Spurstow | |
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The former schoolhouse, Spurstow |
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Spurstow shown within Cheshire | |
Population | 413 (2011 Census) |
OS grid reference | SJ558570 |
Civil parish |
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Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | TARPORLEY |
Postcode district | CW6 |
Dialling code | 01829 |
Police | Cheshire |
Fire | Cheshire |
Ambulance | North West |
EU Parliament | North West England |
UK Parliament | |
Spurstow is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which is located 6½ miles to the north west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the settlement of Spurstow Sketh and part of Radmore Green. The total population is a little over 400 people. Nearby villages include Bunbury, Haughton and Peckforton. The parish is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and contains a salt spring, which was formerly used as a spa.
Spurstow appears as "Spuretone" in the Domesday Book of 1086; it was then held by Robert FitzHugh, and around 180 acres had been cleared for agricultural use.Remains of a medieval village have been found somewhat to the north west of the existing village of Spurstow, which is believed to have subsequently contracted or moved. William de Spurstowe held the manor of Spurstow in the 13th century, and it remained in the hands of the de Spurstowe family until 1685, when it was purchased by the Crewe family. Lower Spurstow was owned by the Aldersey family from the mid-15th century; they lived in the half-timbered Lower Spurstow Hall, which was demolished in around 1891. A silver-gilt crucifix designed to be worn on a chain, dating from the late 14th to early 15th century, was found in the civil parish in 2000.
The area was historically important in salt extraction, with an 18th-century brine spa known as Spurstow White Water or Spurstow Spa, which was credited with health-giving effects. The spa still existed in the mid-19th century, when it appeared in the Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) by Samuel Lewis, who wrote "A mineral spring called Spurstow Spa was formerly much frequented, and baths were erected by Sir Thomas Mostyn, for the accommodation of visiters; but the waters are not at present in repute." A school was built by Hungerford Crewe, Lord Crewe in 1872. The village's shop and post office closed in the 1970s, and the school's closure followed in 1983.