Sound | |
---|---|
Sound Oak Farmhouse | |
Location within Cheshire | |
Population | 239 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SJ619483 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | NANTWICH |
Postcode district | CW5 |
Dialling code | 01270 |
UK Parliament | |
Sound is a hamlet (at SJ619483) and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet is located 3+1⁄4 miles (5.2 km) to the south west of Nantwich. The civil parish covers 1,089 acres (441 ha) and also includes the small settlements of Newtown and Sound Heath,[1] with a total population at the 2011 census of 239.[2] Nearby villages include Aston, Ravensmoor and Wrenbury.
The name is of Saxon origin and means "a sandy place". The first record of the township is in 1310. It was raided by Royalist forces in 1643, during the Civil War. The Methodist chapel was built in 1838, and a primary school on the boundary with Broomhall opened in 1876. Other historic buildings include a rare example of a malt kiln.
The River Weaver runs along the southern boundary and the Welsh Marches railway line crosses the parish. The area is mainly agricultural, with dairy farming predominating. The flat terrain has an average elevation of around 60 metres. There is a small Site of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserve named Sound Heath, which forms an important habitat for freshwater invertebrates and breeding birds. Nationally scarce species observed here include the mud snail, great raft spider, a species of water scavenger beetle and the beautiful snout moth.