Lymm Cross.jpg

Lymm is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England, which incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little Heatley, Oughtrington, Reddish, Rushgreen and Statham. At the 2011 Census it had a population of 12,350.

History

The name Lymm, of Celtic origins, means a "place of running water" and is likely derived from an ancient stream that ran through the village centre. The village appears as "Limme" in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Lymm was an agricultural village until the Industrial Revolution, which brought the Bridgewater Canal and the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway to the village. The village played a prominent role within the cotton industry, and many of its inhabitants were fustian cutters.
Lymm Heritage Centre
which opened in June 2017, is in the centre of the village on Legh Street. It hosts exhibitions related to local history as well as activities for schools and visitors.

In 2017, Lymm was voted as one of the 'Best Places to Live' according to ''The Times'' and ''The Sunday Times'' list.

Governance

The village is split between the Lymm South ward and the Lymm North and Thelwall ward of the Borough of Warrington. Lymm South has two councillors, one Liberal Democrat and one Conservative following the 2021 local elections; while the Lymm North and Thelwall ward has three councillors, all Liberal Democrats as of the 2021 Warrington Borough Council election.

There is also a 12-membe
Lymm Parish Council
Following the 2021 elections, there are 11 Liberal Democrats and 1 Conservative councillors.

Lymm is twinned with Meung-sur-Loire.

Education

Lymm is home to some outstanding schools. Lymm High School is located in the community. The school accepts students from Lymm and in the surrounding villages and hamlets. It was judged as 'Good' in its 2018 Ofsted inspection.

There are four primary schools within Lymm. Three of the primary schools
Oughtrington Community Primary School
(''Ofsted Rating 'Outstanding', 2020'')
Ravenbank Community Primary School
(''Ofsted Rating 'Outstanding', 2008'') an
Statham Community Primary School
(''Ofsted Rating 'Good', 2018'') formed as an Academy
The Beam Education Trust
in May 2021. The fourth primary school i
Cherry Tree Primary School
located in the South area of Lymm and at its last Ofsted inspection was rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Manchester Japanese School (マンチェスター日本人補習授業校 ''Manchesutā Nihonjin Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a weekend Japanese educational programme, is held at the Language Centre at Lymm High School.

Landmarks

Lymm village centre is a designated conservation area, notable for its historic buildings, both listed and unlisted. These include the French-style terracotta former town hall (currently unlisted); St Peter's Church, Oughtrington Hall and Lodge, formerly owned by a cadet branch of the Leigh family and now Lymm High School; and Lymm Hall, a former Domville family residence. Foxley Hall, home to a cadet branch of the ancient Booth family before ownership passed to the Carlisle family, is no longer standing, but fustian-cutting cottages on Church Road and Arley Grove do survive.

The parish church of St Peter, Oughtrington, is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. St Mary's Church, Lymm, overlooking Lymm Dam, was in a state of disrepair by the mid-1800s so the Leigh family commissioned the noted Newcastle architect John Dobson to rebuild it. The 1521 tower was retained and raised, but the need for additional stonework meant the tower was rebuilt in 1887.

Lymm Cross, usually known simply as "the Cross", is a Grade I listed structure dating from the 17th century, restored in 1897.

A full list of Listed Buildings within Lymm is available here.

Transport

The M56 (junctions 7 and 9) and M6 (junction 20) motorways are both within of Lymm. The conjunction of these motorways with the A50 is known as the Lymm Interchange, and hosts a service station known as the Poplar 2000 services, a well-used truck stop. The A56 also passes just south of the village, connecting the nearby towns of Warrington and Altrincham. The CAT5/5A buses to Lymm from Warrington and Altrincham are frequent on weekdays and Saturdays.

Waterways

The Bridgewater Canal passes through the centre of Lymm. The Manchester Ship Canal passes to the north, and beyond its route lies the River Mersey. To the east of Lymm the River Bollin flows along the village's border with Warburton and the borough of Trafford.

Railways

Lymm railway station was on Whitbarrow Road. It opened on 1 November 1853 as part of the Warrington and Altrincham Junction railway. There was a further station at Heatley, on Mill Lane, for salt and lead. The line closed to passengers on 10 September 1962; it was officially closed to all types of traffic on 7 July 1985, but lasted a few months. Then it became financially unviable, and the tracks and sleepers were rapidly lifted. Lymm today has no railway station; the closest stations are at Glazebrook, Birchwood, Warrington, Knutsford and Altrincham.

Cycleways

Today the old Railway through Lymm forms a good stretch of the Trans Pennine Trail, with a ranger station at Statham, near the centre of the village. To the east, the track ran via Dunham into Broadheath and the Manchester network. To the west, the track used to run into Warrington, via Latchford, and the tar processing on Loushers Lane, then into Bank Quay Low Level. The entire section is now pathways, except for the high-level bridge crossing the ship canal, whose future is yet to be decided. In 2022
upgrade work
to certain sections of the trail commenced to provide updated all weather surfaces for users.

Demography

Population

''Note: statistics expressed as percentages may not add up to 100%. Census data is based on that of Lymm Ward.''

*Total population: 11,040 residents
*Male:female ratio: 49.1%:50.9%
*Average age of population: 40.3 years

Ethnicity breakdown

*98.2% White
*0.7% Mixed
*0.1% Black
*0.6% Asian
*0.4% Other

Housing and social situation

*Households: 4,431
**83.2% are owner occupied
**9.5% are socially rented (i.e. council houses)
**5.6% are privately rented
**1.7% are rent free

Employment

*65.4% are employed.
*2.0% are unemployed.
*2.2% are full-time students (therefore classed as active).
*30.4% are classed as "economically inactive".

Qualifications

*18.8% have no qualifications.
*40.8% have level 1 or 2 qualifications only.
*34.2% have level 3 or higher (i.e. non-compulsory) qualifications.

RAF Air Cadets

2137 (Lymm) Squadron formed in 1964 as part of the programme to reestablish units that had been closed following the Second World War. They formed at Park Road in Broomedge with a wooden spooner hut. In 2015 this was demolished to make way for a new £300,000 facility which was opened in 2016.
In April 2018 the Squadron lead the Royal Air Force Air Cadets action to commemorate the Royal Air Force centenary by travelling to the first RAF airfield at Saint-Omer in France and parading on behalf of the RAF and Ministry of Defence.

Sport

Association football is played at Lymm F.C. (three teams) Lymm Rovers F.C. and Lymm Piranhas J.F.C., whilst Lymm Rugby Union Club fields four teams on a regular basis. There is angling at Lymm Dam and at Meadow View, Whitbarrow Road, Statham, where there are three-man-made lakes stocked with a variety of fish. Angling is represented by the Lymm Angling Club.

Lymm has a number of other sports facilities, includin
Lymm Golf Club
and nearby High Legh Park Golf Club; Lymm Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club; Lymm Oughtrington Park Cricket Club, whose home ground is in the former grounds of Oughtrington Hall, a former ancestral home of a cadet branch of the Leigh family; and Lymm Leisure Centre which is next door to the cricket club at Lymm High School. Burford Lane Farm is one of many horse riding venues in north Cheshire. Crown green bowling takes place in Stage Lane, the Oughtrington club having been established over a hundred years.

Lymm has a number of cycling (Lymm Velo Club), triathlon
Cheshire CAT
and running clubs
Lymm Runners
.

Notable people

* Elizabeth Pulman (1836 in Lymm – 1900), British-born New Zealand photographer, the country's first female professional photographer, emigrated 1861
* Gerard Dewhurst J.P. (1872–1956), English cotton merchant, banker and amateur footballer, earning one international cap for England in 1895; grew up at Oughtrington Hall in Lymm
* Cicely Fox Smith (1882 in Lymm – 1954), English poet and writer
* Kenneth Carlisle (1882 in Lymm – 1967), English cricketer active from 1903 to 1905 who played for Oxford University
* Robert Westall (1929–1993), author, lived on Woodland Drive in Lymm until his death
* Sir John Stalker (1939–2019), former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, lived in Lymm
* Alex Timpson MBE (1946 in Lymm – 2016), British campaigner for children's rights
* Andrew Murray (born 1956), English professional golfer, lives in Lymm
* Aiden Byrne (born 1972), English chef who starred in ''Great British Menu'', owns The Church Green in Lymm
* David Strettle (born 1983 in Lymm), Saracens F.C. rugby union player
* Dan Logan (born 1985), English musician, brought up in Lymm
* Harry Worley (born 1988 in Lymm), retired English professional footballer, 140 professional appearances
* Tom Murray (born 1990), English professional golfer, lives in Lymm

In popular culture

The 2011 television series ''Candy Cabs'' was filmed in Lymm. The 2015 Sky 1 television series '' After Hours'' was filmed in Lymm in 2014.
A scene from Paul Abbot's No Offence TV series was filmed in Lymm in 2014.

Lymm has its ow
radio station
which was created in 2020. It broadcasts 24 hours a day and is run by volunteers.

See also

* Listed buildings in Lymm

References

External links

{{authority control

Villages in Cheshire
Warrington
Civil parishes in Warrington