Marbury, Cheshire.

After lunch, I checked to see if it was still dry outside, which it was, so the other half and I donned our coats, grabbed our camera's and locked up the boat. We were on our way into the village of Marbury. The area is very much agricultural, with dairy farming being its main industry. Marbury was recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086 as Merberie. I was to discover that The name Marbury means "a fortified place near a lake".

At the Lock Cottage we turned left and strolled along a narrow village lane.

One of the first places we saw was the old village school, which is now a home after it closed in 1988 due to low enrolment.

Next was a small village hall.

We were soon in the centre of the village.

We first visited the Anglican parish church of St Michael and All Angels, which like Wrenbury's church is built out of sandstone and dates from the 15th century. The Lychgate is grade 2 listed.

The inside of the church is very pretty, but plainer than Wrenbury's.

The church is subject to subsidence. The tower is 63 feet highbut due to the subsidence the tower was 25 inches (64 cm) off the vertical in 1999, it is reported. There are 6 bells in the tower, which were hung in 1799 and re-hung in 1928.

The church has an octagonal wooden pulpit, it is the oldest surviving wooden pulpit in Cheshire, according to a card written in front of the pulpit. It is certainly very pretty. The crowning glory of the church is the view from the front door of the church and is very much unexpected.

There is an amazing view over one of the two mere's in the village, the one outside the church is Big Mere which is around 500 metres in length and look stunning. We stood in the church yard and listened to the Grebe and Moorhens swimming on the Mere.

The mere's were formed in the ice age, and now are home to lots of wildlife.

After spending sometime looking around the church, we walked down into the village, where there are some lovely houses.

Marbury Cottage on Church Lane dates originally from the late 16th or early 17th century and is believed to have formerly been a dower house.

Walking into the village, we were on the small village green. Overlooking the green is The Swan Inn, which originally dated from 1765, but was completely rebuilt in 1884. It was originally an old farmhouse, which started sell beer some 250 years ago.

There are some grade 2 listed out houses, which would have been farm buildings originally.

Outside the front door of the pub, across the green is the Little Mere. Before walking back to the boat from this sleepy little village, we could not resist popping into The Swan for a half a pint each.

Keith had the Station Bitter.

I had Merlin's Gold.

We then strolled back to the boat, with rain gently falling. It was lovely to walk around a pretty little village, which has been pretty much been untouched. There are a few new houses, but it still has that village feel. back in 1850, nearly all local trades people were involved with agriculture. Around that time the village had two blacksmiths, butchers and shoemakers. There was also a wheelwright and later there was also a smithy, coal merchant, tailor, bake house and one or more grocer's shops. But as the years have gone on these trades have been lost. There are still people employed in agriculture, the cheese making which went on had ceased by 1951. Now apart from the agriculture, the church and the pub there is nothing else, which makes Marbury a sleepy village, with its own character and I really enjoyed seeing it.