Willaston Off The Beaten Path

The Smithy in Thornton Hough is about a hundred years old - Lord Leverhulme had it installed to service his hunters and horses of the estate. Today it is still used for shoeing local horses and demonstrations can often be seen as the current local smithy and farrier and his apprentices go about their work.

There are many architectural gems around the village like the sandstone church buildings and the black and white timbered buildings commonplace to Cheshire. Just as in Port Sunlight the details of the chimmneys make a great feature juxtaposed with interesting facade details.

Thornton Manor is not open to the public but during special events, such as hte scarecrow festival, and bank holidays the extensive gardens of the estate can be visited - usually for a small entrance fee. It was late in the day when we discoverd this as it would have been lovely to see and have a cream tea there - oh well will look out for another bank holiday for this.

The third Viscount Leverhulme sadly past away in 2000 leaving his rich estate to his three sisters. Well the beautiful victorina gothic style mansion was sold and bought by a London family. The reamining estate, containing the village of Thornton Hough is still owned by the Leverhulme family.

Thornton Hough is the most delightful of Wirral's villages set in the central part amid rural lanes and farms. It was in 1889 that the first Viscount Leverhulme started work on Thornton Hough and some years later he purchased the mansion of Thornton Manor where he settled with his family. He built the school, an orphanage, the "Norman" style St Georges church, shops, a club and a smithy. The village is similar in architectural style to nearby Port Sunlight where Lord Leverhulme set up his Sunlight soap factory.

The village of Raby is an idyllic farming hamlet and tucked away is the delightful inn the "Wheatsheaf" with its thatched roof. A peaceful place to sup a pint.
It has a coutyard beer garden to the rear too.

Thornton Hough Parish Curch with its striking blue clock face is the resting place of some of the famous Lever family (the soap magnates) of Port Sunlight fame including James Lever. See my Port Sunlight page for more info about this model village from the industrial age.

One of the Churhes at Thornton Hough - St Georges - has an ornate porchway leading up to its entrance - so much detail to take in.