Upton-by-Chester
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Upton-by-Chester is a
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
and a large suburb on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the villages of Upton and Upton Heath.


History

The name Upton is from the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
''upp'', meaning up, higher or upon, and ''tūn'', meaning a farmstead or settlement. Listed in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
of 1086 as ''Optone'' and being in the possession of Earl Hugh of Chester, its entry reads: Including the
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
of Upton Heath, Upton-by-Chester was formerly a
township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
within the parishes of St. Mary on the Hill and St. Oswald, Broxton Hundred. Upton-by-Chester as we know it today started when the railway was built in the mid-1800s. Gentlemen's country houses were built and provided employment other than traditional rural jobs. Initially ribbon development but then housing estates were built as more people moved out of the overcrowded city. Following the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
building boom there is now little development land left. A permanent military presence was established with the completion of
Dale Barracks Dale Barracks is a British Army base at Moston near Chester, England. The military installation, which has accommodation and training facilities, was established shortly before the Second World War as a depot for the Cheshire Regiment. It is no ...
in 1938 at nearby Moston.


Landmarks

One building of particular interest is Upton Mill, a five storeyed brick
windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
which is a Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. Built circa 1775 this was a full working flour mill with outhouses, yard and orchard. The wind sails were removed in the early 1920s when electricity was installed. The mill closed in 1953 and remained uninhabited until 1979 when it was sold and converted as a private residence. Renovation was completed in 1988.
Oakfield Manor Oakfield Manor was originally a country house in Upton-by-Chester, near Chester, Cheshire, England. Since the 1930s it has been the headquarters of Chester Zoo. The house and its stables are recorded separately in the National Heritage List fo ...
and its stable block, now in the grounds of
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo at Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at . The zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo is ope ...
, are both designated Grade II listed buildings. Estimated to be over two hundred years old, the last remaining communal water pump in Upton-by-Chester is on Heath Road. The pump was used up to the end of the nineteenth century, but in the early years of World War II was temporarily brought back into use. The well has since been covered over.


Religion

Upton has four churches; one
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
, one
United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...
, one
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(St Columba's), and the Anglican
Church of the Holy Ascension The Church of the Holy Ascension (russian: Церковь Вознесения Господня), also known as the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, is a prominent landmark in Unalaska, the major community of the western Aleutian Islands in sout ...
.


Governance

Upton-by-Chester is within the City of Chester parliamentary constituency. An electoral ward in the name of Upton exists, within the borough of Cheshire West and Chester. This unitary authority replaced both
Chester City Council Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...
and
Cheshire County Council Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. ...
on 1 April 2009. Upton-by-Chester is a civil parish, combining with nearby
Bache Places *Bache, Cheshire *Bache Peninsula, on Ellesmere Island, Canada People *Richard Bache (1737–1811), an American Postmaster General * Sarah Franklin Bache (1743–1808), his wife and Benjamin Franklin's daughter **Benjamin Franklin Bache ...
and Moston to form a joint parish council. Upton-by-Chester is twinned with Arradon.


Demography

The population was 173 in 1801, 555 in 1851, 1,769 in 1901 and increasing significantly to 6,343 by 1951. At the time of the 2001 census it was recorded as 7,806. According to the 2011 census the population of the civil parish stood at 7,956, whilst the figure for the local government ward was 8,905.


Education

There are four primary schools in Upton-by-Chester; namely Acresfield Academy, Mill View Primary School, Upton Heath Church of England Primary School (formerly known as Upton Manor) and Upton Westlea Primary School. Upton-by-Chester High School is a co-educational state secondary school established in 1968.


Community

The Countess of Chester Hospital is the principal NHS general hospital and accident & emergency department for the city of Chester and the surrounding area.
Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo at Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at . The zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo is ope ...
opened in 1931 and is now one of the largest zoos in the United Kingdom. In and around Upton-by-Chester there are several shopping areas, including Bache, Upton-Heath and Weston Grove. In the vicinity there are at least four pubs, including the Race Horse, the Frog, the Mill@Upton (formerly the Egerton Arms Hotel) and The Wheatsheaf Inn. Other local amenities include a
Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ...
Club, the Upton-by-Chester Golf Club, a bowling green and a village hall.


Transport

Bache railway station, less than a mile from Upton village centre at Bache, is on the
Wirral line The Wirral line is one of two commuter rail routes operated by Merseyrail and centred on Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern line. The Wirral line connects Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula via the Mersey Railway Tunnel, with ...
of the
Merseyrail Merseyrail is a Urban rail in the United Kingdom, commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line (Merseyrail ...
network. It opened in January 1984, replacing Upton-by-Chester railway station on Liverpool Road. The Chester to
Ellesmere Port Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, south of Birkenhead, southwest of Runcorn and south of ...
section of the A41 trunk road passes through the area, separating the areas of Upton and Upton Heath. Further west is the A5116 (Liverpool Road), which joins the A41 at Moston, immediately to the north of Upton-by-Chester.


Notable people

Labour Party former Deputy Prime Minister
John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
lived with his parents in Upton after moving from Yorkshire, and married his wife Pauline (''nee'' Tilston) at
Church of the Holy Ascension The Church of the Holy Ascension (russian: Церковь Вознесения Господня), also known as the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, is a prominent landmark in Unalaska, the major community of the western Aleutian Islands in sout ...
in 1961. Samantha Dixon, who became the local Labour
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for Chester in
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
, lived in Upon-by-Chester in her early life. The actor Tom Hughes grew up in Upton-by-Chester.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Upton-by-Chester Upton-by-Chester is a civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester, England. It contains eight buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings, all of which are listed at Grade II. This grad ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


Upton-by-Chester United Reformed Church
{{authority control Villages in Cheshire Civil parishes in Cheshire Cheshire West and Chester