Mobberley
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The village of Mobberley is situated around 16 miles from Manchester and lies between Knutsford and Wilmslow.
An ancient village, Mobberley is referred to as "Motburlege", in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is perhaps best known as the home of the Mallory family, the mountaineer George Leigh-Mallory (1886–1924), who died attempting to climb Mount Everest and Air Chief Marshall Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory were both born in the village. The father of both, The Rev. Herbert Leigh Mallory, was the rector of Mobberley.
Thatched cottage at Mobberley
St. Wilfrid's church in the village dates back to 1245. It is dedicated to the Saxon St. Wilfrid, Archbishop of York, who died in 708 AD. During a restoration of the building in 1888 the remains of a Saxon church were uncovered, although curiously no church is mentioned at Mobberley in the Domesday Book. The first documentary evidence of a church at Mobberley occurs in 1206, when Patrick de Mobberley founded a small priory of Augustinian canons.
St. Wilfrid's Church
Over the nave arcades are faded wall paintings where the figure of St Christopher can be seen and the north wall has is a depiction of St George slaying the dragon. The ornately carved rood screen dates from around 1500 while the piscina dates from the thirteenth century.
The church also has a memorial window to the village's most famous son, George Mallory who, along with Andrew Irvine died climbing Mount Everest in his ill fated expedition of 1924. The window depicts King Arthur, St. George and Sir Galahad. Mallory and Irvine were last sighted on 8th June going toward the summit after leaving the final camp, at a height above 28,400 feet, but they never returned from the expedition. George Mallory's body was finally discovered in 1999 by another expedition and identified by means of the name tab in his clothing and letters he was carrying in his pocket. It remains unknown as to whether the pair reached the summit of Everest.
The Church Inn
There is also a brass plate to the memory of George Mallory's brother, Air Chief Marshall Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command in World War II, and his wife who were killed in a tragic aeroplane accident in the Alps in 1945. St. Wilfrid's has had a long connection with the Mallory family and there are numerous windows and memorial plaques to the family throughout the church.
Mobberley Old Hall was built in 1612 for Robert Robinson, the son of a Yorkshire wool merchant and was extended later in the seventeenth century. The house stands in gardens which retain part of the moat and ancient yew trees. During the later part of the nineteenth century the house was owned by Rev Herbert Leigh-Mallory, father of George Mallory, who sold it in 1900. The barn dates to 1686.
Newton Hall was built between 1634 and 1676 for Francis Newton.
Nearby places of interest
Tabley Hall, situated at Nether Tabley, is an elegant, brick built, Grade I listed building in the Palladian style, the only one of its type in the North West.
Gauntlet Birds of Prey Eagle and Vulture Park, which is situated at Knutsford is Cheshire's largest Falconry Centre. The centre hosts the biggest collection of birds of prey in the North West, and features a comprehensive collection of eagles, vultures, falcons, kites, hawks and owls. Gauntlet offers a wide range of services including falconry courses, flying displays for shows and events, school visits, children's parties and photography workshops.