Bruche Primary School pupils in Winwick battlefield plea

Children at Bruche Primary School recently took part in a research project surrounding the town’s role in the English Civil War

Year six pupils spent their last term at the school learning all about the Battle of Winwick, a major engagement in August 1648 that saw Oliver Cromwell’s army defeat their royalist opponents on land near the village.

Such was their enthusiasm about the need to preserve the battlefield site for future generations that they wrote to Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols to ask for her support.

The children said that the site should be protected against any future development and that more archaeology should be carried out at the site to learn more about the battle.

They also said there should be more encouragement of tourism at the site.

In response, Ms Nichols praised the pupils for their ‘thoughtful, articulate and persuasive’ letters and agreed that the site should be protected from further development.

Bruche Primary School pupils Jack Shields, Lewis Chorley, Evie Brookes and Hannah Kearney hope to preserve the site of the Battle of Winwick against future development

“Should any planning proposals be made to the council relating to this area, I will oppose them citing the need to protect the character and heritage of the area – that is a commitment from me,” she said.

The MP told pupils that she had consulted Historic England and the history department at the University of Chester’s Warrington campus about archaeological analysis of the site, described as the only English Civil War battle site in a good state of preservation.

She has also promised to raise the children’s ideas about promoting the site for tourism in her next meeting with Culture Warrington and the Warrington Museum and Art Gallery.

Chris Gould, teacher at Bruche Primary, said: “The children have been so enthusiastic about this project.

“It has really captured their imagination and they were very keen to play their part in making sure that the battlefield site remains untouched for future generations.”

Executive headteacher Chris Jones added: “The children have really run with this, and I am so impressed that they have persuaded our MP to back up their efforts to ensure that the battlefield site is preserved.

“A major emphasis of our curriculum here at Bruche is to encourage the children to develop an interest and a passion for where they live. This is a great example of that.”