Goodwins Pool

Goodwins pool can be found on the A54 on the outskirts of Congleton, it covers about one acre and is very popular with fishermen having hosted many fishing tournaments here.

The pool although looking very natural and picturesque is actually man made and is thought to have been created sometime in the 17th century. Material would have been excavated when the Congleton to Holmes Chapel road was being constructed, over time the hole would have filled with rain water and that is how the pool was formed. Over the years trees and plants have taken root so that we are left with a pool which to all intents and purposes appears to have been naturally formed.

If you were to travel along the Congleton to Holmes Chapel road you would encounter similar pools every few mile or so, this is more evidence to show that excavations took place at regular intervals in the search for more construction materials for the building of this road all those years ago.

Goodwins pool sets itself apart from other pools close by due to the fact that it is said to be haunted. According to local legend the ghost of a woman is said to haunt the pool after her horse drawn carriage overturned one day as she was passing the pool, this resulted in her drowning and since that day her ghostly spirit has been seen close to the pool where the accident occurred.

The name Goodwin is thought by many to refer to the woman who lost her life so tragically here, but in fact it refers to the name of the landowner on whose ground the pool can be found.

The Cheshire area is in fact renowned for the amount of pools that can be found within its borders, this is due in part to the quality of the soil which can be found here which has large amounts of clay in it. To overcome this and make the soil more productive and easier to work with, large amounts of sand were excavated and mixed with the clay rich soil to make it more workable. This resulted in holes being left all over the Cheshire countryside which filled with rainwater and left pools across the landscape similar in appearance to Goodwins pool.