Davenham
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2007) |
| Davenham | |
|---|---|
 St Wilfrid's Church | |
| OS grid reference | SJ658708 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Northwich |
| Postcode district | CW8 |
| Dialling code | 01606 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
Davenham (pronounced Day'vnum) is a rural village approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the town of Northwich, part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and River Weaver.
History
Davenham is recorded in the Domesday Book as Devenham. Its name means "hamlet on the River Dane".[1]
In 1936 the whole of Eaton (near Davenham) and part of Leftwich civil parish (which extended into Davenham village) was added to Davenham, and in 1955 part of Davenham was added to Northwich civil parish.
Between 1996 and 2006 a large housing development was built on farmland to the north west of the village centre. The estate is known as Kingsmead and is separated from the historic village of Davenham by the A556, Northwich bypass. This area now forms the Kingsmead ward of the civil parish with five members representing the ward on Davenham Parish council. In 2006 the Kingsmead Residents Association was formed by residents who were concerned at the state of maintenance of the public areas of the estate. By Easter 2007 the Kingsmead Residents Association had expanded to have over 500 members and has expanded it's interests to cover topics such as litter on the estate, speeding on the main spine and loop roads and the adoption of the estate's roads by the County Council, in addition to the Association's primary aim which is to take over the Estate Management company responsible for the upkeep of the public areas of the estate.
Sign posts on the various major roads provide a 'Welcome to Davenham Village'. When travelling into Kingsmead from Northwich, the signpost is situated at the entrance to the estate is geographically incorrect. At this point you are not entering 'Davenham Village', as the village itself lies the other side of the Northwich bypass, you are instead entering 'Kingsmead, part of Davenham Parish'.
The village's football team reached the final of the 1887 Welsh FA Cup, losing to Chirk.
Geography
Davenham is situated in the centre of the Cheshire Plain between the River Weaver and River Dane. It is surrounded by the civil parishes of Northwich, Hartford, Rudheath, Byley, Bostock, Moulton and Winsford.
Population
- 1801: 327
- 1851: 552
- 1901: 706
- 1951: 2306
Church
The church of St. Wilfrid at Davenham goes back to the Domesday period but the current edifice is the fourth on the site, dating from a major reconstruction between 1844 and 1870 in the Victorian Gothic revival style. The tower has a recessed spire built in 1850.
Legend says that the church was founded by St Wilfrid on a journey through Cheshire in the 7th Century, but the first documented evidence of a church on the site is an existing priest and church in 1086.
Schools
Davenham has traditionally had a Primary school, Davenham Church of England Primary School. However the parish now includes parts of the Kingsmead development which includes Kingsmead Primary School built in 2004.
Both these schools are feeder schools to the County High School Leftwich as well as other, more distant secondary schools.
References
- ^ Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960)