Join Cheshire Life’s History columnist James Balme as he visits the old mill built in 1860 as well as the renowned ‘Swan with two Nicks’ pub.
Many people visit Dunham Massey each and every year to see the wonderful hall and gardens that was once the seat of the Earls of Warrington, but not all of the visitors are aware that just a five minute walk away from Dunham Massey is the archaic village of Little Bollington as mentioned in the domesday book of 1086.
An archaeological dig at Fairy Brow in Little Bollington found evidence of Bronze Age activity in the area. The dig carried out by renowned archaeologist Derek Pierce of South Trafford Archaeological Group was carried out in 1983 and reveal startling finds from the prehistory of the area. The excavation uncovered an oval, Bronze Age burial pit containing the burial, this consisted of cremated remains of an adult male. The remains found were radio-carbon dated to approximately 3,400 BC. A tanged copper alloy knife dated 2000-1500 BC was also found with the cremated remains. According to the Domesday survey taken in 1086, the manor of Little Bollington was held by the Saxon Thegn Aelfward and later by the Norman Baron Hamon de Mascy. The northern part of Little Bollington was originally part of the medieval parish of Bowdon.
Join Cheshire Life’s History Columninist James Balme as he takes us on a walk from the grounds of Dunham Massey hall all the way to the centre of Little Bollington to see for himself the old mill built in 1860 as well as the renowned ‘Swan with two Nicks’ pub. This really is a special place to visit so next time why don’t you take a walk to the village and see it for yourself.
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A video tour exploring the history of the Dunham Massey estate
