Arguably one of the prettiest villages in the country, Great Budworth is located in the heart of Cheshire in the North West of England and features all the chocolate box cottages you could ask for along with an almost endless supply of grade-listed properties and monuments. Here is a closer look at the idyllic village:
Originally forming part of the Arley Hall estate, Great Budworth is a classic English country village surrounded by fields and undulating countryside as far as the eye can see. Mentioned in the famed Domesday Book of 1086, the historic village is packed with 16th-century cottages, 18th-century halls and the Grade I listed Church of St Mary and All Saints, which dates from the 12th century and features parts constructed under the reign of King Edward III, the creator of the Order of The Garter.
In the 1820s, landowner Rowland Egerton-Warburton, who lived at Arley Hall and collected rents from the village, decided it was time to “render it picturesque in Victorian eyes”, and so set forth a campaign of modifications by commissioned architects, including remodelling the village pub, the George and Dragon Inn, as well as restoring several of the historic cottages and the construction of several new homes such as Rose Cottage and Goldmine House (both grade-listed properties today).
Great Budworth is a small village, perfect for a picturesque day trip. The village is served by a pub, a church, a primary school, and a country walkway known as ‘The Avenue’, which leads walkers straight into the heart of the village and it’s main road; High Street.
The village regularly partakes in community events including scarecrow festivals such as this year’s Jubilee themed festival, which saw the village decked out in bunting and Queen Elizabeth-focused scarecrows. Great Budworth’s residents are active members of the community with WI, wine clubs and heritage clubs and a commitment to the aesthetic values of the village with meticulous upkeep of their gardens and facades, along with initiatives such as the community’s telephone box library.
The village boasts 58 listed monuments including a centuries old set of stocks at the top of the main high street where the punished were expected to remained locked up in public, opposite the popular pub. At the other end of the high street is the Budworth Fountain, a historic landmark that provided drinking water to the village from a natural spring, housed in a handsome oak sheltered house. The water fountain is still in operation today and is often dressed up to mark national events. The village also features a nearby mere and sailing club, and is in easy reach of Marbury Country Park and Anderton Boat Lift – a restored Victorian hydraulic boat lift.
Great Budworth can be reached by the M6 motorway and a number of country lanes, or via public transport from the Northwich train station followed by the Cheshire Cat bus, run by Warrington Own Buses (the bus stop is located at the Budworth Fountain). The closest cities are Liverpool to the north west and Manchester to the north east. Nearby attractions include Tabley House, the Lion Salt Works museum, and Arley Hall and Gardens where Peaky Blinders was filmed.
The village is well located to also take advantage of other Cheshire attractions, while many other pretty places are reachable in the region, such as Styal village, Chester town, or Prestbury.
Find out more about Great Budworth and all the community occasions and events at their dedicated webpage here.
View more Pretty Places by browsing the tag, including idyllic places such as Shrewsbury in Shropshire, Cambridge in Cambridgeshire or Whalley in Lancashire. Or view more bucolic inspiration by browsing previous posts such as a binge on English Cottages or English garden inspiration.