Allostock

Allostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about five miles south of Knutsford and 20 miles south of Manchester. Allostock was formerly in the borough of Vale Royal until it was abolished on 1 April 2009 to form Cheshire West and Chester. Allostock is located on an affluent of the river Weaver. It had a population of 816 according to the 2011 census data as well as 325 households.John Bartholemew wrote this in 1887 about Allostock:"Allostock, township, Great Budworth par., mid. Cheshire, 5 miles S. of Knutsford, 3017 ac., pop. 501."OriginAllostock's name was developed from the Celtic word 'Lostock' which in Celtic means a place of piggeries. Lostock then became 'Auld' or 'Old Lostock' which eventually lead to the name Allostock. Despite it being overlooked in the doomsday book the origin of the name implies that the piggery was a growing concern before the Norman invasion and possibly even the Romans. The earliest recorded reference of 'Alostocke' was in the 13th century in the Leycester of Tabley papers. During the Saxon settlement in the 7th-century part of today's Allostock was named 'Bradshaw' ("the broad wood"). The name still exists in Brook, with Bradshaw Brook Farm, Bradshaw Brook Methodist church and Bradshaw House.Places of interestShakerely mere is a former sand quarry that was filled with water when production was stopped in the 1960s. It is home to much wildlife, where fishing and dog walking are popular activities around the area. There are two churches in Allostock, one is part of the ecclesiastical parish of St Oswald's, Lower Peover. There is also Bradshaw Brooks Methodist church on Middlewich road. Allostock has no school and younger children usually attend Byley School – some going to Lower Peover C.E. Primary School. Older children can go to Holmes Chapel Comprehensive and Knutsford and Middlewich also have comprehensive schools. There are three pubs/restaurants in Allostock, The Drovers Arms, The Three Greyhounds on the junction between Middlewich road and Holmes Chapel road, and The Cottage located on the A50.