Basford is a hamlet and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, lying immediately south of Crewe. Nearby villages include Shavington, Weston, Hough and Chorlton. The population was around 250 in 2011. Basford was first recorded in the Domesday survey and had a moated manor. The modern parish is bisected by the A500 and the Crewe-to-Stafford railway line, and includes Basford Hall Sorting Sidings.
History
Tools and weapons made of flint have been discovered in the parish. Berchesford was a small manor at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. The name is thought to mean either "ford near birch trees" or the ford associated with a personal name, such as Beorcal, Borkr or Barkr. Three separate manors are recorded, which probably represent Basford, Weston and Hough, held by Owine, Erlekin and Leofric. Basford Hall was formerly a moated manor; the building was lost to fire in around 1700, and the remains were covered by the railway development. Basford formerly had a railway station. The A500 bypass opened in 2003.
The civil parish has a total area of. The A500 runs east–west through the parish, and the Crewe-to-Stafford railway line runs north west to south east through it; there are currently no stations within Basford. To the north of the A500 is Basford Hall Sorting Sidings. Weston Lane runs east–west south of the A500, connecting Shavington and Weston. Back Lane and Casey Lane run south and south west, respectively, from Weston Lane to meet immediately north east of Hough, on the southern boundary of Basford parish. Casey Lane crosses the railway at Casey Bridge. The South Cheshire Way and the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walklong-distance footpaths go through the south-east corner, crossing Basford Brook at a footbridge. Most of the existing settlement in the parish lies to the south of the A500; large housing developments in the northern area were under consideration in late 2017. The hamlet of Basford lies along Weston Lane and at the junction with Back Lane. The terrain is predominantly flat, sloping gently upwards from an elevation of around in the north to in the south. Swill Brook runs along part of the western boundary, Gresty Brook along part of the northern boundary, and Basford Brook along or just inside parts of the eastern boundary. Small areas of woodland are located near the eastern boundary, including Burrow Coppice and an unnamed woodland flanking Basford Brook. There are occasional ponds or meres scattered across the area.
Demography
According to the 2001 census Basford had a population of 266, reducing slightly to 256 in 115 households at the 2011 census. This is an increase on the 19th-century population; the historical figures are 55, 69, 77, 69 and 229.
