Burleydam Women's Institute

In July 1945, 2 ladies from neighbouring farms in Burleydam decided that what Burleydam was lacking was a Womens Institute!
May Ford had just moved into the district, and had been a member of Delamere W I previously, and Edith Thomasson, whose family came from Dorset, had been a governess, and was now married with 2 small children, both felt that there was a need in the village for some social activities. So in July 2025 Burleydan W I has just celebrated it’s 80 th birthday with a visit to our neighbour, Combermere Abbey. We were welcomed by Victoria, Sarah Callender Beckett’s sister whose childhood home was Combermere and by Myra Logan who was our tour guide.

The Abbey has been considerably altered and restored since Ronald and Penelope Callender took on the estate on the death of her grandfather, Sir Kenneth Crossley in the 1950’s, and more significantly since Sarah took over the reins this century. Myra told members about the history of the Abbey which started life as a CIS tertian Monastery but was disbanded by Henry v111 in the Reformation of the Monasteries.

Henry gave the Combermere Estate to the Cotton family, and it stayed in that family’s ownership until it was finally sold to Sir Kenneth in 1919. The house was considerably altered by Sir Robert coton when he became a baron in th early 19 th century in fashionable Gothic windows and stucco cladding to the exterior brick façade.

We were then taken up the wonderful wide shallow staircase to the Library, which was the original Refectory of the Monastery. Myra told us that in those days it was unusual for the refectory to be on the first floor of a mona story and also unusual for the Abbot to sit separately on a raised dais as he dined. The library has an interesting fireplace and ceiling and the room features the shields and portraits of many family and local neighbours.

After the tour, members were invited into the panelled diningroom, where a beautiful cake, made a decorated by the president, Rosemary Mulliner, was cut and members were served with sparkling wine or soft drinks and the instate was toasted on it’s 80 years .

If you would like to become a member of , or a visitor to, Burleydam W I you would
be most welcome. Next meeting August 5 th 7.30pm Martin Haycocks is talking about
his ‘Life as a chimney sweep’.