# Lymm

Lymm (/ˈlɪm/ LIM) is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little Heatley, Oughtrington, Reddish, Rushgreen and Statham. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 12,660 and the built up area had a population of 11,545. The village borders Greater Manchester to the east, 1 mile from Salford to the north.

## History

The name Lymm, of Celtic origins, means a "place of running water" and is likely derived from an ancient stream that ran through the village centre. The village appears as "Limme" in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Lymm was an agricultural village until the Industrial Revolution, which brought the Bridgewater Canal and the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway to the village. The village played a prominent role within the salt extraction industry, gold beating industry and cotton industry (many of its inhabitants were fustian cutters).
In 2017, Lymm was voted as one of the Best Places to Live by The Times and The Sunday Times list. In 2023, the village was voted as one of Britain's Most Desirable Towns by The Daily Telegraph, and third Most Desirable place to live in Northern England by the Telegraph.

## Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Lymm, at civil parish and unitary authority level: Lymm Parish Council and Warrington Borough Council. The parish council is based at the Village Hall on Pepper Street. For national elections, Lymm forms part of the Tatton constituency.

### Administrative history

Lymm was an ancient parish in the Bucklow Hundred of Cheshire.
The parish was made a local government district in 1863, administered by an elected local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894. Lymm Urban District Council subsequently built itself offices at the corner of Whitbarrow Road and Brookfield Road, which were completed in 1902.
Lymm Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The area became part of the Borough of Warrington. A successor parish called Lymm was created in 1974 covering the area of the former urban district. District-level functions passed to Warrington Borough Council, which became a unitary authority in 1998 when it also took over county-level services within the borough from Cheshire County Council.

## Education

Lymm High School accepts students from Lymm and the surrounding villages and hamlets. It was judged as 'Good' in its 2024 Ofsted inspection with the sixth form provision being judged as ‘Outstanding’. In December 2023 and 2024 The Sunday Times ranked the school as one of the top five secondary schools in the North West and one of the top secondary schools in the Warrington area.
Lymm is also in the catchment for Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
There are four primary schools within Lymm. The following three primary schools formed as an Academy by the Beam Education Trust in May 2021:
* Oughtrington Primary School (Ofsted rating 'Outstanding', 2020)
* Ravenbank Community Primary School (Ofsted rating 'Good', 2023)
* Statham Primary School (Ofsted rating 'Good', 2023)
The fourth primary school is Cherry Tree Primary School, located in the southern part of Lymm, and was rated as 'Good' at its last Ofsted inspection in 2024.
The Manchester Japanese School (マンチェスター日本人補習授業校 Manchesutā Nihonjin Hoshū Jugyō Kō), a weekend Japanese educational programme, is held at the Language Centre at Lymm High School.

## Culture and heritage

Lymm Heritage Centre, which opened in June 2017, is in the centre of the village on Legh Street. It hosts exhibitions related to local history as well as activities for schools and visitors.
Morris dancing was taking place in Lymm as early as 1817, often appearing in the village at Rushbearing time throughout the Victorian era. Morris dancing continues to feature within the village with Lymm Morris dancers frequently performing during Rushbearing and at the various annual village festivals including the Lymm May Queen Festival, Lymm Festival and Lymm Dickensian Festival.
Lymm is twinned with Meung-sur-Loire, an ancient village and commune near Orléans, France.

## Landmarks

Lymm village centre is a designated conservation area, notable for its historic buildings, both listed and unlisted including the French-style terracotta former town hall, St Peter's Church and Lymm Hall. Another is Oughtrington Hall and Lodge (formerly owned by a cadet branch of the Leigh family) this is now Lymm High School. Foxley Hall, home to a cadet branch of the ancient Booth family before ownership passed to the Carlisle family, is no longer standing, but fustian-cutting cottages on Church Road and Arley Grove do survive.
The parish church of St Peter, Oughtrington, is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. St Mary's Church, Lymm, overlooking Lymm Dam and dating back to 1521, was rebuilt in the 19th century after falling into disrepair. Lymm Baptist Church was built in 1850 and an attached Sunday school was built in 1851.
Lymm Cross, usually known simply as "the Cross", is a Grade I listed structure dating from the 17th century, restored in 1897.
A “dinosaur” (reptile) footprint was discovered in the Victorian era, in one of Lymm's many quarries, which is thought to be from the Triassic period. It is on display in the centre of the village.
Spud Wood is a recreational area, located next to the Bridgewater Canal, managed by the Woodland Trust. In 2014 the community was granted a licence to run a wood allotment scheme where local residents can coppice and fell wood. There is also a community orchard located in grounds behind Oughtrington Community Centre – run by the same local group.

## Transport

The M56 (junctions 7, 8 and 9) and M6 (junction 19 and 20) motorways are both within 3 miles (4.8 km) of Lymm. The conjunction of these motorways with the A50 is known as the Lymm Interchange, and hosts a service station known as the Poplar 2000 services, a well-used truck stop. The A56 also passes just south of the village, connecting the nearby towns of Warrington and Altrincham. The CAT5/5A buses to Lymm from Warrington and Altrincham are frequent on weekdays and Saturdays.
Lymm Historic Transport Day is an annual summer festival celebrating various modes of transport, from canal boats to vintage vehicles, which takes place in the village on the May Queen field.

### Waterways

The Bridgewater Canal passes through the centre of Lymm. The Manchester Ship Canal passes to the north, and beyond its route lies the River Mersey. To the east of Lymm the River Bollin flows along the village's border with Warburton and the borough of Trafford. A number of small brooks feed the popular tourist attraction of Lymm Dam, built in 1824 to enable the construction of the Stockport–Warrington Road (now known as the A56).

### Railways

Lymm railway station was on Whitbarrow Road. It opened on 1 November 1853 as part of the Warrington and Altrincham Junction railway. There was a further station at Heatley, on Mill Lane, for salt and lead. To the east, the track ran via Dunham into Broadheath and the Manchester network. To the west, the track used to run into Warrington, via Latchford, and the tar processing on Loushers Lane, then into Bank Quay Low Level.
The line closed to passengers on 10 September 1962; it was officially closed to all types of traffic on 7 July 1985, but lasted a few months. Then it became financially unviable, and the tracks and sleepers were rapidly lifted. Lymm today has no railway station; the closest stations are at Glazebrook, Birchwood, Warrington, Knutsford and Altrincham.

### Cycleways

Today the old Railway through Lymm forms a good stretch of the Trans Pennine Trail, with a ranger station at Statham, near the centre of the village. In 2022, upgrade work to certain sections of the trail commenced to provide updated all weather surfaces for users.

## Demography

Note: statistics expressed as percentages may not add up to 100%. Census data is based on that of Lymm Ward from the 2011 censuses.

### Population

* Total population: 12, 700 residents
* Households: 5,300
* Male:female ratio: 47.9%:52.1%
* Average age of population: 46 years

### Ethnicity breakdown

* 95.2% White
* 2.2% Mixed
* 2.0% Asian
* 0.3% Black
* 0.4% Other

### Highest educational qualifications

* 10.2% have no qualifications.
* 4.8% have an apprenticeship qualification.
* 33.6% have a level 1, 2 or 3 or qualification.
* 49.4% have a level 4 qualification or higher.

## RAF Air Cadets

2137 (Lymm) Squadron formed in 1964 as part of the programme to reestablish units that had been closed following the Second World War. They formed at Park Road in Broomedge with a wooden spooner hut. In 2015 this was demolished to make way for a new £300,000 facility which was opened in 2016. In April 2018 the Squadron lead the Royal Air Force Air Cadets action to commemorate the Royal Air Force centenary by travelling to the first RAF airfield at Saint-Omer in France and parading on behalf of the RAF and Ministry of Defence.

## Sport

Association football is played in Lymm, there are adult and junior teams playing at Lymm Rovers F.C. and another junior team – Lymm Piranhas J.F.C.. Lymm Rugby Union Club fields four teams on a regular basis.
There is angling at Lymm Dam and at several other fisheries including Heatley Mere and Meadow View. Angling is represented by the Lymm Angling Club.
Lymm has a number of sports facilities, including:
* Lymm Golf Club
* Lymm Lawn Tennis Club
* Lymm Croquet Club
* Lymm Oughtrington Park Cricket Club – whose home ground is in the former grounds of Oughtrington Hall, a former ancestral home of a cadet branch of the Leigh family
* Lymm Leisure Centre, which is next door to the cricket club at Lymm High School – has a swimming pool, badminton court and gym facilities
* Crown green bowling takes place in Stage Lane, the Oughtrington Bowling Club having been established for more than a century
Lymm has a number of cycling (Lymm Velo Club), triathlon (Cheshire CAT) and running clubs (Lymm Runners).

## Notable people

* Elizabeth Pulman (1836 in Lymm – 1900), British-born New Zealand photographer, the country's first female professional photographer, emigrated 1861
* Ralph Slazenger Moss (1845 in Lymm – 1910) , together with his brother founded British sports equipment brand Slazenger
* Gerard Dewhurst (1872–1956), English cotton merchant, banker and amateur footballer, earning one international cap for England in 1895; grew up at Oughtrington Hall in Lymm
* Cicely Fox Smith (1882 in Lymm – 1954), English poet and writer
* Kenneth Carlisle (1882 in Lymm – 1967), English cricketer active from 1903 to 1905 who played for Oxford University
* Robert Westall (1929–1993), author, lived at 1 Woodland Avenue in Lymm until his death. He bought 107 Higher Lane in the village, close to Woodland Avenue, using royalties from his children's books and used it as his writing office.
* Sir John Stalker (1939–2019), former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, lived in Lymm
* Alex Timpson (1946 in Lymm – 2016), British campaigner for children's rights
* Matthew Corbett (born 1948), Sooty puppeteer, lived for many years in the white house on the canal bank
* Andrew Murray (born 1956), English professional golfer, lives in Lymm
* Ian Brown (born 1963), former lead singer for The Stone Roses, lives in Lymm
* Aiden Byrne (born 1972), English chef who starred in Great British Menu, owns The Church Green in Lymm
* David Strettle (born 1983 in Lymm), Saracens F.C. rugby union player
* Dan Logan (born 1985), English musician, brought up in Lymm
* Harry Worley (born 1988 in Lymm), retired English professional footballer, 140 professional appearances
* Tom Murray (born 1990), English professional golfer, lives in Lymm
* Alex Mitchell (born 1997), English professional rugby player, played in Lymm
* Miya Ocego (born 1999/2000), actress and model, grew up in Lymm

## In popular culture

The 2011 television series Candy Cabs and the 2015 Sky 1 television series After Hours were filmed in Lymm. A scene from Paul Abbott's television series No Offence was filmed in Lymm in 2014. Central Lymm is featured in episode 7 of the 2016 Netflix production of Paranoid.
Lymm has its own radio station, Cheshire's Mix 56, created in 2020. It broadcasts 24 hours a day and is run by volunteers.