Embedded Files
This page contains the information on the history display board that the Poulton and Pulford Parish Council commissioned and the history group produced in 2024. It is situated on the edge of Church Bank by Pulford Church and gives an introduction to the history and buildings of the parish. You can read the details below. The artwork is by members of the Pulford Art Group. More information of each of the subjects can be found in the Archive Section.
The history display board by Pulford Church.
The current parish of Pulford and Poulton is formed from early medieval border settlements that grew as farming communities and flourished in the 19th century as part of the Grosvenor family’s Eaton Estate.
Pulford Castle
Pulford Church
Grosvenor Pulford Hotel
Pulford Village Hall
The Pump House
North and South Lodges
Archaeology and the Poulton Project
Archaeology and the Poulton Project
Since 1995 the Poulton Project has been revealing archaeological evidence of activity stretching back 10,000 years:
stone tools used by the earliest hunter-gatherers to reoccupy the area after the retreat of the last glacier;
examples of use by early Neolithic farmers of 4,000BC through the Bronze Age;
remains of structures dating to the Iron Age, from 800BC to 43AD, when Poulton was the site of a wealthy riverside trading settlement;
Roman remains of the first four centuries AD;
10th century Saxon pottery.
An artist's impression of the medieval Poulton Chapel
An abbey was founded in Poulton in c.1150 but it only lasted about 70 years. Although its remains have not been found, the remains of a medieval chapel with accompanying burials of the local farming community have been uncovered, making Poulton an archaeological site of regional importance. The excavations have appeared on several national television archaeology programmes.
Early references to both Pulford and Poulton (‘Pulford’ and ‘Poytone’) are found in The Domesday Book (1086) where Saxon manors are recorded prior to Norman control. At that time Poulton was the more important community. Later, Pulford increased in importance as a significant crossing place for trade between Chester and Wrexham.
Pulford Castle
Pulford Castle
Near the ford over Pulford Brook is the site of Pulford Castle. Originally, this was one of a line of Norman ‘motte and bailey’ defensive positions against Welsh incursion. The last time the castle was seriously used was in about 1403 against Owain Glyndŵr. Today, only a ruined mound remains surrounded on three sides by the vestige of the once ramparted ditch.
An artist's impression of the motte and bailey castle
Pulford Church
Pulford Church
The Parish Church of St. Mary, in its present form, was rebuilt in 1884 through the generosity of the 1st Duke of Westminster, to a design by Chester architect John Douglas. However, the church has its origins in the 12th century when the first Rector of Pulford was appointed. The 1884 design incorporates a spire 120 feet high and a bell chamber that houses eight bells.
Pulford Church watercolour by Mike Nethercott
Grosvenor Pulford Hotel
Grosvenor Pulford Hotel
The Grosvenor Pulford Hotel which is now an extensive modern hotel was, a hundred years ago, a working farm with adjoining ale house. Before 1874, there existed an inn and Post Office receiving house, possibly on the same site or nearby which was known as The Talbot Inn. There were possibly two other alehouses in Pulford during the early years of the 18th century. Grosvenor is the family name of the Dukes of Westminster.
Grosvenor Pulford Hotel watercolour by Richard Gosmore
Pulford Village Hall
Pulford Village Hall
The building, dating from the mid 19th century, became the Parish Reading Room following a public meeting in 1891, and was originally called ‘The Reading Room’ before the First World War when it was for men only. It belonged to the Eaton Estate until presented to the Parish Council by the Duke of Westminster in 1998.
Pulford Village Hall watercolour by Richard Gosmore
The Grade II listed war memorial stands in front of the Village Hall commemorating those who died in the two World Wars. There is a second memorial in the grounds of the Church, commemorating all who served in the First World War.
Development since the 17th Century
Development since the 17th Century
Lying within an agricultural area, there is a long history of milk and cheese production with 22 farms before WWII, but advanced methods and consolidation over the last century mean there are far fewer farms than before although farmhouses and cottages remain.
The different architectural designs of buildings in the Parish represent three different periods (apart from the more modern buildings built in the 1920’s and 1930’s and since). There are 22 Grade II listed buildings and the distinctive quality of the architectural features of these buildings can be appreciated around the villages.
Early 17th to Early 18th Centuries
Early 17th to Early 18th Centuries
From 1539 to 1813 the Warburton family owned nearly all the property and land in the Parish and from the early 17th century four farmhouses and several cottages which still survive were built. Most of these early houses have the characteristic metal-framed windows with arched tops and round shapes in the top corners.
The Pump Cottages
The Pump Cottages
These were originally a farmhouse, believed to be known as Greves Farm. It later housed a shop and Post Office as shown (c.1970) in this artist’s impression. This is the oldest property in the village being early 17th century.
The Pump Cottages (c. 1970) watercolour by Mike Nethercott
Mid 19th Century
Mid 19th Century
In 1813 the property and lands of the Parish were bought by the 2nd Marquis of Westminster, who directed much building during the 1850’s and 1860’s. Handmade bricks were used with a lovely mellow colour. The windows of the cottages have small diamond shaped panes with sandstone copings above.
North and South Lodges
North and South Lodges
Built around 1850 and located by the entrance to the Pulford Approach to Eaton Hall, the country house of the Duke of Westminster, the lodges incorporated the lodge keeper's cottage on the north side and a store shed disguised as a cottage on the south.
North Lodge
Later Estate Building, 1870's to 1890's
Later Estate Building, 1870's to 1890's
Much building took place under the 1st Duke of Westminster, as is shown by the characteristic building materials used: red brick interspersed with blue bricks. The buildings differ in character: some have plain gables and chimneys whilst others have Dutch gables and ‘barley twist’ chimneys, and others, black and white gables. Most of them have stoned framed mullioned windows. Pulford and Poulton remained in the Eaton Estate until the Duke sold the western half of the estate in 1919.
John Douglas (1830-1911)
John Douglas (1830-1911)
The well-known Chester architect, John Douglas, was the principal Eaton Estate architect in the late 19th century, and many buildings in the area reveal his distinctive architectural style. A fine example of his work is ‘Green Paddocks’ (originally The Limes Farmhouse) built in 1872.
The gable on Green Paddocks
Cuckoo's Nest
Cuckoo's Nest
Cuckoo's Nest, on the northern edge of Pulford, is a hamlet which was developed by the Grosvenor family in the 19th century to provide a major source of local employment at the Eaton Estate works yard and brickworks. The Origin of the name is lost in the mists of time and belies its more recent industrial past.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse