Grappenhall


Grappenhall is a semi-rural village in Cheshire, England, along the Bridgewater Canal in the Grappenhall and Thelwall civil parish, which had a population of 9,377 at the 2001 census.

History

Grappenhall is mentioned in the Domesday Book with the name Gropenhale and with a valuation of five shillings.
carving of 'Cheshire Cat', St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall
St Wilfrid's Church has a carving of a cat on the west face of the tower. This is believed to be Lewis Carroll's inspiration for the grinning Cheshire Cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The church itself was first constructed in 1120, though was rebuilt 400 years later. The church was also, at a time, in the possession of the Boidelle family.
Along with the church, the centre of the village contains two pubs – the Parr Arms and the Ram's Head – and Grappenhall Hall Residential School and St. Wilfrid's Primary School. Bradshaw Community Primary School is located north of the village centre.

Amenities and business

Grappenhall is home to the 25th Warrington East Scout Troop. There is also a cricket ground, which is the home of Grappenhall Cricket Club. Australian cricketer Steve Smith was signed for the club for five weeks in 2007, when Smith was 17.

Library

The Grappenhall Community library is a community run library in the village. It was opened by the local authority in 1959 before being handed over to the Friends of Grappenhall Library after closure on 2 April 2011 due to local authority cuts. The library is run by the Friends of the Grappenhall library who pay £10 a year to help with its upkeep. In return they get voting rights on issues relating to the running of the library. In August 2012 there were 135 members of the library, a four member board, 12 librarians, and 15 volunteers helping with the running of the Community side of the library. In total there were around 50 active volunteers.

Other

is located near the village.
There are limited numbers of dining facilities within the village but some restaurants include:
Parts of the Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes were filmed in the centre of Grappenhall. The village name appears in the title of the song "Grappenhall Rag", by the Darwen singer-songwriter Bryn Haworth.

Notable people