Peckforton

The civil parish covers 1,754 acres (710 ha), with an estimated total population of 150 in 2006.

Part of Peckforton Woods, largely planted in 1922, form a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Many of the local buildings were constructed for Lord Tollemache using brick in the 1860s and 1870s as part of the Peckforton Estate.

Praised as a model landlord, he had over fifty farms and many cottages built on his Cheshire estate, at a cost of around £280,000.

[6][7] Labourers were encouraged to rent 3 acres (1.2 ha) of land to farm to supplement their income.

[10] From 1974 the civil parish was served by Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the unitary authority of Cheshire East.

To the east of Stone House Lane, the land is gently undulating with an elevation mainly within the range of 75–100 metres.

[6] Uninhabited since the Second World War, the castle has been used as a film and television location, and as a venue for civil weddings and live-action fantasy role playing.

[9][21] Also by Salvin are the castle's small private chapel and the gatehouse on Stone House Lane.

[22][23] A red sandstone carving depicting an elephant bearing a castle stands in a garden on Stone House Lane in Peckforton village.

The device formed part of the crest of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers and is often associated with public houses, but there has never been a pub called The Elephant and the Castle in Peckforton.

In red brick with a slate roof, the hall has twin gabled bays with a later ungabled wing.

[35] The nearby former farm building of the same date is timber-framed with a mixture of stone, brick and oak boarding; it is also listed at grade II.

[36] Several former Peckforton Estate cottages, built for John Tollemache in around 1860, are listed at grade II.

Constructed in red or brown brick, they typically have a single storey with an attic and feature lozenge windows and prominent chimney stacks.

The farmhouse dates from around 1870 and is in red brick with three bays, lozenge windows and timber studding to the gables.

Peckforton Woods on Stanner Nab
Farmland by Peckforton Moss
Peckforton and Beeston Castles from Stanner Nab
Elephant and castle carving
Fountain Cottages, part of the Peckforton Estate