Cheshire village of 600 people with pubs dating back to 1797

Little Budworth is a small and pretty village with approximately 600 residents; it was originally known as Budworth-on-the-Frith.

There are four pubs in the locality: the Cabbage Hall (Pesto), Shrewsbury Arms, Egerton Arms, and the Red Lion. We will look at the two nearest the village itself, these being the Egerton Arms and the Red Lion.

The Egerton Arms began its life as a one-up, one-down sandstone cottage belonging to the Earl of Shrewsbury.

It is located on the quiet Pinfold Lane, just on the outskirts of the village and close to Oulton Park and Budworth Common.

In 1797, it first opened as an alehouse, with James Barlow as its licensee; he remained a tenant until 1826.

Interestingly, another James Barlow took over in 1856 until 1914. In December 1917, it was reported as sold to Sir Philip Grey-Egerton, 12th Baronet of Oulton Hall, Little Budworth, as a fully licensed inn.

The Egerton Arms in the 1960s (Image: Rose Hurley)

It was very often the meeting place of the Cheshire Hunt, and the Cheshire Hunt Ball was held several times at nearby White Hall. It is thought that the pub took its name from the local gentry.

Such a small village, it is difficult to imagine a reported funeral that took place in Little Budworth when the then Sir Philip Grey Egerton, 8th Baronet, who was an MP for Chester (1807-1818), was killed at Epsom Races in a carriage accident in 1825, and some 10,000 to 12,000 mourners descended on Little Budworth and St Peter’s Church.

The Earl of Shrewsbury also owned the Red Lion until Robinson’s Brewery acquired it. This pub also dates from 1797, when the landlord was Samuel Rutter.

It sits opposite the ancient church of St Peter and was once a coaching inn set in the heart of the village; following a complete refurbishment in 2020, it is now a delightful gastro-type pub/restaurant with food at reasonable prices and of excellent quality.

Dogs are made welcome, and there are plenty of walks in the surrounding countryside. Landlords Andrew and Catherine are current hosts. 

Little Budworth village circa 1920s (Image: Rose Hurley)

The pub is close to the Oulton Park racing circuit and offers bed and breakfast with its four en suite bedrooms, a bowling green, and a large beer garden.

The Red Lion was used extensively for various meetings over the years, including the quarterly meeting place for the East Division of the Eddisbury 100 Highway Board through the 1800s, farming auctions, inquests into the deaths of locals, and the Oulton Park Fete committee of Delamere Habitation.

There was even an advertisement for a District Surveyor in 1863 who would cover 21 townships in the area, 108 miles of road, and would receive a salary of £130 per annum.

This would have equated to £13,500 today. The appointment would take place following an election on May 4, 1863, at the sign of the Red Lion, Little Budworth.

The Red Lion, Little Budworth (Image: Rose Hurley)

In 1893, the Red Lion was used to host the presentation of a silver punch bowl to John Scovell, who had been instrumental in obtaining the funds to extend St Peter’s churchyard, the recasting and rehanging of the bells, and refurbishment of the heating apparatus.

Finally, being close to the Oulton Park racing circuit, many racing drivers will have frequented both pubs; one interesting customer was playboy and racing driver Dave Blakely.

His girlfriend, Ruth Ellis, accompanied him to Cheshire on several occasions, and they were reputed to have stayed at the Red Lion.

Blakely met his end when he was shot outside Magdala, a Hampstead pub, in 1955 by Ruth. She became infamous as the last female to be hanged for murder in the UK.

Oulton Park Lodge in 2014 (Image: Rose Hurley)

So, we leave this charming village for now and the tales it may still have to reveal.