Batherton
Batherton is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Stapeley and District, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies immediately south of Nantwich and is jointly administered with the nearby settlement of Stapeley. In 2011 the parish had a population of 124. The River Weaver runs along the western boundary, and its floodplain provides a habitat for wetland species, including the great crested newt and the nationally rare black poplar.
Governance
Batherton is administered by Stapeley and District Parish Council jointly with the larger adjacent parish of Stapeley. From 1974 the civil parish was served by Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the new unitary authority of Cheshire East. Batherton falls in the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich, which has been represented by Kieran Mullan since 2019, after being represented by Laura Smith, Edward Timpson and Gwyneth Dunwoody.Batherton was formerly a township in the parish of Wybunbury, in 1866 Batherton became a civil parish, on 1 April 2023 the parish was abolished and merged with Stapeley to form "Stapeley and District".
Geography, ecology and transport
The civil parish has an area of. It is rural, with the land use being predominantly agricultural. Farms include New Dairy House Farm, The Willow Farm, Mill Bank Farm, Mill Lane Farm, Batherton Farm, Hollies Farm and Grove Farm. Much of the area is classified by Cheshire Wildlife Trust as "East Lowland Plain" with the south east being "Lower Farms and Woods". The River Weaver forms much of the western boundary, with a short stretch near Mill Bank Farm falling within the parish, and Ardle Brook runs along the southern boundary. The area around the Weaver and part of Ardle Brook has been described by CWT as having medium or high habitat distinctiveness and providing a significant corridor for wildlife. The Weaver floodplain harbours wetland species including the great crested newt and native black poplar, which are among the rarest British trees. The ground is flat, with an average elevation of around ; the low point is below at the Weaver and the high point above near Hollies Farm in the south east. There are several small areas of woodland within the parish, including Elliott's Wood, Millennium Wood and Smiths Millennium Wood. Numerous small meres and ponds are scattered across the area, particularly in Millennium Wood.The A529 from Nantwich runs along or just to the east of the eastern boundary, and from it, no-through lanes serve New Dairy House Farm, and Batherton Hall, Mill Bank Farm and The Mill House. The Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk, a long-distance footpath, runs from Broad Lane to Mill Bank Farm, where it crosses the Weaver via a footbridge.