THIS week we look at a piece of old Cheshire, known now as ‘The Clump of Trees’ or The Beeches.

It is the crossroads on Dalefords Lane, one way to Whitegate station and the other to Whitegate.

One or more of the houses within the clump of trees is called The Beeches, and many years ago, a respected author and artist by the name of Ellen Marion Irene Boyd lived there (1907 to 1977).

Ellen was born in Northwich, and at the time, her father was a teacher at Rudheath school.

Their home was initially next door to the Farmers Arms pub.

Her autobiography Irene Remembers – A Cheshire Childhood was published in 2007, some 30 years after her death.

She could walk only until age 10, after which she was almost wholly disabled with rheumatoid arthritis.

Her formative years saw her in severe pain travelling between The Beeches and numerous hospitals, including Guy’s in London.

Educating herself from home, she later obtained a degree in philosophy from the University of London and, like her father, became a teacher.

However, to continue the story, in 1847, the whole area was called The Black Dog, complete with Black Dog Lane and a Black Dog pub.

The pub was closed together with the Rifleman in Whitegate by Lady Delamere due to rowdy drinking on a Sunday.

In 1871 the family of John Stretch, his wife Ellen and his granddaughter Mary lived in Black Dog Lane; John was a salt boiler.

Also in the lane was the Forster family, the head Mary, a widow with her three granddaughters at school and presumably her brother Harry Forster, a shoemaker and his wife, Elizabeth.

Additionally, in the lane lived Thomas Bentley, his wife Mary and three daughters, all at school.

Thomas was a farmer.

There were other residents, including a blacksmith and a draper.

So, we have an area called The Black Dog and a Black Dog Lane, but neither appears on modern maps.

By 1898, it is shown as an area behind the house known as The Beeches.

There is a short road between Cinder Hill and Foxwist Green on current maps.

In the Survey of English Place-Names, it is listed but only as a house or Inn.

I think that Inn was called The Black Dog.

Around The Beeches were places called Cookstool, Ballsgate, Foxwist Green and Black Dog.

An area that was far busier than it is now.

The house once the Whitegate post office is still in Cinder Lane, as is the Whitegate recreation room near the clump of trees.

As late as 1954, the area behind the Beeches was called Black Dog.

This is still a tranquil area of Mid Cheshire, but there is a planning application for a change.

The planning application reference is 22/03313/FUL on the CWAC website.

Permission has been applied for the installation of a wastewater pumping station in a green belt field at Dalefords Lane.

There is a tiny layby there as seen in the photo, if consent is granted work will start there.

United Utilities are the contractors.

United Utilities propose to fell two mature oak trees and approximately 20 metres of hedgerow.

They then intend to replace this with a fence and steel gate sufficiently large to allow tankers access to the site regularly.

The residents are not too happy about this as the pumping station will be within one hundred metres of two listed buildings and other residential properties. A photo of the notice posted is attached.

So it would appear that this haven of relative tranquillity in Mid Cheshire may not be such in the future.

Like Black Dog, two ancient oak trees will disappear along with some of the area’s peace.

The images of the area are taken from my book Villages of Mid Cheshire Through Time and the second updated version.

The modern photo shows The Beeches, where Ellen Marion Irene Boyd lived.

The old one, taken in the early 1900s, shows the area.

It also shows the photographer’s motorcycle leaning against a tree!

I want to thank Rose for her excellent research and Susan Haigh for her help.