250px, Lime tree avenue in park
Marbury Country Park is a
country park
A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.
United Kingdom
History
In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a special meaning. There are around 250 recognised coun ...
in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England. It lies in the heart of
Northwich Community Woodlands, an integral part of the
Mersey Forest. Former industrial land is gradually being transformed to create a rich and green environment stretching from
Marbury to
Northwich
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
.
Many of the features of the Country Park, including the lime avenues and the
arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
, are a legacy of the days when Marbury was a grand estate. The last
Marbury Hall, built in the 1850s, was a fine-looking house modelled on the French chateau at
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
, with an imposing carriage drive entrance.
Originally owned by the Smith-Barry family, the hall became a country club in the 1930s, and then a P.O.W. camp during the Second World War. After this the hall served as a hostel for ICI employees during its considerable post-war expansion and some of the P.O.W. camp huts persisted as accommodation for the workforce. By the 1960s the hall had fallen into disrepair and had to be demolished. The history of the hall was told in a community play in 2002.
The Friends of Anderton and Marbury (FOAM) are a group involved with looking after both parks and organising walks, talks, conservation tasks and events.
See also
*
Marbury Hall, Anderton with Marbury
*
Marbury Reedbed Nature Reserve
*
List of parks and open spaces in Cheshire
References
{{reflist, 1
External links
Discovercheshire website (Marbury Country Park page).Northwich Woodlands (Discovercheshire).
Parks and open spaces in Cheshire
