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Daresbury Parsonage the birthplace of Lewis Carroll



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The site of Daresbury Parsonage, where Lewis Carroll was born, which once stood on Morphany Lane, south-east of Daresbury village, was destroyed by fire more than 100 years ago but visitors can still see the the foundations of the building laid out in bricks.

Lewis Carroll BirthplaceBirthplace of Lewis Carroll

Darsbury ParsonageLewis Carroll was the son of Charles Dodgson, the Rector of All Saint's Church in Daresbury village and Frances Jane Lutwidge, his real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the pen name Lewis Carroll is derived from his first 2 names, Charles and Lutwidge. He lived in the parsonage, which was bult in 1819, until 1843 when he was 11 years old when his father was given the living of Croft-on-Tees and the family went to live in North Yorkshire.

The parsonage was a large, double-fronted dwelling built from stone and hand made bricks, it had a schoolroom, parlour, cellars and seven upstairs rooms. Nine of Charles' ten siblings were also born in the house, his father took in paying pupils who stayed to learn Latin and Ancient Greek. The 1841 census lists a total of 22 people living in the house.

Though it was a happy home for the Dodgson family, the house was distant from the rector's parishoners at Daresbury. It was empty when it burnt down in around 1884.

The site contains a commemorative stone and a series of interpretive displays. The entrance to the parsonage is marked by a metal arch which echoes the archway that led into the original house, while the well, which once stood at the rear of the house, features a dormouse worked in metal. The sculpture which traces where the walls would have stood was designed by Christine Wilcox-Baker and crafted by Dave Broadbent. The site is now owned by the National Trust.

The new Lewis Carroll Centre which adjoins nearby All Saints Church at Daresbury provides information on the celebrated author's colourful life and interests.

Lewis Carroll Centenary Wood

The Lewis Carroll Centenary Wood is situated in attractive rolling Cheshire countryside near to the village of Daresbury, and adjacent to the site of the author's birthplace.

Lewis Carroll Centenary WoodLewis Carroll Centenary Wood

The site was purchased by the Woodland Trust, with the help and support of the Lewis Carroll Birthplace Trust and planted in early 2000 to commemorate the centenary of the death of the Cheshire born author. The wood is now open to the public and comprises two blocks of native woodland (0.8ha) comprising a mix of English oak, ash, alder, silver birch, blackthorn, hawthorn, dog rose, and hazel. The woods are separated by a ride that opens onto a low meadow.

To the west a seat is provided along with a Millennium Feature comprising a circular stand of six oaks around a stone commerative tablet.

The wood lies approximately 2km south-east of junction 11 of the M56 motorway. It can be found on the north side of Higher Lane 150m west of the junction with Morphany Lane.



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