GAWSWORTH VILLAGE ........ map

The village of Gawsworth is situated on the eastern edge of the Cheshire Plain, with views to the hills of the south Pennines. It is a peaceful and beautiful place and regarded as one of the loveliest areas of Cheshire. Scattered cottages and farms merge with the grandeur of the church, halls, pools and leafy lanes in this vast parish, with much of its present modern housing concentrated just off the Macclesfield to Congleton A536 road in an area known as the Warren.

It is a pleasure to stroll round the village and see its many varied and interesting buildings - the Methodist Church; the Old Post Office at the crossroads, where there was also once a police station and a smithy; the White House, latterly the village school; the New Hall; Gawsworth Old Hall , open to the public and where during the summer months there is a programme of music & drama with the old house providing a splendid backdrop to these events; the Old Rectory; the 13th century Church dedicated to St James the Great and with its own war memorial plaque; the New Rectory, previously known as Gawsworth House and extensively altered from when it was the village's original school; and the Harrington Arms hostelry, a Queen Anne building which has changed little since it was built. At the other end of the parish is the village's only other inn - the Rising Sun.

Gawsworth now has a modern primary school and a village shop in Longbutts Lane. Its village hall and scout hut stand in Church Lane alongside the newly restored park that boasts a tennis court, mini soccer pitch, basketball goal, fitness trail and two children's play areas. The war memorial, old water pump and medieval preaching cross are on a small green across the way which in spring is covered with snowdrops, crocus, cyclamen and miniature daffodils under oak and copper beeches. All in all Gawsworth is a most idyllic place steeped in history.

Click here for a stunning tour of Gawsworth created by photographer Peter Turner on a day's outing to attend one of Gawsworth Old Hall's open-air theatre performances; and also here for the data on the parish held on the MBC website.

The following is a description of Gawsworth from the nineteenth century ... the village of Gawsworth, about three miles from Macclesfield, is but small, consisting of a few straggling cottages, but it is remarkable for the extreme beauty of its situation and the picturesque grouping of its chief buildings, the old Hall, the Church, and the Rectory. Approaching it from Macclesfield the remains of a cross are met with about half a mile from the village, placed at the meeting of two or three roads. From here the main road ascends slightly, and at the foot of the hill is a small wood on the right-hand side, which contains the grave of a singular person, Samuel Johnson, better known as Lord Flame. Ascending another gentle hill, Gawsworth is reached, the New Hall being on the left-hand side of the road, and the Old Hall is slightly further on. The road turns sharply to the right in front of the Old Hall, and it is lined with tall handsome trees on either side, whilst on the left are seen two large fish-ponds with the Church surrounded by trees, and on the right the picturesque black and white, timber and plaster rectory. The whole, particularly when seen on a bright and sunny day, forms a most pleasing picture.

Gawsworth is probably unique in that its recognised centre has shifted on at least two occasions as the village has evolved over the years. Firstly the village was centred around the vicinity of the Old Hall and Church as intimated above, then latterly it moved to the Gawsworth crossroads area where many of its original amenities, now extinct, were sited and now its modern day setting is deemed to be in Longbutts Lane following the shift of emphasis to that area.

Note that there is now a dedicated website for Gawsworth Village. It is incomplete at the moment but it will no doubt grow extensively in the fullness of time.