Organisations and Activities (in order of origin) Click if underlined.
Frandley Quaker Society of Friends 1653
Soulcaking is a long established ceremony that at one time took place all over the country. The existence of soulcaking in Antrobus has been established as far back as 1685. Performing each November, it depicts the triumph of good over evil.
Antrobus St Mark's School 1844.
St Mark's Church 1847.
Antrobus Parish Council first met in 1894 under the name of Sevenoaks. In 1936 it amalgamated with Antrobus and Crowley and continues as the lowest arm of local government. It achieved Quality status in Sep 2006
Nature watching. Major A W Boyd and P Schofield have made well-documented records of bird populations around the village. The naturalist A W Boyd was born in 1885 and moved to Frandley in 1919-1959, spending his free time studying natural history, local history, customs and dialect. He wrote weekly countryside articles for the Manchester Guardian. After the war he published “A Country Parish” and “Diary of a Country Man”. He is commemorated by a walk around Frandley and Antrobus called the Boyd Walk. A leaflet is available from Cheshire West Council. The walk was created by Antrobus Heritage who in 2003 started a 5 year plan to enhance the flora of the parish.
Carol singing. Records show it started in 1930, progressing to 3 nights in 1933. Since 1959 it has carried on in all weathers to celebrate the birth of Jesus at each home, now over 5 nights. Money is raised for a chosen charity.
Antrobus Women’s Institute was formed in 1938 and has popular monthly meetings.
Antrobus Village Hall 1939
Antrobus Fete was first held in 1953. The Rose Queen was first crowned in 1961. The list of names can be seen in the village hall.
Antrobus Village Shop 1962. It became the Antrobus Community Shop, run by volunteers, in Nov 2003.
Organisations and Activities continued
Antrobus Pre-School Nursery was originally a playgroup based in the Parish Hall in 1971. They moved to their own premises with the Primary School in about 1998. When the latter started its own pre-school nursery in 2013 they moved to the Quaker schoolroom in Frandley.
Antrobus Village News. The first newsletter was produced in 1982 following a proposal by the Parish Council.
Church Garden Party. This was started in the late 1980’s with a variety of stalls a raffle and refreshments and has continued ever since.
Jubilee Playground. Approached by 3 mothers in 2000, The Parish Council took up the project and with the help of grants and generous donations it opened in 2002, the Jubilee year, on the Village Hall Field. A further item of equipment was provided in 2016 to make the equipment more accessible.
The Lunch Club, started in 2007, is well attended by around 60 people as a successful social event in the village.
Antrobus Pantomime was started in 2010 to raise money for leukaemia facilities in Liverpool. It has kept going with around 60 people helping out to put on the January show.
Antrobus Community Kitchen Garden. This is not an allotment scheme, but an inclusive and social space where anyone from the village can participate in growing fresh food for themselves whilst part of a wider group. The Kitchen Garden operates as a committee of the Parish Council, who seed funded the polytunnel. It opened on a patch on Reed Lane, provided by Evelyn Bolshaw, in 2011. Produce is on sale in the shop and open days are held annually.
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Acknowledgement. Most of this information is extracted with permission from “Antrobus A Country Parish at the Millennium” produced by the Antrobus Heritage Initiative, copyright Antrobus WI 1999, and its update “Antrobus 2000 to 2015” in 2015. Copies can be purchased from the Village Shop or by contacting the Clerk.