Today Grappenhall village is a leafy suburb of Warrington tucked away just off the A50 Knutsford Road, but Grappenhall has an ancient past with a firm foothold in the history of Warrington.
Indeed, evidence from the Bronze Age was revealed way back in the 1930s with the discovery of cremation urns of the period from an ancient burial mound in the village. Several prehistoric sites and features have been identified in the past in the Grappenhall area. If you visit Warrington museum you can see for yourself some of the cremation urns that were unearthed along with many bronze artefacts and implements.
However, it is in the old village where today we can still find evidence of Medieval life especially inside St. Wilfrid’s church. The original church itself is believed to have been constructed around 1120 AD as a small stone church. Inside the church today you will find a plaque listing a continuous record of church rectors starting with Robert of Gropenhale, who was witness of a charter in 1189.
The original church was Norman in origin and would have been a simple construction consisting of a nave and chancel. But it wasn’t until the foundations of this early church were discovered during restoration work carried out in 1873 and 1874 that the early history of St. Wilfrid’s church was revealed. In 1344 a chapel was added by the Boydell family. Around the year of 1529 the church was mostly rebuilt in local Cheshire sandstone. What was left of the old church was demolished but the new church now boasted a new nave, chancel as well as a new north aisle and tower. The church now remained in use as it was until the 19th century when the church was once again extended. In the late 19th century the church was to undergo another major restoration at the cost of some £4000. On the outside of the church just below the west window is a carving in the sandstone of a cat. Local legend describes this as the original Cheshire Cat. Also, outside the church you will find a set of stocks with the stone ends most probably dating from around the 17th century. I suspect many misbehaving locals of the 17th century found themselves regularly unwilling guests of the stocks for many days at a time.
Just across the road from St. Wilfrid’s church stands Grappenhall Rectory, sadly today the building is in an advanced state of decay having been neglected for many years. However, it seems that very recently changes in the fortune of the Rectory may be about to change that will allow the building to be saved. The rectory is a Grade II listed building being constructed around 1830. The building underwent structural changes in 1855. Hopefully now the building can be saved and restored back to its former original condition. This would no doubt prove to be a valuable asset to the village whilst at the same time complimenting the stunning church of St. Wilfrid that stand directly opposite the rectory. There is no doubt in my mind that the restoration of the rectory would be the icing on the cake for the old village of Grappenhall.
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