Welcome to the Higher Kinnerton Community Heritage Trail, a short 4 kilometre walk round our lovely and historic village. It serves to introduce locals and visitors alike to the history of our community and highlights a number of significant sights along the way.

Historically, Kinnerton consisted of a number of small hamlets which have grown together over time. The main settlement of Higher Kinnerton was Babylon, at the top end of Main Road, whilst Kinnerton Bridge was further towards Chester on the English-Welsh border and Kinnerton Green lies to the west at the far end of Green Lane. The name Kinnerton probably derives from the Old English name Kynarton meaning Cyneheard’s Farm and it is likely that Higher Kinnerton is the site of the original farm. This name dates back to the 13th century, though Higher Kinnerton is more likely 16th century in origin.

The walk is just under 2½ miles (3.9km) in length and should take between 60 and 90 minutes for most people. The terrain is easy underfoot, though there is one section on the railway embankment which can get muddy after rain. Much of it is on pavement and on quiet country lanes, please be careful when walking on the roads as, although traffic is light, there may be cars and other vehicles. Most of the route is accessible to wheelchair users, there are however two gates to negotiate at either end of the embankment section which may make this section more difficult for some users. As the Trail is essentially circular it can be walked in either direction. The description below is given when following it in an anti-clockwise direction. If you prefer, simply follow the steps in reverse.

Our younger users might like to take part in our Heritage Trail Quiz which has been specifically created to test your observation skills as you walk round the village. There are a total of 20 questions which can be answered as you go, but you will need to keep your eyes open and your wits about you! If you complete the quiz and bring it back to us we are giving out a pin badge to celebrate completion of the trail. Good luck! The quiz can be found at the link below:

https://higherkinnerton.org.uk/higher-kinnerton-heritage-trail-quiz/

The Heritage Trail has been created by the Higher Kinnerton Community Council and was unveiled at the end of 2023. We welcome feedback, if you have any comments please email us at heritagetrail@higherkinnerton.org.uk

The Walk

Higher Kinnerton Heritage Trail logo

Below follows an illustrated description of the trail, in an anti-clockwise direction, identifying a variety of highlights along the route. The pictures should help you navigate your way, along with the map at the top of the page.

  1. Start at the village noticeboard on the crossroads between Main Road and Bennetts Lane, opposite the Village Hall (grid ref SJ 329 612 ) which dates from 1959.
  2. Before heading up Main Road, take a stroll east along Bennetts Lane to The Old Chapel, on the left just beyond the village hall. This was originally an old Methodist Chapel, dating from 1868, and also housed the village post office for a time.
  3. Back to the village hall and opposite, to the left of Park Avenue, is a building which originally housed the village Church in Wales School. This was founded in 1893 but then moved when a new school building (Ysgol Derwen, further down Main Road towards Chester) was erected in 1971 (and subsequently rebuilt in 1996). This original building then became home to Milner Engineering between 1976 and the mid 1990s, a company specialising in the manufacture of miniature scale railway locomotives.
  4. All Saints Church is next to the Old School and was built in 1893. There is an engraved stone low down in the south-facing wall of the church tower. The church was consecrated in 1894.
  5. Walking up the village pass the village shop on your left and then a little further up Main Road is Cannon Way. This estate was built on the site of an old concrete works in the 1990s.
  6. On the right, immediately before The Swan and up the drive, is Kinnerton Hall, a grade II listed building dating from 1740 (then known as Painter Hall) and acquired and subsequently refurbished in the 1880s by the Collinge family who were cotton textile manufacturers from Oldham.
  7. The Swan is one of two traditional pubs in the village (we pass The Royal Oak later in the walk). There is some debate as to which is older, but both are historical buildings and would have started life originally as coaching inns. The adjacent car park is the site of the village garage and petrol pump (now long gone).
  8. Above the Swan car park is Babylon Cottages, a row of terraced cottages, the first of which is the Old Chapel (another one!). This was the Parish Room and has had a varied history accommodating the old village school, a Methodist Meeting House and then the village hall as well as a village shop in the extension.
  9. Further up Babylon Cottages is another old post office building (there is a named post box on the wall and it is marked on the 1912 OS map of the village). Just below this is a small white cottage which is the site of The Smithy.
  10. Opposite is Cae Babylon, the recent Babylon Field estate, built in 2012 on farmland and bounded on the east by the old railway embankment.
  11. A few yards further, on the left, is a bridlepath sign pointing off down a ramp and onto the old railway embankment (GR SJ 327 608). The road here continues over the old railway bridge and past the site of the old Dodd’s Sand quarry to Cuckoo Hill at the top end of the village. Take the bridlepath to the left and head down into woodland and through a gate onto the old railway path. To your right are the twin arches of the old road bridge over the railway. The railway here was part of the old Chester to Denbigh line and closed in April 1962. This section forms part of the “steep” incline up to Penyfford which, in its day, was a challenge for many locomotives.
  12. Follow the bridlepath gently downhill through a pleasant avenue of trees. Note that this section can be muddy when wet, but is generally firm underfoot. On the left you pass first the Babylon Field estate and then the Cannon Way estate and there are views to your right through trees over farmland. At the end of the path there is a ramp down to another gate which brings you out onto Bennetts Lane (GR SJ 332 611)
  13. The next part of the trail is out through rural country lanes to Kinnerton Green and then back into Higher Kinnerton. Turn right out of the gate and head down Bennetts Lane to the crossroads with Sandy Lane. Go straight across and continue on Green Lane which curves gently before reaching a t-junction with Stringers Lane. This is Kinnerton Green. There are old farm buildings here left and right.
  14. Turn left and proceed along The Green, passing Green Farm and New Green Farm and again views east across fields (towards Chester) before the road turns sharp left through a gap in the railway embankment (there is no longer a bridge, it was removed to save on maintenance costs!). At the end of The Green is Sandy Lane.
  15. Turn left here on Sandy Lane and walk about 200m to a bridlepath sign on the right. This is Malkins Lane, now a public bridle way, which cuts through from the Meadowcroft estate to the Scout Headquarters and Main Road.
  16. Follow Malkins Lane, crossing Deans Way and keeping the village field on your left before emerging on Main Road, with the outdoor gym through a gate on your left. Opposite and to the left is Springfield Cottage, which was home to Harry Milton, the station master at nearby Kinnerton railway station.
  17. Turn right on Main Road and walk down to the Royal Oak, the second of our two village pubs. Another inn that is shown on old maps of the area, it clearly has a history as a coaching inn dating back to the 17th century according to its website.
  18. At the Royal Oak turn left onto Kinnerton Lane, walking past Brook Farm tucked away on your right. On your left now is the latest estate, Kinnerton Meadows which was developed through 2019 and whose streets are named after men of the village who were killed in the Great War.
  19. Immediately beyond the estate, and opposite Lesters Lane, a footpath heads off to your left which takes you back toward the village centre. This follows the line of Stile Road which connected Park Avenue (then known as Slaters Lane) to Kinnerton Lane. Follow this footpath onto Park Avenue where, on your right, Crompton Hall is tucked away in amongst the trees, another grade II listed house of the village dating back to the 17th century.
  20. Now walk up Park Avenue. Most of the houses along here date from the 1930s. On the right is one of the village’s three play parks and, beyond, the village allotments which stand on the site of the Poor Grounds of the village, the produce from which were for the benefit of the poor of the community.
  21. Continue back to the Village Hall at the Main Road crossroads and the start of your walk today.

Hopefully you will have enjoyed our village Heritage Trail as you have followed the paths and lanes round our village and will have learnt a little of the fascinating story of how Higher Kinnerton has grown over the years. If you have the time you may care to take refreshment in one of the two village inns (passed during the Trail) or in our village café, Walter’s.

The Journal of Kinnerton Village Life

We are indebted to a number of parties for help in researching and putting together the resources for this walk, notably Michael Collins of the village walking group. An invaluable source of information on the history of our village can be found in the hard-to-source Journal of Kinnerton Village Life, produced by the Kinnerton History Group and which documents a history of the various hamlets which now form Higher Kinnerton. It includes its own guided walk round the village, and is illustrated with a plethora of fascinating old images of a bygone era. If you can find a copy it makes for a fascinating read.