Hoole

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[edit] Location

For further (now historical) information on the closure of Hoole Bridge to traffic see here!

Hoole is one of the largest neighbourhoods in Chester. Situated roughly a mile north-east of the city centre, Hoole starts from the Hoole Railway Bridge and runs all the way up Hoole Road (A56) to the Hoole Hall roundabout, where the M56 motorway starts.

It is a popular residential neighbourhood. Most of the current housing stock consists of Victorian terraces of houses and villas, and semi-detached houses dating from the 1930s. In the 1960s and 1970s, Hoole declined into genteel decay. Many of the larger properties were divided into bedsits and small flats to provide housing for students and the unemployed. Since the mid-1990s, the area has once again become desirable. The large Victorian villas are being restored to their original purpose as family homes. One reason for Hoole's popularity is its proximity to Chester Station - ideal for commuters.

  • There is a campaign for a Hoole_Bridge_footpath_and_cycle_lane.
  • There is also a fledgling independence movement based within the Facebook social networking website, where members are advocating separation from the rest of Chester and even the UK, owing to the unique character of the neighbourhood.

[edit] Data

The neighbourhood is split into two council wards: Hoole All Saints (east) and Hoole Groves (west). The combined population of the two wards is roughly 7,500 (August 2006). "Cool Hoole" was featured in "Cheshire Life" in August 2007, which seemed to describe it as the "Notting Hill" of Chester.

[edit] History

The ancient village of Hoole dates back to at least 1119, when it was first recorded in the records of the Chartulary of the Abbey of St. Werburgh. It remained a separate entity until 1954, when it was incorporated into the City of Chester.

Hoole lies on the Roman road which leaves Chester via Frodsham Street and Brook Street, continuing through Flookersbrook into Newton Hollows, which still exists as a sunken pathway and connected with Mannings Lane before the construction of the now disused railway. Mannings Lane then continues the line through Hoole Bank, and it becomes known as The Street in Mickle Trafford, a name which frequently denotes a Roman road. The name "Hoole" is thought to mean 'at the Hollows' (or hole) and most likely refers to the 'hollow way' formed by the road. The modern Hoole Road follows a parallel course.

Early tourists were somewhat disparaging:

  • "The native of Chester remembers how three roads branch off outside Eastgate and how beautiful and pleasing are the names of the places to which they lead. The road straight in front straight in front leads to Christ's Town (Christleton), that on the right to the Old Ford (Aldford) but if it turns to the left it comes to a place which they rightly call the Valley of Demons (Hoole) with reference to the hiding places of those who lie in wait... the wanderer... is despoiled by thieves and robbers"

---Lucien the Monk

Samuel Lewis in 1848 described it as follows:

  • "HOOLE, a township, in the parish of Plemonstall, union of Great Boughton, Lower division of the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester, 2½ miles (N. E.) from Chester; containing 294 inhabitants. It comprises 745 acres, of a sandy soil. The tithes have been commuted for £80 payable to the rector, and £22 to the Marquess of Westminster. Various plots of land here, belonging to the Rev. Mr. Hamilton, of Hoole Lodge, and others, have been laid out for building purposes, such as the erection of villas, &c., by Mr. Rampling, architect, of Liverpool; and some of the plots have been sold at the rate of 5s. the square yard, or £1210 per acre; while, before the introduction of railways, the price was not more than about £150 an acre."

In 1917 Leonard Cheshire was born in Hoole Road (the building is now the "BaBa" Hotel). Cheshire did not take part in the "Dam Busters" raid but took over command of 617 "Dam Busters" squadron later in the war, and was the official British observer of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki flying in the support B-29 Big Stink. He is one of the few people awarded a VC not for a single incident but due to cumulative action throughout the war. Cheshire dedicated the rest of his life to supporting disabled people, combining this with lecturing on conflict resolution. In 1948, he founded The Cheshire Foundation Homes for the Sick, which, in 1976, became the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, now styled Leonard Cheshire, which continues his work to support disabled people globally. On 5 April 1959, in Bombay's Catholic Cathedral, he married Sue Ryder, also the founder of a charity. Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters once described Cheshire as "the only true Christian I've ever met."

[edit] Local facilities

Hoole Road is the main area in Chester for hotels and B&B guest houses, as there are few city centre hotels.

Shopping: Faulkner Street and Charles Street comprise the main shopping area (see Shopping for info on some good-quality local shops) - here you can find a butcher, fishmonger, delicatessen, gift shops, greengrocer, a bookie, a couple of convenience shops, beauticians, two branches of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd charity shop, several hairdressers and barbers, and around seven off-licences.

Drinking: Faulkner Street has three pubs; The Bromfield Arms, The Faulkner and The Royal Oak. The Beehive is situated on Hoole Road almost opposite The Flookersbrook. There is also The Oaklands further up Hoole Road. The newest addition is the excellent Lodge Bar at the Bawn Lodge Hotel on Hoole Road, just opposite the end of Faulkner Street.

Eating: The Village Bistro in Charles Street is one of the best local restaurants and has won several awards over the years. On Hoole Road, there is the Cafe Naj curry house and also the Olive Tree at the Green Bough Hotel. Cafe.Com on Faulkner Street is Hoole's only internet cafe. For takeaway food, there is the Seabreeze on Faulkner Street and Hoole Fish Bar on Ermine Road (both Chinese chippies).

Banks: LloydsTSB has a branch on Hoole Road next door to the Beehive pub. NatWest, HSBC and Barclays all have branches around Faulkner Street.

[edit] Things to do

Hoole is primarily a residential neighbourhood, so you'll need to go into Chester city centre for nightclubs or tourist attractions.

Alexandra Park has tennis courts, bowling greens, pitch & putt, and a children's play area. Nearby are the larger Coronation Playing Fields, which have a football pitch. Hoole Playing Fields on Newton Lane have football and cricket pitches. There is also a private tennis club, Hoole Lawn Tennis Club.

For gardeners, the Hoole allotments can be accessed from both Canadian Avenue and Hoole Lane.

There are two interesting routes for walkers and cyclists:

  • Visit Newton Hollows - a fairly short walk along a small stretch of the original Roman (some claim pre-Roman) road linking Frodsham with Chester, worn by the feet of travellers over many centuries into a true 'hollow way'. The going has considerably improved since the path was restored in 2007.
  • Walk or cycle along the Millennium Greenway - once a busy railway line, this is now a peaceful car-free haven, part of the National Cycle Network administered by the Sustrans cycling charity. Thanks to a years-long, spirited campaign by local people, a council plan to construct a 'guided busway' along it is no more and the future of the Greenway is now assured. In early 2009, work started to extend the footpath/cycleway to the villages of Guilden Sutton and Mickle Trafford. This is scheduled to be completed by the end of the Summer. In the other direction, the path passes through Hoole, close to Chester city centre, through Blacon and on to the Welsh border where it links with the rest of the long-distance national network. Along this section, the Greenway also provides links with the towpaths of the Shropshire Union Canal.

[edit] Spanish Bluebell invades Hoole

Yikes!- have a look at what is growing in Flookersbrook and decide for yourself whether these foreign invaders are spilling their seed on our sovereign shores!

[edit] External Links

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