Rowland Egerton-Warburton

Who was Rowland Egerton-Warburton?

Rowland Eyles Egerton-Warburton DL was a landowner in Cheshire, England. He was a devout Anglican in the high church tradition and a local benefactor. He paid for the restoration of his parish church and for the building of two new churches in villages on his estates. He also built cottages and farm buildings in the villages.

Through his mother's line he inherited the Arley and Warburton estates in Cheshire. He is best remembered for rebuilding Arley Hall and its chapel dedicated to St Mary, and for helping to create the picturesque appearance of the village of Great Budworth. He and his wife designed extensive new formal gardens to the southeast of the hall, which included one of the earliest herbaceous borders in Britain. The hall and gardens are still owned by his family, but are open to the public.

Egerton-Warburton's main hobby was hunting. He was a keen member, and later the president, of the nearby Tarporley Hunt Club. He also wrote poetry, the subject matter of which reflected his interests in hunting and in the countryside. Some of his rhymes are to be found on signposts in the grounds of the hall.