'Most beautiful' village near Greater Manchester is like living on a film set

With its pretty cobbled walkways, patchwork of timber-framed cottages and tree lined avenues, it's not hard to see why Great Budworth is known as Cheshire's 'most beautiful' village. The village centre is so perfectly distilled with period details that it is also in high demand for period dramas and films.

So much so that for residents living in this beautiful little part of the world, it's often like living in a film set. The latest crew to descend on the village was for Netflix's newest drama Missing You.

And past films and TV series shot here include BBC's War of the Worlds, which took over the entire village in 2019, as well as The Ipcress File and Our Zoo.

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The chocolate box charm of Great Budworth makes it a tourist hotspot come the warmer weather, particularly as the village boasts an ice cream farm and an historic pub right at its heart. It's on the Cheshire Cycle Route too, so you'll often see fleets of cyclists pouring down the country lanes here.

And, while it may look like a world away from modernity, it's only a couple of miles off the M6 at junction 19 for Knutsford and is around half an hour's drive from Manchester.

The village has had plenty of famous visitors over the years - from actors to filming to pop superstar Harry Styles who has visited both the ice cream farm and George and Dragon pub in recent years. He even took Taylor Swift to the village for a romantic stroll and pub lunch when they were dating back in 2012.

Chair of Great Budworth Parish Council Karen Hammond has lived in the village for the past eight years. She said from the moment she first visited she 'felt at home'.

Karen, originally from the north east, said: "When I first came to the village it was a real wow moment. It really is a chocolate box village in a beautiful setting with an excellent community life and community spirit.

"I'd been travelling for many years but I felt immediately at home here."

Karen, 65, lives with husband Don Hammond who was a previous chairman of the parish council. She says residents here generally 'love' the filming - especially when famous actors are involved.

When War of the Worlds filmed there, Karen got to meet its stars - Rafe Spall and Eleanor Tomlinson - who posed for a picture with her adorable dog, Tara.

The filming for the show saw the entire village shut down while the disaster scenes of an alien invasion were staged in dramatic fashion amid the pretty cottages.

Karen said: "We get a lot of filming, but most people enjoy the publicity, and the fact that it brings people to the village. War of the Worlds took over the whole of the village more or less. We had Rafe Spall and Eleanor Tomlinson filming here and they were delightful, I got a beautiful photo with them.

"But the last two or three film shoots here have been on a much smaller scale. It does become complicated if it goes on for a week or more but then you've got the thrill of film stars.

Resident Reverend and vet Jenny McKay says it's 'like another world' living in Great Budworth. She says: "When I drive home from work I feel that I’m returning to another world. The village is close knit and everyone looks out for each other.

"Sometimes I feel that they know what’s happening in my life before I even do. We have also had a lot of filming in the village and while that’s good for the local small businesses, the villagers have to get used to more visitors peering in their front windows!"

Karen adds that there's much to entice people into the village. She said: "We're on the Cheshire cycle route and we've got the George and Dragon pub which does good food.

"There's a bowling club and tennis courts and a very active village hall which is the centre of the community. The village has a gardening club, a WI, a dining club, the church does afternoon teas during the summer months.

"Then there's the ice cream farm which Harry Styles really likes and pops in to when he's back here. It really is a fabulous place."

The 14th century sandstone St Mary's and All Saints church is at the very centre of the village, with a cobbled lane of historic cottages running alongside. The walkways remain cobbled around much of the village, with pretty flower planters and clipped topiary on display too.

Continue along School Lane and you'll find a stunning lime tree arched avenue which offers splendid views out across the Cheshire plains to the Northwich salt works and beyond. There's also a popular three-mile walk across the fields to the historic Arley Hall estate.

The village has two pump houses that supplied water in olden days, the lower one of which has a famous legend attached to it. For it is said that if sweethearts drink of the water, they will have 'blessings in neverending love'.

An inscription remains above the water tap that you can inspect before taking a taste of the water.

The village boasts a range of buildings dating back to the 17th century, and at one time had five pubs, butchers and a Post Office, but, as times have changed most have been converted into residential use.

Indeed, the old post office on High Street, now converted into a four bedroom family home, is currently under offer. Homes rarely come up for sale in the village, and residents say they soon fly off the market.

The village of Great Budworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, although there's evidence of a settlement on the site dating back to Saxon times.

For centuries, the houses in the village belonged to the nearby Arley Hall estate's Warburton family, to whom villagers would pay rent. They were eventually sold off to residents in the 1940s.

And, much of the character of the village today is attributed to Arley Hall's Rowland Egerton-Warburton in the 1800s, who embarked on a campaign to make over Great Budworth and 'render it picturesque in Victorian eyes'.

That meant remodelling cottages and adding decorative brickwork and chimneys, most famously at the old George and Dragon pub at the heart of the village.

The oldest building in the village is the sandstone ancient church of St Mary and All Saints dating back to the 14th century. On bank holidays and special occasions the church allows visitors to go up the tower where there are panoramic views across Cheshire.

Unusually, the original village school was built in the churchyard with the building remaining in place - although it was replaced by a newer primary in 1857, which still serves the area's youngsters, just along School Lane.

While it may seem a sleepy sort of village in modern day terms, centuries ago the route through the village would have been on the main road to London.

Which goes some way to explaining why at one time such a small place had five pubs for thirsty travellers - four of which are now houses which retain the pub name, like Ring O' Bells Cottage and Saracens Head House. On the edge of the village on Warrington Road is the old coaching inn The Cock O' Budworth which recently enjoyed a major refurbishment.

Only one pub remains in Great Budworth village (from those original five) and it's the characterful George and Dragon. It remains a popular dining and drinking hole for locals and tourists as well as the throngs of cyclists who stop off at the weekend for its 'famous' fish and chips.

Inside there is plenty of quirky historic detail, including original stained glass windows, and an original stone plaque from 1722 inscribed with the words: "Nil Nimium Cupito" which means 'I desire nothing to excess'.

There's also a famous brass inscription above the door that is a lesson to us all, reading: "Saint George in armed array, doth the fiery dragon slay; Mayst thou with might no less, slay that dragon drunkenness."

Further along Church Street there are pops of colour with the old-style red telephone box and post box. Although, on closer inspection you'll find the phone box has now been converted into a public library filled with books to borrow.

The success of Great Budworth Ice Cream Farm, on the edge of the village on Heath Lane, has brought an army of new fans to the picturesque village.

The family-run business was started as a sideline for the dairy farming Wilkinson family 28 years ago. But mum June Wilkinson still makes all the ice creams today even in her 70s.

Her son David and daughter-in-law Rachel run the ice cream farm shop and offer a range of traditional flavours as well as regular specials. You can get a single cone for £2.20, double from £3.40 - or go for a full on triple boat of scoops for £5.20.

They also offer a range of home-made cakes and ice cream sundaes, as well as hot and cold snacks.