Cuddington, Vale Royal
| Cuddington | |
|---|---|
 The Round Tower Lodge, Sandiway |
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 Cuddington
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| Cuddington shown within Cheshire | |
| Population | 5,333 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ602718 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORTHWICH |
| Postcode district | CW8 |
| Dialling code | 01606 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Cuddington is a civil parish and rural village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 4 miles west of Northwich and 13 miles east of Chester.
Within the civil parish of Cuddington are two villages: Cuddington and Sandiway. Sandiway was transferred from Weaverham civil parish in 1936.
The name Cuddington is Anglo Saxon and derives from the 'Tun of Cuda' which translates to the 'People of Cuda'. Cuddington was designated as a township in the 7th century when the then Archbishop of Canterbury (Theodore) introduced the parochial system within the Parish of Weaverham. Cuddington's church was first set up as a chapel of ease. In ancient times the village was famed for its medicinal spring that has since been lost.
Cuddington and Sandiway have been villages since the Forest of Mondrem covered an area from Frodsham and the Mersey all the way towards Nantwich. There is a Bronze Age burial ground in Norley another local village and Iron Age hill forts at Eddisbury and Oakmere, the ancient highway of Peytefinsty, linking Weaverham with Tarporley and many other local Roman roads confirm the age of the village.
Prior to 1935 the centre of Cuddington was on top of the high ground near to what is now Delamere Park but in that year it merged with Bryn (meaning 'hill' which was between Cuddington and Sandiway), Sandiway and parts of Gorstage becoming the ecclesiastical and civil parish, Cuddington and Sandiway.
The early history of Cuddington and Sandiway is also closely associated with Vale Royal Abbey, at nearby Whitegate, once the largest Cistercian abbey church in Britain. Sandiway's most famous building is the "Round Tower Lodge" which was built in the early 19th century as the gatehouse to Vale Royal Abbey. The 18-foot high tower is said to have a concealed dungeon which was used as a hiding place by King Charles II. At that time it stood on a quiet country lane but the road became increasingly important and the tower is now a unique landmark in the central reservation of the A556. Now a listed building with a castellated top and bricked up gothic windows, it was a residence until the 1920s and had a single story extension to its east wall which has since been removed.
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Wikipedia