Bridgemere

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Village in Cheshire, England

title: "Bridgemere" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-in-cheshire", "former-civil-parishes-in-cheshire", "borough-of-cheshire-east", "aviation-accidents-and-incidents-locations-in-england"] description: "Village in Cheshire, England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgemere" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in Cheshire, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
coordinates
official_nameBridgemere
label_positionleft
population148
population_ref(2011)
civil_parishDoddington and District
unitary_englandCheshire East
lieutenancy_englandCheshire
regionNorth West England
countryEngland
constituency_westminsterCrewe and Nantwich
post_townNANTWICH
postcode_districtCW5
postcode_areaCW
dial_code01270
os_grid_referenceSJ717454
static_imageBridgemere Farm, nr Nantwich.jpg
static_image_captionFarmland near Bridgemere Farm
::

|coordinates = |official_name= Bridgemere |label_position= left |population= 148 |population_ref= (2011) |civil_parish= Doddington and District |unitary_england= Cheshire East |lieutenancy_england= Cheshire |region= North West England |country= England |constituency_westminster= Crewe and Nantwich |post_town= NANTWICH |postcode_district= CW5 |postcode_area= CW |dial_code= 01270 |os_grid_reference= SJ717454 |static_image= Bridgemere Farm, nr Nantwich.jpg |static_image_caption= Farmland near Bridgemere Farm

Bridgemere is a village (at ) and former civil parish, now in the parish of Doddington and District, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is around 7 mi south east of Nantwich and 12 mi west of Stoke-on-Trent. The southern boundary of the parish is on the border with Shropshire. The civil parish also included the small settlements of Admiral's Gorse, Parrah Green, Prince Hill, Seven Stars and Wheel Green. In 2011 the parish had a population of 148. Nearby towns include Crewe in Cheshire, Market Drayton and Whitchurch in Shropshire, and villages include Blakenhall, Buerton and Hankelow in Cheshire, Madeley, Staffordshire and Woore, Shropshire.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bridgemere_Memorial,_nr_Nantwich.jpg" caption="Memorial to airmen"] ::

During the medieval period, it had an iron foundry.

One of the two major coaching roads in Cheshire ran from London via Bridgemere to Nantwich, Chester and on to Holyhead in Wales; it became one of the first turnpike roads in the county in 1743. A coach service between London and Chester ran three times a week from 1657, taking four days over the journey; by 1780, a daily service ran from London to Holyhead, and from 1784 the mail coach used the road. The road was improved after 1810, but its use dwindled after 1820 with the coming of the railways. Bridgemere parish had three inns in 1765, one of which was named the Holly Bush. By 1801, there was only a single inn, which had closed by 1821.

On 28 October 1944, during World War II, a Wellington bomber from RAF Chipping Warden in Oxfordshire crashed at Prince Hill on a training exercise. A memorial to the six airmen who died in the crash was dedicated in 2003.

In 1972, 30 acre of land near Bridgemere Hall were landscaped and stocked with waterfowl to form Bridgemere Wildlife Park. The park expanded into a zoo before its closure in 1992.

Governance

Bridgemere is administered by Doddington and District Parish Council, which also includes the parishes of Blakenhall, Checkley cum Wrinehill, Doddington, Hunsterson and Lea. From 1974 the civil parish was served by Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the new unitary authority of Cheshire East. Bridgemere falls in the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich, which has been represented by Kieran Mullan since 2019, after being represented by Laura Smith (2017–19), Edward Timpson (2008–17) and Gwyneth Dunwoody (1983–2008).

Bridgemere was originally a township in the ancient parish of Wybunbury in the Nantwich Hundred. on 1 April 2023 the parish was abolished to form "Doddington and District".

Geography and transport

The civil parish had a total area of 1130 acre. The terrain is gently undulating, with high points of 110 metres at south of Admiral's Gorse and 102 metres at Prince Hill (). The area is predominantly rural, with the major land use being agricultural. There are several small areas of woodland within the parish, including Acorn Coppice, Lea's Wood, Harrow's Wood, Threeper's Drumble and part of Shaw's Rough. Forge Brook and several other unnamed brooks run through the parish, and there are many scattered small meres and ponds. A small area of Doddington Park, including part of Doddington Pool, falls within the civil parish north of Hunterson Road. Landscaped in the 18th century by Capability Brown, the park is listed at grade II by the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The A51 trunk road runs north–south through the civil parish. Hunterson Road (Bridgemere Lane) runs east–west towards the north of the parish, and Dingle Lane runs southwards from Hunterson Road; the village is centred on the junction of the two lanes.

Demographics

In 2006, the total population of the civil parish was estimated as 130. the population increasing to 148 at the 2011 Census. The historical population figures for the parish were 125 (1664), 230 (1801), 233 (1821), 220 (1851), 149 (1901) and 141 (1951).

Bridgemere Garden World

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Bridgemere_Garden_World,_Bridgemere.jpg" caption="Bridgemere Garden World"] ::

Bridgemere Garden World is on the A51 about 2 km south of the village. With a total area of 52 ha, it is one of the largest garden centres in Europe, and receives around 1.8 million annual visitors. The garden centre sells over five thousand plant varieties, most of which are grown locally, as well as garden furniture and accessories. Other facilities include a restaurant and coffee shop.

It was founded in 1961 as a small rose nursery with three employees, described as "a little garden shed in a small field". By 1990, the garden centre employed 140 people and included 25 acre of plant displays, as well as the largest collection of house plants in Europe. He also won a lifetime achievement award from Garden Retail in 2007.

In 2006, Bridgemere Garden World was acquired for £15 million by Wyevale Garden Centres. Wyevale announced plans in 2008 to demolish the existing buildings and redevelop the site.

Other landmarks

Bridgemere Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in 1831.

Education

Bridgemere Church of England Primary School is located on Bridgemere Lane at , and serves the civil parish of Bridgemere as well as the adjacent parishes of Hunsterson and Checkley cum Wrinehill. Bridgemere falls within the catchment area of Brine Leas High School in Nantwich.

References

References

  1. "Doddington and District". Mapit.
  2. [http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/bridgemere.html Genuki: Bridgemere] (accessed 30 January 2009)
  3. Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes. ''The Cheshire Village Book'' pp. 38–41 (Countryside Books & CFWI; 1990) ({{ISBN. 1-85306-075-5)
  4. Sylvester, Dorothy. ''A History of Cheshire'' (2nd edn), pp. 83–84 (Phillimore; 1980) ({{ISBN. 0-85033-384-9)
  5. MacGregor, A.J. ''The Alehouses and Alehouse-keepers of Cheshire 1629–1828'', pp. 84, 89 (Caupona Publications; 1992)
  6. [http://blogs.chesterchronicle.co.uk/cheshire-memories/2008/04/remembering-airmen-who-perishe.html Remembering airmen who perished on Cheshire soil. ''Chester Chronicle – Cheshire Memories'' 18 April 2008] {{webarchive. link. (6 October 2011 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  7. (January 2017)
  8. [http://parish.cheshire.gov.uk/doddington/Index.htm Doddington and District Parish Council Official Web Site] {{webarchive. link. (29 September 2007 (accessed 18 August 2007))
  9. [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080634_en_2#pt2-l1g3 Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008] {{webarchive. link. (17 May 2009)
  10. link. (1 October 2011 (accessed 27 January 2009))
  11. "Crewe & Nantwich Parliamentary constituency". BBC.
  12. "Relationships and changes Bridgemere Tn/CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time.
  13. "Cheshire East Registration District". UKBMD.
  14. Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council: Parish Statistics (downloaded from [http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk]; 5 April 2010)
  15. link. (1 October 2011 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  16. Ordnance Survey Explorer 257: Crewe & Nantwich
  17. link. (24 March 2012 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  18. [http://www.parksandgardens.ac.uk/component/option,com_parksandgardens/task,site/id,1095/tab,summary/Itemid,293/ Parks & Gardens UK: Doddington Park, (also known as Doddington Hall, Nantwich), Nantwich, England] {{webarchive. link. (2 October 2011 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  19. The 2001 census recorded a population of 133 in 49 households,[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=792561&c=Bridgemere&d=16&e=15&g=428447&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 Neighbourhood Statistics: Bridgemere CP] (accessed 30 January 2009)
  20. "Civil Parish population 2011". Office for National Statistics.
  21. [https://web.archive.org/web/20081202150109/http://www.independent.co.uk/money/invest-save/whos-the-pick-of-the-bunch-in-the-garden-centre-world-723587.html Sampson, Katie. Who's the pick of the bunch in the garden centre world? ''Independent'' (22 March 2000)] (accessed 30 January 2009)
  22. [http://cmsen.eghn.org/etpg-bridgemere-prolog.html European Garden Heritage Network: Bridgemere Garden World: Prologue] {{webarchive. link. (23 July 2011 & [http://cmsen.eghn.org/etpg-bridgemere-garten.html The Garden] {{webarchive). link. (21 November 2008 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  23. A {{convert. 7. acre. m2. link. (16 July 2011 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  24. [http://www.bridgemere.co.uk/about-us Bridgemere Nursery & Garden World: Welcome to Bridgemere] (accessed 30 January 2009)
  25. [http://live.hortweek.com/news/search/791929// Horticulture Week: Celebrating the best of the retail sector (15 November 2007)]{{dead link. (November 2016)
  26. [http://www.hortweek.com/news/rss/Latest+News/850457/Wyevale-flatten-Bridgemere-Garden-world-makeover/ Horticulture Week: Wyevale to flatten Bridgemere Garden world in makeover (1 October 2008)]{{dead link. (November 2016)
  27. (January 2025)
  28. link. (1 October 2011 (accessed 30 January 2009))
  29. link. (24 March 2012 (accessed 30 January 2009))

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villages-in-cheshireformer-civil-parishes-in-cheshireborough-of-cheshire-eastaviation-accidents-and-incidents-locations-in-england