Malpas: Medieval Buildings and Walks Through the Countryside

Malpas brings together listed buildings, a motte with a connection to the landscape, and several circular walks. If you are looking for a hotel in Malpas, you can use these different themes to decide whether the place suits your travel interests: you can explore architecture and local history, as well as routes through streets, fields and the surrounding countryside.

Buildings from Different Centuries

St Oswald’s is a Grade I listed building and is considered one of the finest medieval buildings in Cheshire. The church dates from the late 14th century and was largely rebuilt above sill level in the late 15th century. Red sandstone and lead roofs define the building. It therefore offers a chance to trace both its medieval origins and a later, extensive rebuilding in a single structure.

The church also contains the Brereton Monument, erected around 1522. It features naturalistic effigies of Sir Randal and Eleanor on a chest tomb. The form of the tomb and the recumbent figures give the monument a distinctive architectural presence alongside the history of the church building.

The Old Printing House and the Tithebarn add further historic points of interest. The Old Printing House is a Grade II* listed building, notable for its unusual classical design for a small building. The Tithebarn dates from the 17th century; its timber framing is considered typical of Cheshire. Malpas’s present-day cross is also among the local monuments: it is Gothic in design, decorated with crockets, and was erected in 1877 in memory of Rev Charles Thurlow.

Castle Hill and the Landscape

Castle Hill motte is an early monument from the period after the Norman Conquest and is dated to around 1100. It formed part of a group of mottes that made up a defensive system intended to curb repeated Welsh raids on the fertile agricultural areas of South Cheshire. It survives as a truncated earthen mound on a spur of the Broxton Hills. From there, it overlooks Malpas and much of the surrounding countryside. At Castle Hill, the archaeological form and the broad views towards the village and its surroundings come together.

The countryside around Malpas also offers panoramic views of Wales, as well as South Cheshire and Shropshire. The area also has a historic connection to transport: Malpas lies on the stretch of the Old Roman Road known as Watling Street, which ran between Chester and Wroxeter in Shropshire. This connection places the village on a longer historic route, without reducing the landscape perspective to a single building.

Circular Walks for Different Timeframes

Walk Number 1 is a circular route through the streets and fields of Malpas. Allow around 30 to 45 minutes. The local route guide describes access to all the fields through kissing gates, or narrow field gates. As field infrastructure can change, check the current access conditions before setting out.

Walk Number 2 starts at Malpas Cross and runs between Overton Heath and Cuddington Heath. Allow around 1.5 to 2 hours for this circuit; the route offers views of the Clwydian Hills, including the summit of Moel Fammau. Compared with Walk Number 1, it is the longer of the two routes with a stated duration, and combines a different landscape outlook with a path between the two heaths.

Walk Number 3 is also a circular route, but it climbs through the fields east of Malpas Cross and follows the Marches Way. The three routes therefore differ in their described surroundings and—in the case of the first two—in the time required. If you are planning your trip to Malpas, this information can help you match your cultural and landscape interests to the time available.

Discover more destinations: Handforth, High Legh, Winsford, Mobberley, Weston, Beeston, Ellesmere Port, Elton.

For the main travel overview: Cheshire.