Lawton Hall Estate Residents Handbook
Contents LAWTON HALL ESTATE... 1 RESIDENTS HANDBOOK... 1 WELCOME TO LAWTON HALL ESTATE... 3 A BRIEF HISTORY OF LAWTON HALL... 3 SOME USEFUL INFORMATION... 5 ESTATE GATES...5 ELECTRIC GATES...5 MANUAL GATE OVERRIDE...5 PATH GATES...6 REFUSE COLLECTION...6 HOME WATCH SCHEME...6 ESTATE WEBSITE...6 LIVING WITH YOUR NEIGHBOURS...6 SITE PLAN...7 LOCAL DIRECTORY...8 ESTATE CONTACTS... 9 RESIDENTS COMMITTEE...9 SOCIAL COMMITTEE CONTACTS...11
Welcome to Lawton Hall Estate This leaflet has been created to provide residents, both new and existing, with some useful information about Lawton Hall Estate. If there is anything you feel needs to be added, corrected or removed please feel free to contact your area rep whose details can be found towards the back of this document. A brief history of Lawton Hall Lawton Hall can be dated back to Adam de Lauton who lived during the reign of King John (1199-1216) and King Henry III (1216-72). Historical legend tells of a time in his life when he rescued the Earl of Chester from an attack by a wounded animal and in gratitude was granted "that amount of land around which he could walk in a day". His walk circumferenced a one thousand acre parcel of land that originally stretched from Congleton to Sandbach and as far as Longport. It was this thousand-acre estate that became the Parish of Lauton. In the late twelfth or early thirteenth century the Lawton family built a home on land that acquired from the Crown. It stood for some two hundred years until the beginning of the fifteenth century when this home burned to the ground. After this another and more substantial home was built on the same spot by Hugh Lawton and his wife Isabella Madock. This second home had solid foundations and cellars. It is also known to have had a beautiful flagstone floor. This home was apparently removed by William Lawton and his wife Mary Maxfield very near the start of the seventeenth century to make way for still a third home on this spot. It is known that the second home did not fall down, nor was it burned. This latest new home, was built about the year sixteen hundred and served the Lawton family through many generations. By 1906 Lawton Hall was being used as a hotel. This continued until 1943 when it was requisitioned for use as a Civil Defence Reserve Camp. At some point the Lawton family had vacated the home.
Shortly after World War II, in 1950, the Hall began use as a school. This period of usage lasted until 1986. During this time maintenance of the Hall was poor to non-existent. Since closure of the school the Hall remained unoccupied until recently. In 1989 a company named Lawton Leisure Ltd. Applied for a plan to convert the Hall into a hotel with Leisure facilities. The plans were approved by the Congleton Borough Council in April 1990, but were never implemented as the Lawton family refused to sell the property, wanting only to lease it. During July 1994 Robincorp Ltd. fell some one hundred trees on the property, until stopped by an order issued by the Congleton Borough Council. The Forestry Authority prepared a report for possible legal action against Robincorp, but no action was taken due to ownership questions. RobinCorp submitted and withdrew various plans over the subsequent 3-4 year however no renovation took place. In 1999 Gleesons took over the development and plans were approved to renovate the Hall by converting it into 4 houses and 5 apartments. The stables were rebuilt into 5 homes, the coach houses were split into 8 properties with the remaining land being used to develop 12 detached houses.
Some Useful information Estate Gates There are a several gates that allow access to the estate. Electric Gates These can be operated via a key fob; also by entering the code into the touch pad; manually if the other two options fail. Currently the gate code is 224466 + <ENTER>. The gate code is changed periodically and each resident will be informed of the new code when this occurs. Manual Gate Override Step 1 Located on the inside of the gates are two metal boxes, one grey, one black. The black box has a padlock which can be opened using the code 4488 Step 2 Inside the box there is a metal key. It looks like a large allen key but star shaped at the end. Step 3 At the bottom of the gate in the corner where the gate is hinged you will find a black plastic plug. Remove the plug. Step 4 Insert the large allen key and turn. Once turned the gates may be opened easily by hand.
Step 5 Please make sure the director (or deputy) for your area is notified so the Management Company can call the gate maintainer for appropriate action. Path gates There are two path gates on the estate each locked with a combination padlock. The first gate is adjacent to the main site entrance. The code for this gate is currently 2246. The second gate is at the back of the estate, past the front of the hall and towards the woods. The code for this gate is currently 2244. The combinations for both of these gates will change periodically, and each resident will be informed of the new code when this happens. Refuse Collection Refuse collection is weekly for normal bins and fortnightly for green waste, plastics, glass/tins and paper. This occurs on Thursday mornings. Home Watch Scheme The estate has been registered with the local Home Watch scheme. Each house should have received a sticker and a Home Watch incident card that should be completed if any suspicious activities has been witnessed. If anyone has not received these items please contact your area rep who will be able to put you in touch with the estate Home Watch co-ordinator. Estate Website A website containing information about Lawton Hall estate has been created to provide some interesting and useful information to Estate residents and the general public. The address for the site is www.lawtonhall.com. Within the site there is a residents only section, which requires a password to enter, which contains Estate specific information such as meeting minutes and Estate budgets. The password is currently set to beau - any updates to this password will be distributed by the area representatives. Living with your neighbours The following is a list of a few things that that would benefit the whole estate if each resident tried to follow. All of the points detailed are pretty obvious, but it doesn t do any harm to reiterate them: Parking This can be and has been an issue on the estate. If possible garages and allocated parking bays should be used, additionally residents and visitors can use the communal parking areas. As a last resort parking on the roads around the estate should be done in a considerate manner, trying to not to cause obstructions for other vehicles or blocking pathways which makes it difficult for people to negotiate. Speed limits There is no official site speed limit but please try to adhere to a maximum speed of 10 m.p.h. while driving around the estate.
Bins These can be unsightly and can cause obstructions when left out after the rubbish has been collected. If possible please try to remove empty bins/recycling boxes as soon as physically possible. Site Plan
Local Directory The following is a list of useful numbers. This list is by no means complete please feel free to pass on any other details to your area rep, especially if it s a recommendation for a good pub or restaurant. Borough Council Congleton Borough Council - 01270 529529 Cheshire County Council - 01244 602424 Emergency Services Cheshire Constabulary Police Division - 01270 500222 Police non-emergency - 0845 458 0000 Ambulance Station - 0151 2605220 Fire and Rescue Service - 01606 868700 Fire Station (Crewe) - 01270 211144 Fire Station (Kidsgrove) - 01785 898300 Health Centres NHS Direct - 0845 46 47 University Hospital Of North Staffordshire - 01782 715444 Leighton Hospital, Crewe - 01270 255909 Doctors Kidsgrove Medical Centre - 01782 777991 Merepark Medical Centre, Alsager - 01270 275600 Rode Heath Surgery - 01270 872872 Cinderhill Lane Surgery, Scholar Green - 01782 782872 R.J.Mitchell Medical Centre, Kidsgrove - 01782 782215 Travel National Rail Enquiries - 0845 7484950 National Express Coaches - 08705 808080 Manchester Airport - 0161 4893000 Liverpool Airport - 0870 7508484 Birmingham - 0121 7675511 East Midlands - 01332 852852 Travel Line - 0870 6082608 Utilities Environment Agency - 0800 807060 United Utilities (Water) - 0845 746 2200 Transco (Gas emergency Service) 0800 111 999 E-on general enquiries 0800 052 0346 Sales agent verification 0800 056 6278 Npower Field sales - 0845 601 1102 Meter readers - 0800 073 3355 British Gas meter readers MSL - 0800 169 4667 Accuread - 0800 393 499 Siemens - 0800 015 2221 British Gas Field Sales Advisers - 0800 300 100 British Gas Engineers - 0845 736 5100 Emergency Gas Escape number - 0800 111 999 Taxis Alsager Cabs 01270 872941 Kidsgrove Taxis 01782 775775 Education South Cheshire College - 01270 654654 Sandbach High School - 01270 758870 Sandbach Community Primary - 01270 763701 Alsager High School - 01270 871100 Nurseries & Pre-school Kidsunlimited, Crewe - 01270 254662 Bridge Farm, Crewe - 01270 505686 Apples & Pears, Smallwood - 01477 500 253 NuNu, Holmes Chapel - 01477 549494 Late Night Shopping CO-OP, Scholar Green - 01782 782110 Sainsbury's local, Alsager - 01270 872143 Tesco, Kidsgrove (24hr) - 0845 6779391 Tesco, Congleton (24hr) - 0845 6779196 Restaurants Art of Siam, Newcastle - 01782 629664 Belle Epoque, Knutsford - 01565 634150 Blue Chilli, Newcastle - 01782 715885 Bon O Phool, Congleton - 01260 274488 La Casa Vecchia, Sandbach - 01270 761077 Christianos, Tarporley - 01829 733833 Crewe Hall ( includes Π r2 ), Crewe - 01270 253333 Curshaws, Sandbach - 01270 753009 L' Endroit, Congelton - 01260 299548 Indian Spice, Alsager - 01270 884475 Lock 57, Hassall Green, Sandbach - 01270 762266 The Pavilion, Congleton - 01260 278576 Pecks, nr Congleton - 01260 275161 Rookery Hall, Nantwich - 01270 610016 Red lounge bar and kitchen, Newcastle - 01782 740750 The Yellow Broom, Goostrey - 01477 534048 Pubs The Bleeding Wolf, Scholar Green - 01782 782272 The Blue Bell, Smallwood - 01477 500262 The Broughton Arms, Balterley - 01270 820277 The Bulls Head, Smallwood - 01477 500247 The Fox and Barrel, Tarporley - 01829 760529 Cheshire Cheese, Alsager - 01270 500304 Egerton Arms, Astbury - 01260 277273 The Hand and Trumpet, Wrinehill - 01270 820048 Legs of Man, Arclid - 01477 500332 The Plough Inn, Eaton - 01260 280207 Swettenham Arms, Swettenham - 01477 571284 Sport Alsager Leisure Centre - 01270 529501 Congleton Leisure Centre - 01270 529502 Sandbach Leisure Centre - 01270 529503 Crewe Swimming Pool - 01270 560052 Fitness First - 01270 257300 Total Fitness - 01270 504299 Balantynes - 01270 253100 Leisure Lyceum Theatre, Crewe - 01270 537333
Odeon, Stoke 0871 22 44 007 Victoria Hall Theatre, Stoke - 0870 060 6649 Vue Cinema, Newcastle - 0871 2240240 Warner Village, Crewe - 0870 2406020 Libraries Alsager - 01270 873552 Sandbach - 01270 762309 Kidsgrove - 01782 782445 Crewe - 01270 211123 Domestic Services Ovenu, oven valeting service - 01270 256958 Estate Contacts There are two separate committees on the estate, the Residents Committee and the Social committee. Each committee has its own set of responsibilities and areas of interest. News and information about both of these committees can be found on the estate website: www.lawtonhall.com Residents Committee The residents committee is made of a number of residents, each of which represent the area of the estate in which they live, along with a Chairman and a Secretary. Each member of the residents committee is a Director of the Lawton Hall Estate Management Company Ltd, all having made the relevant directorship registration with Companies House. The members of the committee are there to represent the best interests of the estate residents. Please feel free to contact the relevant representative for your area if you have any concerns or issues that you would like addressing. The minutes from each residents committee meeting are posted in the residents area of the www.lawtonhall.com website. Please take time to read these minutes as they contain important information in relation to the estate. Committee Member Position Address e-mail Home Number Mobile Number Andrew Knight Chairman The Gardens, Church Lawton. Lynn Jackson Secretary 14 The Gardens, andrew.m.knight@btinternet.com lynnjackson1@btinternet.com 01270 879811 07949 385125 Peter O'Brien Director - The Gardens Jon Lusby Director - The Coach Houses 18 The Gardens, 7 The Coach House, peter@tmsestates.com 01270 875234 07748 308046 jon@thelusbys.co.uk 01270 878876 07795 214917 Dennis Dunn Director - 2 The Stables, dunndn@aol.com 01270 874767 07786 660213
The Stables Chris Bailey Director - The Hall ST7 3EH 8 The Hall, ST7 3ET chris@primastoke.org.uk
Social Committee Contacts The social committee is made up of a number of volunteers from each of the areas within the estate. This committee was set up to organise social events in order to build a sense of community spirit within the estate. Additionally, some of the events have been used as a way raising funds that can be reinvested back into the estate. For further information please visit the www.lawtonhall.com website or speak to any of the representatives listed below. Additionally, if you want to get involved or have any ideas of potential social events feel free to contact any of the reps. Committee Member Position Address e-mail Home Number Mobile Number Chairman Treasurer (Temporary) Wendy Dean Representative of The Gardens 9 The Gardens, 01270 882983 Mandy Kitchingman/ Caroline Lusby Representatives of The Coach Houses 3, The Coach House 01270 879879/ 01270 878876 Denise Taylor- Dunn Representative of The Stables 2, The Stables, DTaylorDunn@aol.com 01270 874767 Vivienne Wall Representative of The Hall 7, Lawton Hall. Viviennet@tesco.net