Mobberley, St Wilfrid's Church 1903

Photo ref: 49687

More about this scene

TO THE modern visitor, Mobberley appears to be strung out along Town Lane between Alderley and Knutsford, with at least three centres to the village. There is the modern settlement by the Ilford Works, two communities either side of the Mobberley Brook, and a cluster of houses by the Bird in Hand. It is only when one looks at the history of the place that one gets a clue as to what is going on. Since the Middle Ages, Mobberley has not had a dominant landowner resident in the village. Instead, in the early 17th century there was a tenants` buyout from a couple of non-resident landowners. There is nothing like multiple land ownership to set the landscape as it is virtually impossible to effect any large-scale rearrangement on which everyone will agree. It helps to explain that, except for the post war development, Mobberley is a village of many pubs, as each little settlement knot has at least one place of refreshment. The other factor, which again is not immediately apparent, is the influence of Lindow Moss on the village. Every freeholder in Mobberley had rights to cut peat from the Moss, usually in their designated `moss rooms` or narrow strips of peaty land. This means that even in the 20th century each smallholding was divided between the meadow land around the main farmstead and the moss room on Lindow. Nowadays, one of the main features of the village is the air traffic overhead. Not long ago, no house was complete without a sign against building a second runway at Manchester Airport, and respectable matrons made common cause with dreadlocked eco- warriors. All was unavailing, the runway was built and the planes roar above the village.