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The Cheshire Portal
Welcome Cheshire Plain from the Mid Cheshire Ridge
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in the North West of England. Chester is the county town, and formerly gave its name to the county. The largest town is Warrington, and other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, Runcorn, Sandbach, Widnes, Wilmslow and Winsford. The county is administered as four unitary authorities. Cheshire occupies a boulder clay plain (pictured) which separates the hills of North Wales from the Peak District of Derbyshire. The county covers an area of 2,343 km2 (905 sq mi), with a high point of 559 m (1,834 ft) elevation. The estimated population is a little over one million, 19th highest in England, with a population density of around 450 people per km2. The county was created in around 920, but the area has a long history of human occupation dating back to before the last Ice Age. Deva was a major Roman fort, and Cheshire played an important part in the Civil War. Predominantly rural, the county is historically famous for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt and silk. During the 19th century, towns in the north of the county were pioneers of the chemical industry, while Crewe became a major railway junction and engineering facility. Selected article
The Bridgewater Canal was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. Opening in 1761, the original canal was on a single level without locks and cost £168,000; James Brindley was the engineer. An extension from Manchester to Runcorn, where the canal originally joined the River Mersey, was completed in 1776. The canal was later extended from Worsley to Leigh. Often considered to be the first true canal, the Bridgewater required the construction of an aqueduct to cross the River Irwell, one of the first of its kind. The stretch to Runcorn had a flight of ten locks which was "the wonder of their time". Its success helped to inspire a period of intense canal building, known as "canal mania". The canal later faced intense competition from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Macclesfield Canal. The last commercial freight traffic was carried in 1975; the Bridgewater now forms part of the Cheshire Ring network and is used by pleasure craft and rowing clubs. It is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Selected image
Macclesfield Town Hall, designed by Francis Goodwin in the Greek Revival style, was completed in 1824. The painted glass lantern over the Grand Stair was added in around 1870 by local architect, James Stevens, who also designed an extension to the original building. Credit: Briangeorge1945 (31 August 2018) In this month
1 April 1974: Widnes and Warrington gained from Lancashire; Hyde, Dukinfield and Stalybridge lost to Greater Manchester; parts of the Wirral lost to Merseyside; and Tintwistle lost to Derbyshire in local government reorganisation. 1 April 1998: Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities. 1 April 2009: Unitary authorities of Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East took control. 5 April 1847: The Port of Runcorn became an independent customs port. 5 April 1847: Birkenhead Park, the UK's first publicly funded civic park, opened. 8 April 1889: Conductor Adrian Boult born in Chester. 10 April 1964: Runcorn designated a new town. 10 April 1998: Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker (pictured) opened as a museum. 11 April 1830: Architect John Douglas born in Sandiway. 17 April 1948: Train crash near Winsford killed 24 people and injured 10. 17 April 1951: Peak District became the UK's first national park. 20 April 1857: Cheshire Constabulary formed. 21 April 1913: George V and Queen Mary visited Crewe Railway Works and Worleston Dairy Institute. 23 April 1610: First St George's Day race held at Chester Racecourse. 24 April 1643: Royalist forces plundered Acton, Dorfold, Ravensmoor and Sound during the Civil War. 25 April 1956: Construction of Silver Jubilee Bridge began. 26 April 1761: Emma, Lady Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson, born in Ness. 30 April 1851: Accident in Sutton Railway Tunnel killed nine people and injured at least 30. Selected list
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese encompasses most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula. It has its see in Chester; the seat is located at Chester Cathedral, which was formerly the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Werburgh, being elevated to cathedral status in 1541. The Bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Chester. Cheshire previously held a bishopric in 1075–1102, when Peter of Lichfield moved his seat to Chester. The seat was then at the collegiate church of St John the Baptist. The present diocese was formed in 1541, when Henry VIII created it, without papal sanction, as one of six new episcopal sees. The first bishop of the modern diocese was John Bird (1541–54), a doctor of divinity who had attracted the king's attention by his sermons preached against the pope's supremacy. As of 2020, the bishopric is held by Mark Tanner. GeographyTop: Map of modern Cheshire showing urban areas (grey) and the major road network. Chester (red) is the county town, and Warrington has the greatest population. Towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants in 2011 are highlighted; the size of dot gives a rough indication of the relative population. Wales and the adjacent English counties are shown in capitals. Bottom: Relief map showing the major hills. The Mid Cheshire Ridge is a discontinuous ridge of low hills running north–south from Beacon Hill (north of Helsby Hill) to Bickerton Hill. Most other high ground falls within the Peak District in the east of the county. Shining Tor (559 metres), on the boundary with Derbyshire, forms the county's high point.
Administration The ceremonial county of Cheshire is administered by four unitary authorities (click on the map for details): 2 – Cheshire East 3 – Warrington 4 – Halton In the local government reorganisation of 1974, Cheshire gained an area formerly in Lancashire including Widnes and Warrington. The county lost Tintwistle to Derbyshire, part of the Wirral Peninsula to Merseyside, and a northern area including Stockport, Altrincham, Sale, Hyde, Dukinfield and Stalybridge to Greater Manchester. Selected biography
John Douglas (11 April 1830 – 23 May 1911) was an English architect, practising in Chester. Pevsner described him, without qualification, as "the best Cheshire architect". Born in Sandiway, his father was a former labourer who rose to be a surveyor. He trained with Edmund Sharpe and Edward Graham Paley in Lancaster, and later practised with Paley. Other early influences included Pugin and the Cambridge Camden Society. He set up his own practice in Chester in 1860, working with Daniel Fordham, Charles Minshall and his two surviving sons. His early buildings were High Victorian; he later became an important practitioner of the half-timbered revival style. Douglas' most popular works are the black-and-white buildings on Chester's St Werburgh Street and the nearby Eastgate Clock. Many of his works are on the Eaton Hall estate of the 1st Duke of Westminster, an important patron. He also designed churches, large houses and many smaller properties. Did you know...
Selected town or village
Middlewich is one of the four Cheshire wich towns. Founded by the Romans under the name Salinae, it was a major Roman site of salt production, and salt manufacture remains an important local industry. Middlewich has also been known historically for silk and agriculture. The town lies on the confluence of a number of natural and man-made features: the Rivers Dane, Croco and Wheelock; the Shropshire Union and Trent and Mersey Canals; and the A533, A54 and A530 roads. The parish church, St. Michael and All Angels, dates back to the 12th century. In common with other towns within mid-Cheshire, the good motorway and road links have seen a large influx of people since 1970, doubling the population of Middlewich to around 14,000. Events such as the annual folk and boat festival, and the Roman and Norman festivals have helped to boost tourism in the town. In the news.JPG) Crewe Market Hall 29 October, 1 November: Warrington council and the mayor of Crewe each announce plans to bid for city status in 2022. 13–14 October: Prince Edward visits Chester and opens a Fire Service training centre in Winsford. 8 October: Castle Street shopping area in Macclesfield reopens after refurbishment. 4 October: Restoration of the grade-I-listed Bridgegate, part of Chester city walls, is completed. 25 September: A bronze frieze by the sculptor Tom Murphy is unveiled in Warrington, as a memorial to the band Viola Beach. 9 September: The fifth stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race takes place in Cheshire, starting at Alderley Park and finishing in Warrington. 24 July: The grade-II-listed Crewe Market Hall (pictured) formally reopens after refurbishment. 15 July: Crewe, Runcorn and Warrington are awarded potential funding under the "Town Deal" government scheme. QuotationO! thou thrice happy Shire, confinéd so to be From "The Eleventh Song" in Poly-Olbion by Michael Drayton (1612)
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