Warrington () is a town and

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparish ...

in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, England, on the banks of the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

. It is east of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, and west of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. The population in 2019 was estimated at 165,456 for the town's urban area, and just over 210,014 for the entire borough, the latter being more than double that of 1968 when it became a

new town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Warrington is the largest town in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. In 2011 the unparished area had a population of 58,871. Warrington UK locator map

Warrington unparished area UK locator map

Warrington was founded by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. A new settlement was established by the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

Wærings. By the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Warrington had emerged as a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

at the

lowest bridging point The lowest bridging point (or lowest crossing point) is the location on a river which is crossed by a bridge at its closest point to the sea. Historically - that is, before the development of engineering technology that allowed the construction of ...

of the river. A local tradition of textile and tool production dates from this time. The town of Warrington (north of the Mersey) is within the boundaries of the historic county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

and the expansion and urbanisation of Warrington coincided with the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. The

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

runs north to south through the town, and the Liverpool to Manchester railway (the Cheshire Lines route) west to east. The

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the river ...

cuts through the south of the borough (west to east). The M6, M56 and

M62 motorway The M62 is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of ...

s form a partial box around the town and are all accessible through Warrington. The modern Borough of Warrington was formed in 1974 with the amalgamation of the former County Borough of Warrington, part of the

Golborne Urban District Golborne (pronounced or ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south-southeast of Wigan, northeast of Warrington and to the west of the city of Manchester. Combined with the village of Lowto ...

, the

Lymm Urban District Lymm Urban District is a former Urban District in Cheshire, based in the village of Lymm. It was created in 1894 and abolished in 1974 when it was incorporated into the Borough of Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the ...

, part of the

Runcorn Rural District Runcorn was a rural district in Cheshire, England from 1894 until 1974. It was named after but did not include Runcorn, a town on the River Mersey to the north-west of the district, which formed its own urban district. The district was abolishe ...

, the

Warrington Rural District Warrington Rural District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire. It was formed a rural district under the Local Government Act 1894 from the Warrington rural sanitary district, and was ...

and part of the

Whiston Rural District Whiston Rural District was a rural district of the administrative county of Lancashire, England. It was created in 1895 by renaming the Prescot Rural District when the parish of Prescot was removed from that rural district and created a separate ...

Etymology

The earliest known appearance of the name is ‘’Weringtun’', when before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

it was the head of a

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

. An entry in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in AD 1086 named it as ‘’Wallintun‘’. The root is likely the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

word ''waru'' – meaning "those that care for, watch, guard, protect, or defend.” The suffix ''-ing'' is a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

of ''inge,'' an ethnonym for the

Ingaevones The Ingaevones were a West Germanic cultural group living in the Northern Germania along the North Sea coast in the areas of Jutland, Holstein, and Frisia in classical antiquity. Tribes in this area included the Angles, Frisii, Chauci, Saxons, ...

said variously to mean "of

Yngvi Old Norse Yngvi , Old High German Ing/Ingwi and Old English Ingƿine are names that relate to a theonym which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr. Proto-Germanic *Ingwaz was the legendary ancestor of the Ingaevones, or more acc ...

," "family, people or followers of" or a

genitive In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

form of an inhabitant appellation. The suffix "ton" is from the Old English word ''tun'' meaning "fenced area" or "enclosure."

History

Early history

Warrington has been a major crossing point on the

since ancient times and there was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building *Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fina ...

Wilderspool Wilderspool is a district of Warrington, Cheshire, near the town centre. It consists of Wilderspool Causeway and the streets coming off it, the limits being the River Mersey into Stockton Heath (where it turns into London Road), Bridgefoot (near ...

. Local archaeological evidence indicates that there were also Bronze Age settlements. In

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

times Warrington's importance was as a market town and bridging point of the River Mersey. The first reference to a bridge at Warrington is found in 1285. The origin of the modern town was located in the area around St Elphin's Church, now included in the Church Street

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

, established whilst the main river crossing was via a ford approximately 1 km upriver of

Warrington Bridge Warrington Bridge is the name given to several historical bridges crossing the River Mersey in the town of Warrington, England. The current structure is the sixth to stand in this location and was constructed 1909–15 by Alfred Thorne & Sons. For ...

. Warrington was the first paved town in Lancashire, which took place in 1321.

English Civil War

Warrington was a fulcrum in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The armies of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

and the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...

both stayed near the old town centre (the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

area). Popular legend has it that Cromwell lodged near the building which survives on Church Street as the Cottage Restaurant. The

Marquis of Granby Duke of Rutland is a title in the Peerage of England, named after Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. Earldoms named after Rutland have been created three times; the ninth earl of the third creation was made duke in 1703, in whos ...

public house bears a plaque stating that the

'had his quarters near this site'. Dents in the walls of the parish church are rumoured to have been caused by the

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s from the time of the civil war. On 13 August 1651 Warrington was the scene of the last Royalist victory of the civil war when Scots troops under Charles II and David Leslie, Lord Newark, fought Parliamentarians under

John Lambert John Lambert may refer to: *John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII *John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War *John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...

at the Battle of Warrington Bridge.

Industrial history

The expansion and urbanisation of Warrington largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. As Britain became industrialised, Warrington embraced the Industrial Revolution becoming a manufacturing town and a centre of steel (particularly wire), textiles, brewing, tanning and chemical industries. The navigational properties of the River Mersey were improved, canals were built, and the town grew yet more prosperous and popular. When the age of steam came, Warrington naturally welcomed it, both as a means of transport and as a source of power for its mills.

Second World War

Warrington was the location of the Burtonwood RAF base and Risley Ordnance Factory. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, RAF Burtonwood served as the largest

US Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

airfield outside the United States, and was visited by major American celebrities including

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

who entertained the GIs. The RAF station continued to be used by the USAAF and subsequently USAF as a staging post for men and material until its closure in 1993.

Post-war expansion

Warrington was designated a

in 1968 and consequently the population grew in size, with many of the town's new residents moving from

, with the

Birchwood Birchwood is a town in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 (as at the 2001 census). Although physically and administratively part of Warrington, the civil parish council has named itself a town council. Hi ...

area being developed on the former

ROF Risley ROF Risley, (Filling Factory No.6) was a large World War II Royal Ordnance Factory filling munitions, including the Grand Slam bomb, in the UK. It is located roughly halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. World War II With the advent of the Se ...

site. New

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

was built for families rehousing from

slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...

s in Liverpool or Manchester, while Warrington's new private housing estates also became popular with homeowners. Heavy industry declined in the 1970s and 1980s but the growth of the new town led to a great increase in employment in light industry, retail, distribution and technology.

IRA bombing

On 20 March 1993, the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

(IRA) detonated two bombs in Warrington town centre. The blasts killed two children: three-year-old Johnathan Ball died instantly, and twelve-year-old Tim Parry, from the Great Sankey area, died five days later in hospital. Around 56 other people were injured, four seriously. Their deaths provoked widespread condemnation of the organisation responsible. The blast followed a bomb attack a few weeks earlier on a gas-storage plant in Warrington. Tim Parry's father, Colin Parry, founded

The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation (which changed its name from 'The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace' in September 2017) is an educational peace charity based in United Kingdom (charity no.1048990). It was formed in 1995 ...

(known as the Peace Centre) as part of a campaign to reconcile communities in conflict. The centre opened on the seventh anniversary of the bombing, 20 March 2000. He and his family still live in the town.

Other history

In 1981, Warrington was the first place to field a candidate for the new

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

: former Home Secretary

Roy Jenkins Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead, (11 November 1920 – 5 January 2003) was a British politician who served as President of the European Commission from 1977 to 1981. At various times a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lab ...

stood for Parliament but lost to Labour Party candidate

Doug Hoyle Eric Douglas Harvey Hoyle, Baron Hoyle Justice of the Peace, JP (born 17 February 1930) is a British politician and life peer who was chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1992 to 1997 and a lord-in-waiting from 1997 to 1999. A member of ...

by a small number of votes. There was a

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

training camp at

Padgate Padgate is a suburb of Warrington, in the civil parish of Poulton-with-Fearnhead, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. History Overview Historically part of Lancashire, until 1838 Padgate was an area of far ...

, a Royal Naval air base at

Appleton Thorn Appleton Thorn is a village in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. Appleton appeared in the Domesday survey as ''Epeltune'', meaning "the tun where the apples grew". Bawming the Thorn Each June, the village hosts the ceremony of " ...

(

RNAS Stretton Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap''), was an airfield in the village of Appleton Thorn, though named for the neighbouring village of Stretton, south of Warrington, in Cheshire, England. Although the main runway remains, the nort ...

) and an army base at the

Peninsula Barracks The Peninsula Barracks are a group of military buildings in Winchester, Hampshire. History The barracks, which were originally known as the Upper Barracks, Winchester, were built in the early 20th century on the site of King's House, Winchester ...

in O'Leary Street. The Territorial Army was based at the Bath Street drill hall until they moved to Peninsula Barracks. In October 1987,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

home products retailer

IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...

opened its first British store in the Burtonwood area of the town, bringing more than 200 retail jobs to the area.

Governance

History

Within the boundaries of the

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

county of Lancashire, the town of Warrington was incorporated as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

in 1847 under the

Municipal Corporations Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will 4 c 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The legisl ...

. The town had its own police force from 1847 to 1969. Warrington acquired

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

status upon reaching a population of 50,000 in 1900 and until 1974 was known as the County Borough of Warrington. As part of proposed local government reforms of England, in 1969 the

Redcliffe-Maud Report The Redcliffe-Maud Report (Cmnd. 4040) was published in 1969 by the '' Royal Commission on Local Government in England'', under the chairmanship of Lord Redcliffe-Maud. Although the commission's proposals were broadly accepted by the Labour gove ...

suggested merging Warrington with either

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

metropolitan counties The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, with populations between 1 and 3 million. They were created in 1974 and are each di ...

. Lobbying by the borough council averted this. But, since these county boundary changes were to make Warrington non-contiguous with Lancashire, under the local government reforms of 1974, Warrington, incorporating

Lymm Lymm is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England, which incorporates the hamlets of Booths Hill, Broomedge, Church Green, Deansgreen, Heatley, Heatley Heath, Little Heatley, Oughtrington, Reddish, Rushgreen and ...

Urban District Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

and part of

from Cheshire, and part of

, was made a borough within Cheshire County Council. On 1 April 1998, Warrington became an independent

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, though it is still served by Cheshire Police and

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the English county of Cheshire, consisting of the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. It operates 28 fire stat ...

, and forms part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes, such as the Lord Lieutenancy. Warrington has applied unsuccessfully for city status, the most recent attempt being after the opening of the Peace Centre as a "City for Peace".

Warrington Borough Council

The current borders of Warrington Borough cover the former

County Borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

of Warrington, Lymm Urban District,

and part of

Golborne Golborne (pronounced or ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south-southeast of Wigan, northeast of Warrington and to the west of the city of Manchester. Combined with the village of Lowto ...

Urban District, part of

and part of

. After the May 2021 election the political makeup of the borough council was as follows: 36 Labour councillors, 11 Conservatives 8 Liberal Democrats, 3 Independents. A Conservative councillor switched to Labour in 2022. *3

Liberal Democrat Several political party, political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democracy, liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties ...

wards:

Grappenhall Grappenhall is a suburb of Warrington in the civil parish of Grappenhall and Thelwall, which had a population of 9,377 at the 2001 census. History Grappenhall is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 with the name ''Gropenhale'' and with a val ...

;

North and

Thelwall Thelwall is a suburban village in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England, close to the Lymm junction of the M6 motorway. History A fortified village was established at Thelwall in 923, in the reign of King Edward the Elder, which is me ...

;

Stockton Heath Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburb of Warrington, in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Lat ...

*12

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

wards: Bewsey & Whitecross;

Burtonwood Burtonwood is a village in the civil parish of Burtonwood and Westbrook, in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the name Burtonwood is known worldwide as the location of the ...

& Winwick; Fairfield & Howley;

Great Sankey Great Sankey is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is west of Warrington town centre and had a population of 24,211 in 2001 Census.Great Sankey Great Sankey is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is west of Warrington town centre and had a population of 24,211 in 2001 Census.Latchford Latchford may refer to: Places Australia *Latchford Barracks, Australian Army base Canada *Latchford, Ontario, town United Kingdom *Latchford, Cheshire, a suburb of Warrington, England **Latchford railway station **Runcorn to Latchford Ca ...

East;

Latchford Latchford may refer to: Places Australia *Latchford Barracks, Australian Army base Canada *Latchford, Ontario, town United Kingdom *Latchford, Cheshire, a suburb of Warrington, England **Latchford railway station **Runcorn to Latchford Ca ...

West; Orford; Poplars & Hulme; Poulton North; Poulton South; and Westbrook *2 Conservative wards: Appleton; Culcheth, Glazebury &

Croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

*4 "split" wards:

(2 Labour, 1 Conservative); Chapelford & Old Hall (2 Labour, 1 Conservative);

South (1 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat);

Rixton Push Baby (stylised in all lowercase) are a British pop duo from Manchester, England consisting of singer Jake Roche and multi-instrumentalist Charley Bagnall. They are signed to their own indie label, Wow, Big Legend. In 2012, the band started ...

Woolston Woolston may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Woolston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish in Warrington * Woolston, Devon, on the list of United Kingdom locations: Woof-Wy near Kingsbridge, Devon * Woolston, Southampton, a city suburb in Ham ...

(2 Labour, 1 Conservative); *1 independent ward:

Penketh Penketh is a civil parish and suburb of Warrington in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is located about west of Warrington town centre. It has a population of 8,699. It is in the historic county of Cheshire. The name is derive ...

Cuerdley Cuerdley is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, ...

Parish councils

The Borough of Warrington contains 18 parish councils as well as a central unparished area (see list of civil parishes below).

National representation

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, Warrington is represented by two MPs:

Charlotte Nichols Charlotte Louise Nichols (born 5 April 1991) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Warrington North since the 2019 general election. Prior to her political career, she worked as a trade union official. ...

(Labour) represents Warrington North, and Andy Carter (Conservative) represents

Warrington South Warrington South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Andy Carter, a Conservative Party politician. Constituency profile Warrington South is one of two seats covering the Borough of Warri ...

Geography

The Borough of Warrington is bordered by Halton,

Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 str ...

, and

Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. Towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Co ...

boroughs in the ceremonial county of

and by the metropolitan boroughs of

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Ur ...

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

and

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

in Greater Manchester and St. Helens in Merseyside.

Subdivisions, suburbs and civil parishes of Warrington

The Borough of Warrington has 18 civil parishes. The town centre and the area around it are an

Civil parishes

Appleton,

Burtonwood and Westbrook Burtonwood is a village in the civil parish of Burtonwood and Westbrook, in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the name Burtonwood is known worldwide as the location of the ...

Culcheth and Glazebury Culcheth and Glazebury is a civil parish in Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 8,534. Culcheth Historically part of Lancashire, the area was dense woodland until the Norman conquest, hence th ...

Grappenhall and Thelwall Grappenhall and Thelwall is a civil parish within the Borough of Warrington and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 9,377. The civil parish was formed in largely its present state in 1936, when the then Thelwall ...

Great Sankey Great Sankey is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is west of Warrington town centre and had a population of 24,211 in 2001 Census.Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places Canada * Hatton, Saskatchewan England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire * Hatton, Lincolnshire * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow * Hatton, Shropshire, a ...

Poulton-with-Fearnhead Poulton-with-Fearnhead is a civil parish and suburb of Warrington, in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 17,019. The parish includes northern and eastern suburbs of Warrington, inclu ...

(includes

Rixton-with-Glazebrook Rixton-with-Glazebrook is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies to the east of Warrington and borders Cadishead, and is largely farmland. It has a railway station at Glazebrook a ...

, Stretton,

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada *Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdom ...

, Winwick,

(includes

Martinscroft Martinscroft is a part of the civil parish of Woolston in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is rumoured that Battery Lane in the village got its name from where Oliver Cromwell stored his weapons during his visit in the civil war. Martinscroft ...

and

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

)

Other areas, including localities within civil parishes

, Bewsey,

Blackbrook Blackbrook may refer to several places in the United Kingdom: * Blackbrook, Cheshire, England * Blackbrook, Derbyshire, England * Blackbrook, London, in the London Borough of Bromley, near Southborough, Bromley, Southborough * Blackbrook, St Helens ...

, Bruche, Callands, Chapelford, Cinnamon Brow, Cobbs, Dallam, Fairfield, Gemini,

Gorse Covert Birchwood is a town in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 (as at the 2001 census). Although physically and administratively part of Warrington, the civil parish council has named itself a town council. Hi ...

, Grange,

Hermitage Green Hermitage Green is a Hamlet (place)#United Kingdom, hamlet near the village of Winwick, Cheshire, Winwick in Cheshire, England. It is also the location of St Oswald's Church, Winwick#St Oswald's Well, St Oswald's Well (). During 2006 the series ...

Hollins Green Hollins Green is a village on the eastern edge of Warrington, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, close to Glaze Brook, the boundary with Salford, in the civil parish of Rixton-with-Glazebrook; the ecclesi ...

, Hood Manor, Howley, Hulme,

Kenyon Kenyon may refer to: Names * Kenyon (given name) * Kenyon (surname) Places * Kenyon, Cheshire, United Kingdom, a village * Kenyon, Minnesota, United States, a city * Kenyon, Rhode Island, United States, a village * Kenyon, former name of Pineridg ...

Locking Stumps Birchwood is a town in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 (as at the 2001 census). Although physically and administratively part of Warrington, the civil parish council has named itself a town council. Hi ...

, Old Hall,

Omega Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

, Orford, Risley,

Sankey Bridges Sankey Bridges is part of the Parish of Holy Trinity in Warrington, a unitary authority in the north-west of England. Located on the turnpike road between Warrington, Prescot and Liverpool over the Sankey Brook, which was the boundary of Great Sa ...

, Westbrook,

Westy Westy is a suburban district in Warrington, England. It lies between the River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a bor ...

, Whitecross,

, Wright's Green

Climate

Warrington has a temperate

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

with warm summers and cool winters. Rain is spread across the year, with thunderstorms only usually occurring in the summer months. Summer heat waves are rare but can cause temperatures to exceed 30 °C. Summers are usually snow free and rarely experience high winds. Winters are generally cold, with most days around 0 °C . Moreover, during occasional lengthy cold snaps, night-time temperatures have been known to fall to −12 °C with lying snow lasting for weeks. Ground frost regularly occurs from late October until late March. High winds are common in winter, although rarely above

gale force The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. History The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort ...

Green belt

Warrington is within a

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

region that extends into the wider surrounding counties, and is in place to reduce

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

, prevent the towns in the nearby

and

conurbations from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, encourage

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

reuse, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building. The main urban area and larger villages of the borough are exempt from the green belt area, but surrounding smaller villages, hamlets and rural areas such as Rixton, Glazebrook, Higher Walton, Kenyon, Stretton, Hatton, Broomedge are 'washed over' with the designation. The green belt was first drawn up in 1977 under Cheshire County Council, and the size in the borough in 2017 amounted to . A subsidiary aim of the green belt is to encourage recreation and leisure interests, with rural landscape features and facilities including Walton Hall gardens with zoo and bicycle museum, St Oswald's Church and well, the River Mersey with valley and trail,

River Bollin The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England. It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream t ...

Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was ...

, Appleton Reservoir, numerous playing fields, parks and golf clubs, Cuerdley and Norton marshes, the

Trans Pennine Trail The Trans Pennine Trail is a long-distance path running from coast to coast across Northern England entirely on surfaced paths and using only gentle gradients (it runs largely along disused railway lines and canal towpaths). It forms part of ...

, the

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

Forest project, and Sow Brook.

Demography

Based on ONS statistics

Population and ethnicity

At the 2011 census, Warrington had a total population of 202,200, of which 49.6% are male and 50.4% are female. The average age of the population is 38.06 years, which is slightly below the regional and national averages. In 2018 it was estimated that the current population of Warrington is 209,500. In addition to English, a further 36 languages were recorded spoken by more than 0.01% of Warrington's population aged 3 and over in the 2011 census. Those spoken by more than 0.1% were

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

(0.88%), Slovak (0.21%),

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Latvian (0.12%) Non Mandarin or Cantonese

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

(0.12%) and Tagalog/

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

(0.11%). There are around 100 churches or other Christian communities, two mosques, and a Sikh temple Guru Nanak Gurdwara which is the only Sikh place of worship in Cheshire. The most multicultural parts of Warrington are in the town centre, as well as the western and north western suburbs, such as Bewsey and Westbrook. In 2011, the town was 92.9%

White British White British is an ethnicity classification used for the native white population identifying as English, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Northern Irish, or British in the United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White British population wa ...

, 2.3% other White, 2.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

and 0.3% Black.

Housing and social situation

At the 2011 census, the borough of Warrington had 85,100 households. From 2001 data (80,593 households), 76% were owner occupied, 17.6% were rented from the council, 4.8% were rented from other sources and 1.6% of houses had residents who lived rent free. Warrington has a population density of 10.7 residents per hectare, and 31.9% of residents describe the borough as a comfortably well-off area. 4.3% of households are deemed overcrowded. Of the total population, 5.8% of residents are on some form of benefits.

Employment and education

At 2005, the borough of Warrington had 63.6% employment, with only 2.9% of all economically active people unemployed – although a substantial rise began in 2008 due to the

recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

. 2.3% of the population are students in full-time higher education. 31.1% of the total population are economically inactive (due to retirement, ill health, or full-time carer status). According to borough statistics, of the population (in the Borough of Warrington in 2005). 26.9% are unqualified (either due to leaving school early or failing the end of school examinations). 46.4% have level 1 or 2 qualifications (level 1 being 1+ GCSE (A*-G) or "O" Level or equivalent, level 2 being 5+ GCSEs (grades A-C), 1+'A' levels/ AS levels (A-E) or equivalent). 19.7% have received level 3+ qualifications (meaning 2+ A-levels (A-E), 4+ AS-levels (A-E) or equivalent minimum).

Economy

Buttermarket Street, Warrington - geograph

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Halton and Warrington at current basic prices. There is a large

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

factory in Warrington where powder detergents are made. In January 2020, Unilever put the plant under review owing to a fall in demand for washing powder compared with other forms of detergent. Warrington Council and Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are major employers in the borough.

ESR Technology ESR Technology was formerly the engineering, safety and risk business of AEA Technology, which was formed from the commercial arm of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. It specializes in the provision of technical expertise, products, ...

's main operations are located at Warrington.

Retail

In spite of its proximity to significant retail areas in

, Liverpool,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and the out-of-town

Trafford Centre The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space. Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...

, Warrington continues to have one of the larger shopping centres in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

. Despite the competition, Warrington has seen an increase in its customer trade, due in part to the modernisation of the town centre. It has a shopping centre (Golden Square) first opened in 1974, which has been extended to include a

Primark Primark Stores Limited (; trading as Penneys in the Republic of Ireland) is an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It has stores across Europe and in the United States. The Penneys brand is not u ...

store, and a new bus station. The old Cockhedge Textile Mill was demolished and replaced by another shopping mall. The main shopping streets are Buttermarket Street, Horsemarket Street, Sankey Street and Bridge Street. Where these four streets intersect at Market Gate, there is a redevelopment with a large fountain and "guardians" (known locally as "the skittles") designed by

Howard Ben Tré Howard Ben Tré (May 13, 1949 - June 20, 2020) was an American glass artist. He worked with poured glass, creating small sculptures and large scale public artworks. ''Glass'' magazine has called Ben Tré a pioneer in the technique of using hot g ...

. Musical instrument retailer

Dawsons Music Dawsons Music & Sound, often referred to as Dawsons or Dawsons Music, was a musical instrument and consumer audio retailer with headquarters based in Haydock, Merseyside, UK. History Dawsons Music was established in 1898 in Warrington by Joh ...

originates in the town, and was located on Sankey Street from 1898 until 2019. The town also has a large indoor market which was redeveloped as part of the Time Square development which brought the return of a cinema in the town centre along with office space, restaurants, bars and retail opportunities. The town also has several other small shopping malls located in the town centre and throughout the town such as Hatters Row and Birchwood Mall.

chose Warrington as the location for their first store when they came to the UK; the store is located in the large out-of-town shopping area of Gemini, which is home to one of the largest

Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

stores in the UK. Nearby to this, there is also an ODEON Luxe cinema, which was refurbished in 2019 due to its popularity.

Leisure

There is

ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll ...

located at Winwick Quay, and indoor paintball. An indoor karting centre is located near to Bank Quay. Pitch and putt and crazy golf are available at Walton Hall and Gardens. A Laser Quest arena and a snooker club can also be found in Warrington, both located close to the town centre.

Gulliver's World Gulliver's World is a theme park located in Warrington, England. It consists of the themed areas Land, Gully Town, and Safari Kingdom. The park's attractions were designed for children between the ages of 2 and 13. Splash Zone and Blast Arena ar ...

theme park is located in Old Hall, Apple Jack's Farm theme park is situated in Stretton.

Developments

The

Omega Development Site Omega is a property development site in Warrington, Cheshire comprising 226 hectares straddling the M62 motorway, M62 motorway. The site comprises a large part of the former RAF Burtonwood, RAF/USAF Burtonwood airbase. A new junction on the M62 (ju ...

close to the M62 on the northern edge of Warrington, on part of the site of the Burtonwood Airbase, was intended to be a major business park but has instead been developed as mainly warehousing with a large residential area. Other planned developments in Warrington were delayed by the economic climate, but redevelopment of the Time Square area, including a new Market, multi-story car park with around 1,200 spaces, cinema, retail outlets and council offices was completed in 2020 with an estimated cost of £142 million. Warrington is developing a new

Local Plan A development plan sets out a local authority's policies and proposals for land use in their area. The term is usually used in the United Kingdom. A Local Plan is one type of development plan. The development plan guides and shapes day-to-day dec ...

but plans to build 24,000 new homes were scaled back as government guidance changed. Included in the plans would be a new "Garden City Suburb" in the south of Warrington. The four main areas of growth as outlined in the planning were the waterfront around the

, the town centre, the Garden City Suburb and south west urban extension.

Transport

Warrington - 1851 - Project Gutenberg eText 13721

The town has two main railway stations: Bank Quay is on the

between

London Euston Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...

and Glasgow Central and the

Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

via

line, while

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

is on the Liverpool to Manchester line (via

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...

and Warrington) with through services to

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...

and to

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

. Bank Quay is much altered, but Central (built 1873) is of some architectural merit, featuring polychromatic brickwork. Both have undergone some refurbishment including new entrances. There are also railway stations in the suburbs at

, Sankey,

Glazebrook Rixton-with-Glazebrook is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies to the east of Warrington and borders Cadishead, and is largely farmland. It has a railway station at Glazebrook ...

and

. A new railway station,

Warrington West Warrington West is a railway station on the Liverpool–Manchester line. The station, situated east of Liverpool Lime Street, serves the civil parish of Great Sankey, Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ...

in Chapelford, near

Great Sankey Great Sankey is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is west of Warrington town centre and had a population of 24,211 in 2001 Census.M62, M6 and

M56 motorway The M56 motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Chester ...

s and midway between

and

airports. It also has five primary A roads, the A49, A50, A56, A57 and A580 (East Lancashire Road), which forms part of the northern boundary of the borough.

Warrington's Own Buses Warrington's Own Buses is a municipal bus company which operates a network of services within the Borough of Warrington and the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown, Wigan, Halton, Bolton and Northwich. The company previou ...

, one of the few

municipal bus companies A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom. Most municipal bus companies disappeared between 1968 and 1974 before (o ...

to survive in public ownership, runs most bus services within the town.

Go North West Go North West is a bus operator in Greater Manchester, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History Go North West commenced operations on 2 June 2019 following the Go-Ahead Group's purchase of First Greater Manchester's Queens Roa ...

and Arriva North West provide bus links to surrounding destinations such as Manchester, the Trafford Centre, Liverpool, St Helens, Runcorn, Widnes and Chester. A real-time

passenger information system A passenger information system, or passenger information display system, is an automated system for supplying users of public transport with information about the nature and the state of a public transport service through visual, voice or other m ...

is installed at some bus stops. A new bus station known as Warrington Interchange opened in 2006 at the Golden Square Shopping Centre. The River Mersey runs through the heart of the town dividing it in two. There are only two main thoroughfares crossing the Mersey in Warrington: at

at Bridge Foot and at the Kingsway Bridge. Before the M6 was built, these routes were very busy with through traffic. The

runs through the south of the town; three swing bridges and a high-level cantilever bridge provide crossing points. Although shipping movements on the ship canal are far less frequent than in years past, they can cause severe delay to local road traffic. The

runs through the borough from the village of Lymm to Walton Hall and Gardens, a local park/leisure area. The course of the

Sankey Canal The Sankey Canal in North West England, initially known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and later the St Helens Canal, is a former industrial canal, which when opened in 1757 was England's first of the Industrial revolution, and the first modern ...

runs through the west of the town, although most of it is not suitable for navigation.

Warrington Bus Interchange

The interchange consists of 19 departure stands, numbered from 1 to 19, all of which employ a drive-in reverse-out layout. Each stand has a computerised information screen which also ties into the real-time information system. All stands are served from the main concourse building, which contains toilets, a newsagent, cafe, and a combined travel and tourist information office. There is access to the Golden Square shopping centre via escalators and lifts. The exits on the eastern side of the building lead onto Winwick Street, on which can be found a

taxi rank A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

and

Warrington Central railway station Warrington Central railway station is one of three main railway stations serving the town of Warrington in the north-west of England. It is located on the southern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Lines (the former Cheshire Lines Committee ...

within around 100 metres. The bus station is the terminus for all local bus services within Warrington. Regional services operate to neighbouring cities

and

, as well as to

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

, the

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

and St Helens. A small number of

National Express National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...

long-distance coach services operate to destinations including

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

and Southport. The majority of bus services are operated by

, who have their own information office within the main concourse selling season tickets. Other services are provided by Arriva North West and

History

Warrington Bus Interchange (also known as Warrington Interchange) opened on 21 August 2006, next to the site of a temporary terminus that had been in use for the past thirteen months. The new interchange was built in conjunction with the extension and upgrade of the adjoining

Golden Square shopping centre Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, and replaced the previous bus station which dated from 1979. In 2021, a 3.5 metre artwork was painted on glass at the bus station.

Culture

In March 2017

Warrington Borough Council Warrington Borough Council is the local authority of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services in ...

made an unsuccessful bid to become the

UK City of Culture UK City of Culture is a designation given to a city (or a local area from 2025) in the United Kingdom for a period of one calendar year, during which the successful bidder hosts cultural festivities through culture-led regeneration for the ye ...

in 2021. Warrington has a concert hall (the

Parr Hall The Parr Hall is the only surviving professional concert hall venue in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Location The Parr Hall and Pyramid Art ...

), an arts centre (the Pyramid), three museums, and various public libraries throughout the borough. Warrington Central Library was the first rate-supported library in the UK. There is a cinema at Westbrook, and another opened in 2019 as part of a town centre redevelopment. There are several

parks in Warrington Here is a list of parks and areas of natural interest in Warrington, England. * Alexandra Park (Stockton Heath) * Bank Park * Birchwood Forest Park * Black Bear Park ( Latchford) * Brickfields Park ( Orford) * Bruche Park * Burtonwood Nature ...

and designated nature reserves at

Woolston Eyes Woolston Eyes is a Site of Special Scientific Interest located in the town of Warrington, England, alongside the Manchester Ship Canal. The eyes themselves are used for the deposition of dredgings from the Ship Canal under a Waste Management Lic ...

Risley Moss Risley Moss is an area of peat bog situated near Birchwood in Warrington, England. It is a country park, Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve. It covers an area of and is one of the last remaining fragments of the raise ...

Rixton Claypits Rixton Clay Pits (also known as Rixton Claypits) is a former clay extraction site in Rixton, near Hollins Green, Warrington, England. Formerly farmland, boulder clay extraction started in the 1920s for brick making in the adjacent brickworks, and ...

and

Paddington Meadows Paddington Meadows is a Local Nature Reserve in Warrington, Cheshire. The land was donated to Warrington Borough council in 1995. It was designated in November 2005. The site comprises almost 30 hectares of meadow grassland occupying the area t ...

Museums

Warrington Museum & Art Gallery Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is on Bold Street in the Cultural Quarter of Warrington in a Grade II listed building that it shares with the town's Central Library. The Museum and the Library originally opened in 1848 as the first rate-sup ...

is situated in Warrington's Cultural Quarter on the first floor of a building it currently shares with Warrington Central Library. The town is also home to the

Museum of Policing in Cheshire The Museum of Policing in Cheshire is a museum that focuses on law enforcement and its history in the county of Cheshire. It is based in Warrington Police station. The exhibits include uniforms from history, and a Doctor Who police box. A book bas ...

, located in part of the working police station, and the

Warrington Museum of Freemasonry Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estima ...

. A heritage centre for the village of

was given planning permission in February 2016.

Events

A number of festivals, carnivals and

walking day {{More citations needed, date=August 2018 A walking day is a type of church parade. Walking days are most common in the North West region of England, where they are an annual event for many towns and villages. In some rural communities in the North ...

s are held annually in the Warrington area. Warrington Walking Day – originally a Sunday school festival – is held on the closest Friday to the last day of June, and the town centre is closed to traffic as churches walk together through the streets. Other festivals, besides the many walking days, include: *

Bawming of the Thorn *

Carnival and Safari Day *

Carnival * Culcheth Community Day * Glazebury Gala *Howley Carnival *

May Queen *

Dickensian Festival *

Rushbearing *

Carnival *

Arts Festival *

Rose Queen *Warrington Music Festival * Winwick Carnival *

Carnival

Music

A regular series of free classical music concerts take place in Bold Street Methodist Church, organised by WACIDOM. This charity is also responsible for the biennial Warrington Competition for Young Musicians, held at Arley Hall. Regular classical recitals also take place at

Walton Hall Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada *Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...

and

St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall St Wilfrid's Church is in Church Lane, Grappenhall, a village in Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archd ...

. Warrington also has many musical groups, including

Warrington Male Voice Choir Warrington Male Voice Choir is one of Great Britain's oldest choirs, tracing its formation to 1898. During its long history the choir has travelled widely and has performed in many famous concert halls and cathedrals throughout the United Kingdom ...

, Gemini Musical Theatre Company (formerly Warrington Light Opera), Warrington Youth Orchestra,

North Cheshire Wind Orchestra {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The North Cheshire Wind Orchestra (NCWO) is a symphonic wind orchestra based in Warrington, England. The membership of around 40 players is drawn from throughout the North West of England, many of whom travel con ...

Centenary Theatre Company Centenary Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Warrington, Cheshire. They are one of the longest established theatre companies in North West of England. The name of the Company has changed several times over the years, with the original ...

and ladies a cappella choir, the Cheshire Chord Company. Warrington has a purpose-built concert hall, the

, which houses a large and internationally famous concert pipe-organ made by the great nineteenth-century French organ-builder

Aristide Cavaillé-Coll Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ buildi ...

. A number of rock and pop musicians are associated with Warrington.

Madchester Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that developed in the English city of Manchester in the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance scene. Indie-dance (sometimes referred to as indie-rave) saw artists merging indie music w ...

pioneers

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

are closely associated with the town, particularly the native lead singer

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English singer and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the split in 1996, he began a solo career, re ...

. Other artists include

Spike Dawbarn Simon James "Spike" Dawbarn (born 5 August 1974) is an English singer and dancer. He is a member of the boy band 911 (English group), 911, who were originally active between 1995 and 2000 and had ten consecutive top 10 hits before splitting up i ...

from 90's music act band 911,

Kerry Katona Kerry Jayne Elizabeth Katona (born 6 September 1980) is a British media personality and singer. She was a member of girl group Atomic Kitten from 1998 until her first departure in 2001 and again from 2012 until her second departure in 2017. ...

of Atomic Kitten, Ben Byrne and James Stelfox from Starsailor (band), Starsailor and Tim Bowness of No-Man. The band Viola Beach (whose single "Swings & Waterslides" posthumously entered the UK Singles Chart at number 11) were formed in Warrington. ''The Hit Man and Her'' TV show featuring producer Pete Waterman (of Stock Aitken Waterman) and Michaela Strachan debuted and regularly returned to the Mr Smiths nightclub in Warrington. Warrington is home to the Neighbourhood Weekender music festival which takes place on Victoria Park during the May bank holiday weekend. The event was first launched in 2018, over 50,000 attending the event over the two days. The event was repeated in 2019 and was scheduled to return in 2020. The event was also held in 2021.

Open spaces

Warrington has an array of open spaces, including parks, trails, nature reserves and gardens rich in history and visual beauty. Many of these attractions are dog friendly, and free of charge to enter, usually with man-made paths created to ensure safety. The attractions include: * Culcheth Linear park- open 24hrs, with public toilets, parking, and staff based around the park * 2021- picture of Lymm Dam reflected against the sky

2021- picture of Lymm Dam reflected against the sky

Lymm Dam, Lymm dam - open 24hrs, water features, wildlife and woodland walks. Also has angling opportunities and links to the Trans Pennine Trail, Trans Pennine trail. * New Cut heritage and ecology trail- ongoing project including linear footpaths, Paddington meadows nature reserve, and links to several other parks in the area (listed below) * Risley Moss, Risley Moss local nature reserve - works with schools and partakes in regular subjects to help aid the life of local wildlife. Includes car parking and toilets * Sankey Valley Park, Sankey valley park - open 24hrs, includes picnic benches, car parking, angling opportunities and play areas. *

- open 24hrs, suitable for cycling, walking and running. Links to many other paths in the area. * Victoria Park,Warrington, Victoria park - includes sports facilities, changing facilities, training pitches, ASICS Stadium, play area and home to the annual Neighbourhood Weekender music festival * Walton Hall, Cheshire, Walton gardens - includes gardens, Walton Hall, Cheshire, Walton hall, petting zoo, play areas, mini golf and footpaths accessible to all. Warrington is also home to other small parks and open spaces such Woolston park, Birchwood forest park and Bank park. Most open areas are dog friendly and only require unfriendly dogs to be kept under proper control by owners.

Heritage

The historic core of Warrington contains many significant listed buildings, including Warrington Town Hall, St Elphin's Church and Warrington Museum, situated within Conservation Areas.

Education

Higher education

The University of Chester has a campus at

that was formerly part of Warrington Collegiate.

Colleges

Warrington is home to three colleges: Priestley College, Priestley Sixth Form and Community College, Warrington and Vale Royal College and University Technical College Warrington. Most of the high schools have their own post-16 provision (sixth-form).

Schools

There are 14 high schools throughout the borough: Woolston High School closed in 2012. There are also 69 primary schools in the borough. The

Japanese School (マンチェスター日本人補習授業校 ''Manchesutā Nihonjin Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a Hoshuko, weekend Japanese educational programme, is held at the Language Centre at Lymm High School.

Sport

Rugby league is the town's premier sport in the form of Warrington Wolves, who were historically nicknamed "The Wire" because of Warrington's history of wire making. In 2003 the club left Wilderspool Stadium, its home for over a century, and moved to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. Warrington Wolves, Warrington RLFC are the only team to have played every season in the top flight of rugby league. They recently put themselves back on the map as one of the leading rugby clubs in the country by taking home the Challenge Cup for two years running in 2009 and 2010 and further win in 2012. This was won by them for the first time since 1974. They also reached the cup finals in 2016 and 2018, where they lost to Hull FC & Catalans Dragons respectively. In 2019, Warrington triumphed over St Helens in the Challenge Cup Final, 18-4, to lift the trophy for the 7th time. In 2011 the Wolves gained the Super League Leaders Shield for the first time (winning again in 2016), and in 2012 they appeared in the Super League Grand Final for the first time versus Leeds Rhinos with the chance to become only the third team to win the Challenge Cup/Grand Final double – however, they lost. They also reached the Grand Final again in 2013, 2016 and 2018, losing to Wigan Warriors on all occasions, Warrington's last domestic title came in 1955, when they beat Oldham at Manchester City's Maine Road. Warrington is represented in the British Amateur Rugby League Association leagues by: * Bank Quay Bulls ARLFC * Burtonwood Bulldogs ARLFC * Crosfields ARLFC * Culcheth Eagles ARLFC * Latchford Albion ARLFC * Rylands ARFLC * Woolston Rovers ARLFC association football, Football is represented by Warrington Town F.C., Warrington Town at Cantilever Park, next to the

. The club has several nicknames including Town, Yellows and The Wire. Warrington Town are currently in the Northern Premier League Premier Division following promotion in 2016. Warrington's biggest success was in the 2014 FA Cup where they reached the first round proper for the first time, whilst in the eighth tier. Warrington drew Exeter City F.C., Exeter City of the fourth tier, who were at the time of the game 100 places above the Yellows. The match was shown live on BBC One and sold out Cantilever Park. Warrington famously won the game 1–0, but lost to 5th-tier Gateshead F.C., Gateshead in the second round. The town also has another non-league team, Rylands F.C. who currently play in the . Rowing in Warrington may well have been taking place for nearly 200 years. It is known that Warrington Regatta is well over 150 years old, often attracting large crowds on the riverbank. The modern Warrington rowing club started in the mid-1980s and is based near Kingsway Bridge. Warrington is home to both recreational and competitive rowers. Warrington Athletic Club is based at Victoria Park (Warrington), Victoria Park, where a new eight-lane synthetic track was built in 1998, after the original track was destroyed in a fire the previous year. Motorcycle speedway, Speedway racing, formerly known as dirt track racing, was staged in Warrington in its pioneering era between 1928 and 1930. The track entered a team in the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League, English Dirt Track League and the 1930 Northern League (speedway), Northern League. Efforts to revive the venue in 1947 failed to materialise. Warrington Wolves Basketball team was set up in 2009 and competes in the English Basketball League Division Four. Warrington has four predominant rugby union teams: Warrington RUFC, Lymm RFC, Gentlemen of Moore RUFC and Eagle RUFC, who are based at Thornton Road.

Media

Warrington's longest established newspaper is the ''Warrington Guardian''. Published weekly and costing £1, it is currently owned by Newsquest and has sales of just over 17,000. Bridge Foot based Orbit News Ltd produce a monthly free news magazine, ''Warrington Worldwide'', as well as three community magazines, Warrington Worldwide, Lymm Life (first published April 1999) and Culcheth Life (First published April 2003) and the daily news website. The free monthly newspaper ''Cheshire Times'' is also distributed in the southern half of the borough. Community radio station Radio Warrington broadcasts from a studio in Warrington Retail Market. They hold an AM licence and have received planning permission for a transmitter, though their broadcasts are currently only available online. Independent Local Radio station Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West (formerly Wire FM), now based in Orrell, Greater Manchester, Orrell, also serves the Warrington area.

Landmarks

:''See also Listed buildings in Warrington (unparished area), Listed buildings in Warrington'' Warrington town hall

Churches and other religious buildings

, Grade I listed medieval church *St Oswald's Church, Winwick, Grade I listed medieval church *The 14th-century St Elphin's Church, Warrington, Parish Church of St Elphin, largely a Victorian architecture, Victorian rebuild with a spire, the sixth tallest in the UK *Holy Trinity Church, Warrington, Holy Trinity Church, 1758, Grade II* listed Georgian architecture, Georgian church at Market Gate *St Mary's Church, Warrington, St Mary's Church, Grade II church designed by E.W. Pugin and Peter Paul Pugin in Buttermarket Street

Civic amenities

, Grade II listed building and one of the oldest municipal museums in the UK *Warrington Town Hall (and its golden gates), formerly Bank Hall (built 1750), the home of the Philips family and their scion the artist Nathaniel George Philips *Halliwell Jones Stadium, home of Warrington Wolves *Parr Hall, Parr Hall Concert Hall, home to a Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ, rare concert pipe-organ made by the great French organ-builder

*Pyramid Arts Centre on Palmyra Square

Industrial and commercial structures

*Warrington Transporter Bridge, a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument *The Barley Mow, established in 1561, the oldest pub in Warrington *The Cheshire Lines railway warehouse, now redeveloped as apartments *The row of late Victorian terracotta-clad shops on Bridge Street *Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, now being decommissioned *The industrial modernist

Soapworks *

store, near the Gemini retail park, the first of the IKEA chain to be built in the UK *The former Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), Woolworth's Building in Sankey Street (originally Garnett's furniture showroom and currently Poundland) *Musical instrument retailer

has been based on Sankey Street since 1898, where its headquarters remain to this day.

Other

*Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden *The Warrington Academy, a dissenting academy, dissenters' institute where Joseph Priestley once taught. After the academy moved, the building housed the offices of the local newspaper the ''Warrington Guardian'' until June 2016. A Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade II listed Statue of Oliver Cromwell, Warrington, statue of Oliver Cromwell stands in front of the Academy. *"Cromwell's Cottage" (17th century), which

is said to have visited

Notable residents

Up to 1700

*James Bell (priest), James Bell (1524–1584), Catholic priest and martyr, born in Warrington *Thomas Dallam (c1570 – 1614), organ builder and Elizabethan era, Elizabethan trade envoy to Constantinople. His family came from Dallam. *Edward Barlow (priest), Edward Barlow (1639 in Warrington – 1719), priest and mechanician *John Harrison (1693–1776), inventor of the marine chronometer which established longitude; long-time inhabitant of Warrington *Susanna Wright (1697 in Warrington – 1784), colonial American poet and pundit, botanist, business owner and legal scholar *Hamlet Winstanley (1698–1756), painter and engraver; designer of Stanley Street in Warrington town centre. Born in Warrington and lived there in his later years before dying there.

1700 to 1800

*John Macgowan (1726–1780), Nonconformist (Protestantism), non-conformist preacher and satirist; resident of Warrington *Anna Blackburne (1726–1793), naturalist and correspondent of Carl Linnaeus; lived and died in Warrington *Edward Evanson (1731 in Warrington – 1805), controversial clergyman *Joseph Priestley FRS, (1733–1804), non-conformist clergyman, philosopher and scientist, discoverer of oxygen; lived in Warrington and taught at the Warrington Academy between 1761 and 1767 *Thomas Percival FRS FRSE FSA (1740 in Warrington − 1804), physician and author, crafted the first modern code of medical ethics *Anna Laetitia Barbauld (1743–1825), poet and literary critic; lived in Warrington 1758–1774 *Peter Litherland (1756–1805), watchmaker and inventor of the lever watch; born in Warrington *Elizabeth Whitlock (1761 in Warrington – 1836), actress, a member of the Kemble family of actors *Colonel John Drinkwater Bethune (1762 in Latchford – 1844), army officer, administrator and military historian, documented the Great Siege of Gibraltar *John Cragg (1767 in Warrington–1854), English ironmaster who ran a foundry in Liverpool *Arthur Aikin FLS, FGS (1773 in Warrington – 1854), chemist, mineralogist and scientific writer, and was a founding member of the Chemical Society *Charles Rochemont Aikin (1775 in Warrington – 1847), doctor and chemist *Edmund Aikin (1780 in Warrington – 1820), architect and writer on architecture *Lucy Aikin (1781 in Warrington – 1864), historical writer, also published under the pseudonym Mary Godolphin. *Maria Hill, Daughter of the Regiment, Maria Hill (1791 in Winwick–1881), Canadian heroine of the Anglo-American War of 1812, War of 1812 *Joseph Crosfield (1792–1844), businessman, established a soap and chemical manufacturing business in Warrington called Joseph Crosfield and Sons *William Beamont (1797–1889), Victorian solicitor and local philanthropist, founded several churches and the municipal library *William Wilson (botanist), William Wilson (1799 in Warrington–1871), botanist, known for his focus on bryology

1800 to 1900

*William John Beamont (1828 in Warrington – 1868), clergyman and author *Philip Pearsall Carpenter, Presbyterian minister between 1846 and 1862 *James Charles (painter), James Charles (1851 in Warrington – 1906), impressionist artist *Reginald Essenhigh (1890 in Warrington–1955), MP for Newton (UK Parliament constituency), Newton from 1931 to 1935 and then a judge *Luke Fildes (1843–1927), artist, studied at Warrington School of Art *Sir Gilbert Greenall, 1st Baronet DL (1806–1894), businessman and Conservative MP for Warrington (UK Parliament constituency), Warrington 1847–1868, 1874–1880 and 1885–1892 *William Kirtley (railway engineer), William Kirtley (1840 in Warrington – 1919), Locomotive Superintendent of the London Chatham and Dover Railway *Joseph Leicester (1825 in Warrington – 1903), glass blower and Liberal politician, MP for West Ham South (UK Parliament constituency), West Ham South from 1885 to 1886 *Jeannie Mole (1841 in Warrington – 1912), socialist, feminist, and trade union organiser *William Norman (VC), William Norman, Victoria Cross, VC (1832–1896), local war hero, born in Warrington *William Owen (architect), William Owen (1846 in Latchford – 1910), architect who practised in Warrington, collaborated with William Lever in the creation of Port Sunlight *B. H. Roberts (1857 in Warrington – 1933), Mormon leader, historian, politician and Polygamy, polygamist *Peter Rylands (1820 in Warrington – 1887), wire manufacturer and Liberal politician who was an MP in two periods between 1868 and 1887 *Captain Guy Wareing DFC (1899 in Latchford – 1918), World War I flying ace *John Webster (engineer), John Webster (1845 in Warrington – 1914), civil engineer who specialised in designing bridges *Jack Wilson (1894 in Warrington – 1970), partner in Wilson, Keppel and Betty, a popular British music hall and vaudeville act *Henry Woods (painter), Henry Woods RA (1846 in Warrington – 1921), painter and illustrator, an artist of the Neo-Venetian school

1900 to 1950

*George Formby (1904–1961), entertainer, lived for many years in Warrington and is buried in Warrington Cemetery, with his father George Formby Sr, also an entertainer * Ernest Whitty (1907–1985), footballer who played Association football for Burnley F.C., Burnley, Darwen F.C. (1870), Darwen and Chorley F.C., Chorley in the 1930s. *George Briggs (bishop), George Cardell Briggs (1910 in Warrington–2004), the first Bishop of The Seychelles *Petty Officer Alfred Edward Sephton VC (1911 in Warrington – 1941), recipient of the Victoria Cross *Reginald Waywell (born 1924), Doctor of Fine Art, lives in Warrington *Burt Kwouk OBE (1930–2016), actor, ''The Pink Panther (film series), The Pink Panther'' films, born in Warrington *Eric Tucker (1932–2018), artist *Geoffrey Hewitt (1934–2019) FREng, FRS, British chemical engineer notable for contributions to heat transfer and multiphase flow, in 2007 recipient of Global Energy Prize *Dave Cook (politician), Dave Cook (1941 in Warrington–1993), British communist activist, also known as a rock climber *Ossie Clark (1942–1996), fashion designer, raised in Warrington, attended William Beamont Secondary Technical School *Sue Johnston (born 1943), actress, ''Brookside (television programme), Brookside'' and ''The Royle Family'' *Ann Pilling (born 1944 in Warrington), author and poet best known for young adult fiction *Pete Postlethwaite (1946–2011), actor, born in Warrington; a studio in the Pyramid Arts Centre has been named after him *Peter Brimelow (born 1947 in Warrington), American writer, Paleoconservative *Paul Lewis (broadcaster), Paul Lewis (born 1948 in Warrington), freelance financial journalist and broadcaster, presenter of ''Money Box (radio), Money Box'' on BBC Radio 4 *David Banks (journalist), David Banks (born 1948 in Warrington), former British newspaper editor

1950 to date

*Pete McCarthy (1951–2004), actor, born in Warrington, honoured in a plaque on the wall of the Pyramid Arts Centre *Steve Parker (writer), Steve Parker (born 1952 in Warrington), writer of children's and adult's science books *Martin Sixsmith (born 1954 in Warrington), author and radio/television presenter, primarily working for the BBC *Joan Ryan (politician), Joan Ryan (born 1955 in Warrington), politician, MP for Enfield North (UK Parliament constituency), Enfield North 1997–2010 and 2015–2019 *Philippa Perry (born 1957 in Warrington), psychotherapist, supporter of the Women's Equality Party and married to artist and cross-dresser Grayson Perry *George Davey Smith (born 1959 in Warrington), epidemiologist *Garry Newlove (1959–2007), victim of high-profile murder in August 2007, attacked outside his house in Fearnhead *Antony Green AO (born 1960 in Warrington), Australian Psephology, psephologist and commentator *Helen Newlove, Baroness Newlove (born 1961), Warrington-based community reform campaigner, appointed Victims' Commissioner in 2012 *Gary Slater (born 1961 in Warrington), sports journalist, currently working for the ''Daily Telegraph'' *Martin Roberts (presenter), Martin Roberts (born 1963), presenter of BBC 1's ''Homes Under the Hammer'' *Robin Jarvis (born 1963), brought up in Warrington, young adult fiction and children's novelist, writes dark fantasy, suspense and supernatural thrillers *Andy Bird CBE (born c.1964 in Warrington), film producer and executive, chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney International *Tim Firth (born 1964 in Warrington), dramatist, screenwriter and songwriter *Gavin Patterson (born 1967), brought up in Warrington, chief executive of BT Group plc since 2013 *Rebekah Brooks (born 1968), journalist, newspaper editor and former chief executive of News International, attended Appleton Hall County Grammar School in Warrington *Chris Matheson (British politician), Chris Matheson (born 1968 in Warrington), Labour Party politician, MP for the City of Chester (UK Parliament constituency), City of Chester since 2015 *Liam Byrne (born 1970 in Warrington), Labour Party politician, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill (UK Parliament constituency), Birmingham Hodge Hill since 2004 *Curtis Jobling (born 1972), author, illustrator, animator and production designer of ''Bob the Builder'', lives in Warrington *Helen Wilson (mathematician), Helen Wilson (born 1973 in Warrington), mathematician at University College London, focuses on theoretical and numerical modelling *Steven Arnold (born 1974), actor, known for his role as Ashley Peacock in ''Coronation Street'', born in Warrington *Helen Walsh (born 1977), writer and film director *Warren Brown (actor), Warren Brown (born 1978), regular BBC actor, born and lives in Warrington *Nathan Head (born 1980 in Warrington), actor, known for his work in the British horror genre *Darren Jeffries (born 1982), actor, best known for his role as OB in ''Hollyoaks'' *George Sampson (born 1993), dancer and winner of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2008 *Reginald Waywell (1924–2019), artist (Slade) awarded Honorary Doctor of Fine Art by Chester University for his services to Warrington.

Music

*Edwin Astley, Edwin 'Ted' Astley (1922–1998), composer, most notably the themes to ''The Saint (TV series), The Saint'' and ''Danger Man'' *Edna Savage (1936 in Warrington – 2000), traditional pop singer *Tim Curry (born 1946), actor, singer and composer, born in Warrington and lived in Grappenhall *Pete Waterman OBE (born 1947), record producer, lives in Warrington, in the village of Winwick *John Maines (born 1948 in Warrington), musician, trombone player and active figure in the British brass band movement as a performer, conductor, tutor, compere and concert presenter *Gareth Jones (music producer), Gareth Jones (born 1954 in Warrington), music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode *Miles Tredinnick, also known as Riff Regan (born Warrington 1955), rock musician, songwriter and a stage and screenwriter *Phil Kelsall MBE (born 1956 in Warrington), principal organist at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom since 1977 *Stephen Hough (born 1961), international concert pianist and classical composer, raised in Warrington *Tim Bowness (born 1963), singer-songwriter, singer in the band No-Man, born and brought up in

(born 1963), lead singer of

, born in Warrington, lived in Forster Street, now lives in Lymm *Chris Evans (presenter), Chris Evans (born 1966), DJ and TV presenter, born and grew up in Warrington *Anthony Whittaker (born 1968), composer and pianist, born in Warrington *Jan Linton (born c.1968), singer-songwriter, born in Warrington but re-located to Japan *Chris Braide (born 1973), songwriter and record producer, born and lived in Padgate *Comedy Dave, Dave Vitty (Comedy Dave) (born 1974), DJ and ''Dancing on Ice (series 6), Dancing on Ice'' contestant, came from Hong Kong, brought up in Warrington *

(born 1980), singer/actress, born and grew up in Warrington *Bill Ryder-Jones (born 1983), former guitarist of The Coral, born in Warrington *Viola Beach (formed in 2013), band from Warrington *James Smith (born 1990), lead singer of Yard Act, brought up in Lymm

Sport

*Steve Donoghue (1884–1945), jockey, ten times British flat racing Champion Jockey, born in Warrington *George Duckworth (1901–1966), first class cricketer, who played Test cricket for England, was born in Warrington. He played first class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire between 1923 and 1947. *Fred Worrall (1910 in Warrington– 1979), footballer, made 425 professional appearances *Harold Palin, Harold 'Moggy' Palin (1916 in Warrington–1990), professional rugby league footballer *Roger Hunt (born 1938), footballer for Liverpool F.C., member of England's 1966 World Cup squad, born in Glazebury, lives in Warrington, made a Freeman of the Borough on 5 December 2016 *Neil McGrath (born 1942), former racing driver *Bob Fulton (1947–2021), Australian Rugby League player and selector, born in Stockton Heath *Keith Elwell (born 1950 in Warrington), professional rugby league footballer, played 591 games for Widnes *Wade Dooley (born 1957), former England rugby union international, played lock forward, played for his country 55 times *Gary Bannister (born 1960 in Warrington), former professional footballer who made 539 pro appearances *Hugh de Prez (1951–2008), cricketer *Neil Fairbrother (born 1963), first class cricketer, played Test cricket for England, born in Warrington *Tony Bullock (born 1972), former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, 358 pro appearances *Stephen Foster (footballer), Stephen Foster (born 1980), defender and captain of Barnsley F.C., born in the town *David Wright (footballer), David Wright (born 1980 in Warrington), former professional footballer with 488 pro appearances *Ian Sharps (born 1980 in Warrington), former footballer with 565 pro appearances, now First-Team Coach at Walsall F.C. *Paul Hanagan (born in 1980), twice British champion flat racing, flat jockey, born in Warrington *Matt Doughty (born 1981 in Warrington), former professional footballer, over 400 pro appearances *Jonathan Akinyemi (born 1988), Olympic Canoe Slalom athlete for team Nigeria, born and lives in Warrington *James Chester (born 1989), footballer currently playing for Hull City A.F.C., born in Warrington *Jesse Lingard, (born 1992), footballer for Manchester United F.C., born in Warrington *Jack Robinson (footballer, born 1993), Jack Robinson (born 1993 in Warrington), professional footballer, plays for Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Twin towns

Warrington is twinned with: * Hilden, Germany * Nachod, Czech Republic The villages of

and Culcheth, within the borough, are twinned respectively with these French communes: * Meung-sur-Loire, France * Saint-Leu-la-Foret, France

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City, Freedom of the Borough of Warrington.

Individuals

* Doug Hoyle, Lord Hoyle, November 2005 * Roger Hunt, December 2016

Military units

* The South Lancashire Regiment, September 1947 * The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, March 1970 * The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, 2006 * 75 Engineer Regiment (United Kingdom), 75 Engineer Regiment, 2013

Notes

References

External links

*
Warrington Borough Council
{{Authority control Warrington, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership New towns in England New towns started in the 1960s Populated places established in the 8th century Towns in Cheshire Unparished areas in Cheshire

Etymology

History

Early history

English Civil War

Industrial history

Second World War

Post-war expansion

IRA bombing

Other history

Governance

History

Warrington Borough Council

Parish councils

National representation

Geography

Subdivisions, suburbs and civil parishes of Warrington

Civil parishes

Other areas, including localities within civil parishes

Climate

Green belt

Demography

Population and ethnicity

Housing and social situation

Employment and education

Economy

Retail

Leisure

Developments

Transport

Warrington Bus Interchange

History

Culture

Museums

Events

Music

Open spaces

Heritage

Education

Higher education

Colleges

Schools

Sport

Media

Landmarks

Churches and other religious buildings

Civic amenities

Industrial and commercial structures

Other

Notable residents

Up to 1700

1700 to 1800

1800 to 1900

1900 to 1950

1950 to date

Music

Sport

Twin towns

Freedom of the Borough

Individuals

Military units

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links