Waddington is an olde worlde type village, 3 pubs 2 churches & a post office, its about 20 mins from Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley. lt is named after a Saxon Leader, Wada and until 1974 was part of Yorkshire. We sat out & had a beer at the Waddington Arms Pub. The pub is an old Coaching Inn, dating back to the 15th century, completely renovated and restored. There was a rally of some sort, a lot of vintage Rolls Royces. This was one of about 10 – 15 we saw passing thru. The roads to these places are small.
All the buildings are local stone built, and it has a brook, which meanders thru the centre. The brook, romantic as it seems would have had a more fundamental purpose some years ago. The brook runs down the side of the cottage you see above, just the other side of the wall. Then it continues on past The Coronation Gardens.
Waddington has won many best-kept village titles. The gardens are quite pretty and must take some work to keep them that way. Waddington Church with its 15th century tower, stands above the brook and was almost completely rebuilt in 1901. The tower window is of particular interest and there are striking pictures of Henry V1 and Wada, the Saxon chief.
King Henry VI (Henry the Good) lived for 12 months at Waddington Hall before being betrayed to the Yorkists in 1465. He escaped via a secret panel and staircase from the dining room but was captured down river at Brungerley Bridge on the outskirts of Clitheroe. This is a gateway to the Hall, which is a private residence. It is a large house and well kept. In it’s day it would have been the centre of attention in the village.
The Almshouses in the village were originally built in the 1700s, then rebuilt on their present location around the green. The two wings you see above have a small chapel between them at the top. Robert Parker built them for the widows of local dalesmen and farmers. Waddington was the subject of a television series; the locals became well known celebrities as inhabitants of the ‘Television Village’.