Government plans for a new high speed rail line (part of what was known as HS2) to pass directly to the north of the village were first confirmed in 2013. [16]

It immediately provoked controversy, with the nearest station intended for Crewe railway station over 20 miles away, due to local impact and lack of considered benefits to Staffordshire including from current resident of Swynnerton Hall, Lord Stafford [17] .

When the act of parliament for HS2a (West Midlands - Crewe) received Royal Assent [18] works by HS2 Ltd intensified, the complusary land purchase process began [19] which included a small number of properties, farmland and woodland on the edge of the village.

In late 2021 eco campaigners opposed to the destruction of specific ancient woodlands along the route arrived outside the village and set up encampments within local woodlands earmarked for demolition. They sought the support of the local community through flyering and Facebook via what was called the 'Bluebell Wood HS2 Resistance Camp' [20] . The group grew to over 1,000 members suggesting either strong local environmental concern or NIMBYism. Despite being served an eviction notice in March 2022 [21] were only removed after exhausting supplies in tunnels [22] in July.

Work then continued with updates from hs2 to residents [23] , with security to prevent return of protestors and early earth works related to gas pipelines.

In March 2023 the Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced a two year 'phased delay' to HS2 due to spiraling costs [24] . As a result of this, the encampments outside the village were largely abandoned and leaflets issued to residents advised 90% of works intended to be progressed were being put on hold.

In September 2023 at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that HS2 north of Birmingham was being scrapped. [25] It is now expected the local land will be resold and the project will not be renewed, as the Labour Party UK has not recommitted to the project should it win the next election [26] .

Notable residents

Nearby locations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Stafford</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. It is named after the town of Stafford. It also includes the towns of Stone and Eccleshall, as well as numerous villages such as Weston, Hixon, Barlaston, Baswich, Salt, Ingestre, Sandon and Gnosall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eccleshall</span> Human settlement in England

Eccleshall is a town and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles northwest of Stafford, and six miles west-southwest of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adbaston</span> Civil parish in Staffordshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stafford railway station</span> Railway station in Staffordshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barlaston</span> Human settlement in England

Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659, rising at the 2011 Census to 2,858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trentham, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Trentham is a suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in North Staffordshire, England, south-west of the city centre and south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is separated from the main urban area by open space and by the Trent and Mersey Canal and the River Trent, giving it the feel of a village.

Yarnfield is a village in Staffordshire, England. Population details as taken in the 2011 census can be found under Swynnerton It is considered part of historic Stone, and is near to other historic locations such as Eccleshall and Swynnerton.

Stone Rural District was a rural district in Staffordshire, England. It was created in 1894 and abolished by virtue of the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974. It was originally formed of the civil parishes of Barlaston, Chebsey, Cold Norton, Eccleshall, Milwich, Sandon, Standon, Stone Rural, Swynnerton and Trentham. In 1897 two new civil parishes were added, Fulford and Hilderstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gayton, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Gayton is a small rural village and civil parish in Staffordshire, located approximately 1 mile from the A51 between Stone and Stafford. In 2001 it had 167 residents, with 1 letter box, one bus stop, and new village hall. The post box is owned now by the village as is the telephone booth. The post code for Gayton properties normally start with ST18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swynnerton Hall</span> Country house in Swynnerton, Staffordshire

Swynnerton Hall is an 18th-century country mansion house, the home of Lord Stafford, situated at Swynnerton near Stone, Staffordshire. It is a Grade I listed building.

Meece may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standon, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Standon is a village and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. Standon has a church called Church of All Saints and one school called All Saints C of E First School. In 2001 the population of the civil parish of Standon was 823, and in the 2011 census it had a population of 879.

Cold Meece railway station was a short-lived railway station built during the Second World War by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) to serve ROF Swynnerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ROF Swynnerton</span>

ROF Swynnerton was a Royal Ordnance Factory, more specifically a filling factory, located south of the village of Swynnerton in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Built between 1939 and 1941, it remained operational until 1958. It is now operated by the Defence Training Estate, as Swynnerton Training Camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tittensor</span> Human settlement in England

Tittensor village is located in Staffordshire, England, between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stone. The population as taken at the 2011 census can be found under Swynnerton. The village consists of mostly 1960s housing as well as the few remaining houses from the 19th century. Historically Tittensor forms part of Stone parish. The Tittensor family occupied a manor house which passed to the Gerrard family sometime before 1405. The house was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries, and was finally demolished in 1834. Some of the materials were used to build St Luke's church in Tittensor which was constructed in 1880-81. The ruins of the manor house remained until they were finally demolished in the early 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirehill Hundred</span>

Pirehill is a hundred in the county of Staffordshire, England. The Hundred is located in the north-west and toward the upper centre of Staffordshire. It is about 28 miles in length, north to south, and around 8 to 20 miles in breadth. It is bounded on the north-east by Totmonslow (Totmanslow) Hundred, on the east by Offlow Hundred, on the south by Cuttleston Hundred, and on the west and north-west by Shropshire and Cheshire.

Swynnerton is a civil parish in the Borough of Stafford, Staffordshire, England. It contains 62 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, six are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains villages including Swynnerton, Tittensor, Yarnfield, and Hanchurch, and the surrounding area. In the parish is the Trentham Estate, the area around the former Trentham Hall, most of which has been demolished. The remains of the hall, associated structures, and buildings in the garden and surrounding park are listed. Outside the estate, most of the listed buildings are houses and associated structures, cottages, farmhouses and farm buildings, the earlier of which are timber framed. The other listed buildings include churches and a chapel, items in churchyards, a country house and associated structures, buildings associated with a pumping station, bridges, and war memorials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Rural</span> Civil parish in Stafford, England

Stone Rural is a civil parish in the Stafford district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. The parish includes the settlements of Aston-By-Stone, Burybank, Cotwalton, Knenhall, Meaford, Moddershall, Oulton, Oulton Grange and Oulton Heath. In 2011 the parish had a population of 1652. The parish touches Barlaston, Chebsey, Fulford, Hilderstone, Marston, Sandon and Burston, Stone, Swynnerton, Whitgreave and Yarnfield and Cold Meece. There are 39 listed buildings in Stone Rural. The council office is in Moddershall.

References

  1. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Census 2001: Parish Headcounts: Stafford". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Swynnerton | Domesday Book".
  4. ↑ "Swynnerton". GENUKI. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Website of St Mary's Church, Swynnerton retrieved Jan 2017
  6. ↑ "Our Lady of the Assumption, Swynnerton". ourladyoftheassumption.org.uk. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Yarnfield and Cold Meece Parish Council
  8. ↑ Borough of Stafford Order 2018
  9. ↑ "History | The Fitzherbert Arms" . Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  10. ↑ D&G Bus website Timetable list Archived 2017-01-04 at the Wayback Machine retrieved Jan 2017
  11. ↑ https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/SCC/BusTimes/display.aspx?Route=102&Line=04102&Filter=1#divMainAreaDisplay
  12. ↑ https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/SCC/BusTimes/display.aspx?Route=102&Line=04102&Filter=1#divMainAreaDisplay
  13. ↑ https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/SCC/BusTimes/display.aspx?Route=102&Line=04102&Filter=1#divMainAreaDisplay
  14. ↑ https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/stone-staffs/
  15. ↑ https://abcrailwayguide.uk/sne-stone-staffs-railway-station/map
  16. ↑ https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Transport/trains/High-speed-rail-phase-2/Documents/HS2-route-and-PROW-within-a-3KM-buffer---Wrinehill-to-Swynnerton.pdf
  17. ↑ https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2013/08/10/exclusive-stop-hs2-carving-up-my-historic-estate/
  18. ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phase-2a-act-to-bring-hs2-to-the-north
  19. ↑ https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/HS2_Compulsory_Purchase_AW_Web.pdf
  20. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/campbluebell/
  21. ↑ https://www.staffordshire-live.co.uk/news/local-news/look-hs2-protesters-amazing-staffordshire-6854915
  22. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-61938239
  23. ↑ https://www.hs2.org.uk/in-your-area/local-community-webpages/hs2-between-stone-and-swynnerton/
  24. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/09/parts-hs2-delayed-two-years-cut-soaring-costs-rail-project
  25. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16473296
  26. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67016873
  27. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fitzherbert, Thomas"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 446.
  28. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Stafford, Earls and Marquesses of"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 756.
  29. ↑ "Mistresses of the Prince". Georgian index. Archived from the original on 16 April 2003. Retrieved 16 March 2012.[ dead link ]
  30. ↑ "Longfellow - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 200th Birthday". Hwlongfellow.org. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  31. ↑ "59. The Village Blacksmith. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Yale Book of American Verse". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
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