Hoole

Not to be confused with Hoole Village, a civil parish near Chester.
For people named Hoole, see Hoole (surname). For other uses, see Hoole (disambiguation).
Hoole

All Saints' Church, Hoole
Hoole
 Hoole shown within Cheshire
Population 9,359 (2011)
OS grid referenceSJ425671
Civil parishHoole Village
Unitary authorityCheshire West and Chester
Ceremonial countyCheshire
RegionNorth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town CHESTER
Postcode district CH2
Dialling code 01244
Police Cheshire
Fire Cheshire
Ambulance North West
EU Parliament North West England
UK ParliamentCity of Chester
List of places
UK
England
Cheshire

Coordinates: 53°11′49″N 2°51′43″W / 53.197°N 2.862°W / 53.197; -2.862

Hoole is a suburb in the east of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.

The population of this Chester Ward taken at the 2011 census was 9,359.[1]

History

The settlement was first mentioned in the Register of the Abbey of Saint Werburgh in 1119. The name is believed to mean "at the hollows" (or hole), possibly referring to the "hollow way" formed by a Roman roadway.[2]

Hoole was a separate urban district in Cheshire until 1954 when it was made part of the County Borough of Chester.

Description

Hoole is a residential area, contiguous with Newton to the north, and consisting of mainly Victorian terraced houses and 1930s semi-detached houses. Due to the proximity of the area to Chester city centre, Chester railway station and the M53 motorway, the area is home to many hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments.

The main shopping streets are Faulkner Street and Charles Street, With one of Chesters best Co-op Food stores located just around the corner on Walker Street. Hoole has branches of two high street banks with cash machine facilities. Open spaces in Hoole include Alexandra Park which provides tennis courts, bowling greens and a children's play area and the Coronation Playing Fields.[2][3] A large area of allotments is accessible from both Canadian Avenue and Hoole Lane. There is also a private tennis club, Hoole Lawn Tennis Club.[4]

On 17 July 2009 sixteen flats on Hoole Lane were destroyed following an explosion on the first floor. More than thirty firefighters tackled the resulting fire at the two-storey building in Wharton Court.[5]

Places of worship

There are four churches in Hoole:[6] Anglican,[7] Baptist,[8] Methodist and United Reformed. These churches work together to host Hoole's largest free annual event 'Funday on a Sunday', which attracted more than 6,000 people in July 2006.[9] This event was held in previous years in Alexandra Park, but in 2006 moved to the nearby, larger, Coronation Playing Fields. The Funday event was held on the Coronation Playing Fields again in 2007 and 2008, by which time it had become part of the Chester-wide Chesterfest organised by churches in Chester.

Events

The annual Hoole Christmas Lights switch attracts crowds of thousands to Faulkner Street to watch the Christmas lights being switched on by a local celebrity.

Doubletree by Hilton Chester (formerly Hoole Hall Hotel)

Main article: Hoole Hall

Hoole is home to the Doubletree by Hilton Chester hotel and country club. Formerly known as Hoole Hall Hotel it was taken over and by Hilton Hotels and features a Marco Pierre White restaurant.

Sticky Walnut restaurant

The critically acclaimed Sticky Walnut restaurant is located on Charles Street. In 2014 it was named UK Restaurant of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards. [10][11]

Famous residents

RAF pilot and charity founder Leonard Cheshire was born (on 7 September 1917) at 65 Hoole Road, which is now a guest house.[12]

Russ Abbot (born Russell Allan Roberts on 18 September 1947), is the lead singer of the Black Abbots and later become a solo comedian.

Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriet has lived in Hoole with his wife Leanne and son Joe since 2009.

See also

References

  1. "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 Ward profile: Hoole All Saints, Chester City Council, retrieved 26 April 2008
  3. Ward profile: Hoole Groves, Chester City Council, retrieved 26 April 2008
  4. Hoole Lawn Tennis Club, retrieved 1 March 2007
  5. Flats destroyed after huge blast, BBC News, 17 July 2009, retrieved 20 July 2009
  6. Churches And Places Of Worship, Hoole Online, retrieved 1 March 2007
  7. All Saints Church, Hoole, retrieved 1 March 2007
  8. Hoole Baptist Church Home Page, retrieved 1 March 2007
  9. Be the Light newsletter (Issue 12, Christmas 2006) (PDF), The Light Project, retrieved 1 March 2007
  10. Chester Chronicle website, retrieved 18 May 2015
  11. Guardian review website, retrieved 18 May 2015
  12. Ba Ba Guest House Website, retrieved 16 July 2010
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