| Aldford | |
|---|---|
 St John's Church | |
  Aldford Location withinCheshire | |
| Population | 272 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SJ420592 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHESTER |
| Postcode district | CH3 |
| Dialling code | 01244 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| 53°07′34″N2°51′58″W / 53.126°N 2.866°W /53.126; -2.866 | |
Aldford is a village and formercivil parish, now in the parish ofAldford and Saighton, in theCheshire West and Chester district, in the ceremonial county ofCheshire, England. (grid referenceSJ420592). The village is approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the south ofChester, on the east bank of theRiver Dee. TheAldford Brook joins the Dee just north of the village.
In the2001 census, the population of the parish was 213.[1][2]The population of the civil parish was recorded as 272 in the2011 census.[3]
The name Aldford means "OldFord" and likely derives fromOld English.[4]
Aldford Castle dates back over 800 years.
The village was a township inBroxton Hundred. A civil parish from 1866, it was abolished on 1 April 2015 to form Aldford and Saighton civil parish.[5] The population was 331 in 1801, rising to 521 in 1851, then 113 in 1901 and decreasing to 96 by 1951.[2]
Between 1960 and 1991, the village was the location of aRoyal Observer Corps monitoring bunker, to be used in the event of a nuclear attack. No trace of the bunker remains today.[6]
Most of the building stock was constructed as adesigned village in the middle of the 19th century by SirRichard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, in almost rectangular form.[7] A number of buildings in the village were designed by the architectJohn Douglas. These include the Grade II listedSt John's church[8][9] and the Grosvenor Armspublic house.[10]
The River Dee outside the village is crossed by theAldford Iron Bridge, which was built in 1824 byWilliam Hazledine for the 1st Marquis.[11][12]Iron Bridge Lodge, adjacent to this bridge, was designed byDouglas & Fordham in 1894 and is listed Grade II.[13][14]
Aldford Hall and theRoman road Watling Street are outside the village.
