Poulton Chapel

Poulton Abbey was a Cistercian medieval monastic house in Poulton, Cheshire, England, which was founded between 1153 and 1158, and moved in 1214 to a site near Leek, Staffordshire, where it became Dieulacres Abbey. The original site became a grange estate of the abbey, and the chapel at the site was used as a one-room local church. In 1487 the abbey leased the estate to the prominent Manley family and the chapel was expanded to include a nave, chancel, and tower for use as its private chapel. By the 16th century all abbey buildings had been lost, though the site of the chapel was noted on a 17th-century estate map and later on the first Ordnance Survey map (1823). Archaeological investigations commenced in 1995, first as a joint project of Chester Archaeology and Liverpool University, and later as an independent project - the Poulton Research Project. The chapel was first excavated and just over 800 burials have so far (2015) been excavated. Evaluation trenches and geophysical investigations have also found an extensive Iron Age settlement and Roman landscape. The main monastic compound has not been found.On 20–23 June 2006, the archaeological television programme Time Team did an evaluation of a site known as Poulton Hall to the north of the chapel site to determine whether it might be the site of the Abbey buildings. The investigation determined that the site was probably the location of the grange buildings, but not the Abbey itself.It was theorised by Professor Mick Aston that the chapel was a capella ad portam, or a chapel by the gate - for the use of the local population who would not have had access to the abbey chapel.

Royal Air Force Poulton or more simply RAF Poulton (X4PL) is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near Poulton, Cheshire and was operational from 1 March 1943 until 1945. It was used as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) and Tactical Exercise Unit (TEU) for Hawker Hurricanes.

Green Farmhouse is on the east side of the Straight Mile, Poulton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.The house dates from the 18th century and was altered in the middle of the 19th century for the 2nd Marquess of Westminster. In 1889–90 further alterations and additions were made for the 1st Duke of Westminster, which were designed by the Chester architect John Douglas. The house is constructed in brown brick; it is symmetrical with three storeys in five bays. Douglas' additions include the rear extension, which has diapering in blue bricks and is joined to the original part of the house by a timber-framed link. Douglas also altered the end gables, adding blue-brick diapering and terracotta copings.

Poulton is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Poulton and Pulford, in the Cheshire West and Chester, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2001 census the parish had a recorded population of 92.Since 1995, significant archaeological activity has been conducted in the area, first by the University of Liverpool and later by the independent group known as the Poulton Research Project.

Aldford Hall is a farmhouse to the south of the village of Aldford, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.The house was designed by John Douglas for Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster as part of a model farm, and built between 1876 and 1881. In about 1912 it was converted into two cottages with no alteration to its exterior. The lower storey is built in red sandstone and the upper storey is built in brown brick with blue diapering and sandstone dressings.

The River Alyn (Welsh: Afon Alun) is a tributary of the River Dee in north-east Wales. It rises at the southern end of the Clwydian hills and the Alyn Valley forms part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The main town on the river is Mold, the county town of Flintshire. It lends its name to the constitutencies of Alyn and Deeside in the UK Parliament and the Senedd. The River Alyn crosses the carboniferous limestone from Halkyn Mountain and north through the Loggerheads area before heading southeast, passing through Mold before reaching its confluence with the River Dee northeast of Wrexham. Between Loggerheads and Rhydymwyn it runs through the Alyn Gorge, which is the site of the caves Ogof Hesp Alyn, Ogof Hen Ffynhonnau and Ogof Nadolig. It mainly runs across a limestone surface, creating potholes and underwater caves, into which the river flows through some of the summer, when water levels have decreased significantly. For parts of this stretch the river bed is dry for most of the year. Flows in the River Alyn are significantly affected by mining, particularly the Milwr mine drainage tunnel which diverts a sizeable amount (23 million gallons of water per day.) of the River Alyn out of its catchment and into the Dee estuary at Bagillt.

Upper Belgrave Lodge is a house at the east end of Belgrave Avenue, the road connecting the B5445 road between Chester and Wrexham, and Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

The Dutch Tea House is in the grounds of Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.The building was designed by the Chester architect John Douglas for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor (later the 1st Duke of Westminster) in 1872. It stands at the north end of the Dutch Garden which was designed by C. E. Mallows.The tea house has a cruciform plan. It is a timber-framed building on a red sandstone plinth with a red tiled roof that rises with a concave profile to a point. On the apex is a large lead finial with a small weather vane. At the front is a verandah, the tearoom is in the centre and to the left, and the kitchen is on the right. The wooden posts supporting the verandah are carved, and above these is a pargetted frieze. A flight of six steps leads down to the Dutch Garden.

The Golden Gates at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England, stand at the eastern end of Belgrave Avenue (grid reference SJ412607). The gates with their overthrow, the screens at their sides and the associated wing lodges are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The gates stand in front of what was formerly the principal entrance to the forecourt of the hall. The central pair of gates and the adjacent screen railings date from the early 18th century and are by Robert and John Davies of Croes Foel. The further side gates and screens, dating from around 1880, were designed by Alfred Waterhouse and made by Skidmore of Coventry. At the extremities is a pair of lodges, which are also dated around 1880, and by Alfred Waterhouse. The lodges are designed in a French Renaissance style. They are in one storey and have one room, with a sentry-box-like porch at the front. The roofs are steeply hipped, and at the eaves is a corbelled balustrade.

Aldford Castle is a motte and bailey castle in the village of Aldford in Cheshire. The motte is to the north of St John's Church, and the church stands on the site of an infilled bailey ditch.The origin and dates of construction of the castle are uncertain. It is thought that it was initially an earth-and-timber construction, possibly built by Robert de Alford in the mid-12th century, in the time of Henry II. However, archaeological evidence of the date is lacking and it may have been significantly earlier, as there are some sources who claim that the castle had been built much earlier, as its command was handed over to Robertus, one of the descendants de Bigod in 1160. One of the earliest written records establishes that it was in the possession of Richard de Alford in the early 13th century and, after his death in 1213, of the family of John de Aderne who likely married de Alford's daughter Margaret. Archaeological findings show that it was rebuilt in stone as a shell keep castle in the 13th century. The purpose of the castle appears to have been as a defensive fortification against the hostile Welsh tribes. There is some debate as to whether the castle, the lands and the title were hereditary or granted due to military service. Some sources even suggest that, up until 1224, the owners had to pay for the lease of the castle.Today fragments of the stonework around the bailey and significant earthworks survive, four miles from Chester where the tributary stream joins the River Dee at an angle. The castle appears to have been triangular, shaped like a harp, with the keep in the northwestern corner of the triangle. Where the keep used to be is now a mound overlooking the River Dee, which the locals call Blobb Hill. The site is a Scheduled Monument.

Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is 1 mile (2 km) south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England. The house is surrounded by its own formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers about 10,872 acres (4,400 ha).The first substantial house was built in the 17th century. In the early 19th century it was replaced by a much larger house designed by William Porden. This in turn was replaced by an even larger house, with outbuildings and a chapel, designed by Alfred Waterhouse. Building started in 1870 and concluded about 12 years later. By 1960 the fabric of the house had deteriorated and, like many other mansions during this period, it was demolished, although the chapel and many of the outbuildings were retained. A new house was built but its design was not considered to be sympathetic to the local landscape, and in the late 1980s it was re-cased and given the appearance of a French château. The house has been surrounded by formal gardens since the 17th century, the design of which has changed over the centuries in accordance with contemporary ideas and fashions, as has the surrounding parkland. A variety of buildings are included in the estate, some decorative, others built for the business of the estate; many of these are listed buildings. The house and estate are not normally open to the public, but the gardens are open on three days a year to raise money for charity, and some of the estate's buildings can be hired for charitable purposes.

Iron Bridge Lodge is a house on the Aldford Approach to Eaton Hall, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the banks of the River Dee and is close to Aldford Iron Bridge. The house is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.