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Lymm
The pretty village of Lymm is one of Cheshire’s many appealing destinations, often appearing in top ten lists and attracting both visitors and those hoping to relocate
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Fun and games
The village centre is a conservation area
Lymm is nestled in the Cheshire countryside between Warrington and Altrincham and enjoys a pretty location due to the woodland around it and the rivers and canals that converge at its centre. It is small enough to be quaint and beautiful but popular enough to support a thriving, and very proud, population of around 12,500.
Its name is thought to derive from the watercourses that make it so picturesque, as its Celtic origins translate Lymm as ‘place of running water’, and there are records of ancient streams running through the village even before the manmade canals arrived.
Attractive architecture
As well as the landscape, the other factor that makes Lymm so pretty is its stock of beautiful buildings. These range from the French-style terracotta of the former town hall to large manor houses such as Oughtrington Hall (now a school) and Lymm Hall, once the Domville family residence. The village boasts some stunning churches too, with the parish church of St Peter providing a fine example of Gothic Revivalism. St Mary’s, opposite the dam, was in such disrepair by the mid-1800s that the Leigh family (of Oughtrington Hall) commissioned Newcastle architect John Dobson to rebuild it. It now features as one of the village’s many listed buildings – in fact, the entire village centre has been designated a conservation area.
Water, water everywhere
The creation of Lymm Dam back in 1824 produced what is today the area’s most popular attraction. The dam was constructed to make way for a road (now the A56) and is a focal point of the village, with countless footpaths providing stunning walks. The surrounding woods are carpeted with wildflowers in spring, while the dam itself is a SINC – a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Bats are often spotted here, along with an array of birds: nuthatch, treecreeper, lesser spotted
woodpecker, heron and even kingfisher. More glorious walking takes in the towpaths of the Bridgewater and Manchester Ship Canals and a particularly pretty stretch of the Trans Pennine Trail along the old railway line. The station closed in 1983. The people of Lymm are close-knit and DID YOU KNOW? Lymm is home to an active RAF squadron, based active committees protect and promote the village. Annual events include the May Queen festival (this year on 21st May) and an infamous duck race, where bath toys are at Broomedge frenetically raced from the dam, and must navigate a weir before reaching the finishing line – handily located between several pubs for the ensuing celebrations. One of the most popular of these, the Church Green, is owned by TV chef Aiden Byrne. The Bridgewater Canal flows right through the village
THINGS TO SEE AND DO Lymm Dam
Car park in Crouchley Lane WA13 0AP www.warrington.gov.uk/lymm-dam
Lymm Heritage Centre
Bridgewater Street, Lymm WA13 0LS
Oughtrington Centre
Oughtrington Crescent, Oughtrington, Lymm WA13 9JD
