Conservation Area: Thelwall Conservation Area (102)

The settlement of Thelwall lies to the south east of Warrington and to the south of both the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, with the Bridgewater Canal passing close to the outskirts of the village beyond the Stockport Road. Its origins have been linked to King Edward the Elder who constructed a fortified garrison here in the 920’s. Its name is thought to derive from the Saxon words for stake and wall or pool by a plank bridge. It is doubtful if this ancient settlement stood on the site of the present village, since the course of the River Mersey has changed over the centuries, but it would have been built on land which rose slightly above the soft marsh land. There is also no record of Thelwall in the Doomsday Book and it is not until 1561 that detailed mention of the village can be found. The village has developed from being one of agricultural character, to one where gunpowder was manufactured and where trade increased with the opening of the Bridgewater Canal in 1759 when fustian cutting thrived. Competition from other centres led to failure of both industries, but the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894 brought an influx of people to the village. The mixture of old and new, two storey and single storey development is not unpleasing and styles and age vary adding to the character of the area. Most of the views in and out of the village are contained and framed by trees or buildings and in places views of the countryside can be seen. It was the historic village centre which was first designated as a conservation area in 1977. Then in 1991 and 1996 it was extended to the east, to safeguard the hamlet and encompass an important approach to the village, and to the north, to include an area which probably defined the old river course in pre-Ship Canal days (to the north of the existing hedgerow).