Warrington
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 unpa ...
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 tow ...
, 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 par ...
. It is east of
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
, 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 ...
. 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 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 lette ...
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 ...
, 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 Lancas ...
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 ri ...
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 th ...
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 The County Borough of Warrington was, from 1900 to 1974, a local government district centred on Warrington in Lancashire, northwest England. It was alternatively known as Warrington County Borough and the County of Warrington. The district was ...
, 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 Lowt ...
, 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 t ...
, 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 abolis ...
, 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 Conq ...
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 des ...
. 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 settlers in the mid-5th ...
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 etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical ef ...
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, S ...
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 a ...
plural The plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the ...
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
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 par ...
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 lett ...
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 (fin ...
at
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 (nea ...
. 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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
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 r ...
. 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 ...
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 en ...
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 who ...
public house bears a plaque stating that 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 en ...
'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 David Leslie, 1st Lord Newark (c. 1600–1682) was a Scottish cavalry officer. He fought for the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years' War. He had entered Swedish service in 1630, serving as a captain in the regiment of Ale ...
, 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, 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 ...
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
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 ...
in 1968 and consequently the population grew in size, with many of the town's new residents moving from
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
or
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 ...
, 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 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 reu ...
(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 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 the Labour Party, ...
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 nor ...
) 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, an unfini ...
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 ...
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 Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and ...
. 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 te ...
status upon reaching a population of 50,000 in 1900 and until 1974 was known as the
County Borough of Warrington The County Borough of Warrington was, from 1900 to 1974, a local government district centred on Warrington in Lancashire, northwest England. It was alternatively known as Warrington County Borough and the County of Warrington. The district was ...
. 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 and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
or
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
metropolitan counties. 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) (his ...
and part of
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 abolis ...
from Cheshire, and part of
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 ...
, was made a borough within
Cheshire County Council Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. ...
. 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 Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Halton and Borough of Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an are ...
and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, and forms part of Cheshire for
ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...
purposes, such as the Lord Lieutenancy. Warrington has applied unsuccessfully for
city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, 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 te ...
of Warrington, Lymm Urban District,
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 Golborne Urban District, part of
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 abolis ...
and part of
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 ...
. 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 parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...
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 United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census. History Grappenhall is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 with the name '' ...
;
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 ...
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 wards:
Bewsey Bewsey and Whitecross is a ward to the west of the town centre of Warrington (and includes much of the town centre), in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town's General Hospital is within the ward. The ar ...
& 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 East; Latchford West; Orford; Poplars & Hulme; Poulton North; Poulton South; and Westbrook *2
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
wards: Appleton;
Culcheth Culcheth is a village in the Borough of Warrington, ceremonial county of Cheshire and historic county of Lancashire, England, six miles (10 km) north-east of Warrington town centre; it is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury ci ...
, Glazebury & Croft *4 "split" wards:
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 ...
(2 Labour, 1 Conservative); Chapelford & Old Hall (2 Labour, 1 Conservative);
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 ...
South (1 Conservative, 1 Liberal Democrat); Rixton &
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


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

At
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, B ...
, 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 Warr ...
.


Geography

The Borough of Warrington is bordered by Halton,
Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Gover ...
, and
Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. Towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Sandbach, Wilmslow, H ...
boroughs 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 tow ...
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. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...
in Greater Manchester and St. Helens in Merseyside.


Subdivisions, suburbs and civil parishes of Warrington

The Borough of Warrington has 18
civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
. The town centre and the area around it are an
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 unpa ...
.


Civil parishes

Appleton,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, Croft, Cuerdley,
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 t ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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
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 ...
),
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 ...
,
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 ...
, 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 Kingdo ...
, Winwick,
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 ...
(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 Padd ...
)


Other areas, including localities within civil parishes

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 " ...
,
Bewsey Bewsey and Whitecross is a ward to the west of the town centre of Warrington (and includes much of the town centre), in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town's General Hospital is within the ward. The ar ...
, Blackbrook, Bruche, Callands, Chapelford,
Cinnamon Brow Cinnamon Brow is an area on the east side of Warrington, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, between Orford and Birchwood. It has a population of around 12,000 residents living in approximately 3,600 houses ( ...
, 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 ...
, Latchford,
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 ...
, Longford, 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,
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 (nea ...
, 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 Beaufo ...
7.


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 ...
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
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 ...
and
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...
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 Broomedge is a village in 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 Shropshir ...
are 'washed over' with the designation. The green belt was first drawn up in 1977 under
Cheshire County Council Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. ...
, 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 ...
,
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 ri ...
,
Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and 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 opened in 1761 from Wor ...
, 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 Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
(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 ...
(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 ...
, 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

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 dri ...
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
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 ...
, Liverpool, Chester 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. 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 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, Warrington, 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. Musical instrument retailer Dawsons Music 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.
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 ...
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 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 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 theme park is located in Old Hall, Apple Jack's Farm theme park is situated in Stretton.


Developments

The Omega Development Site close to the M62 motorway, M62 on the northern edge of Warrington, on part of the site of the RAF Burtonwood, 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 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
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 par ...
, the town centre, the Garden City Suburb and south west urban extension.


Transport

The town has two main railway stations: Warrington Bank Quay railway station, Bank Quay is on 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 ...
between Euston railway station, London Euston and Glasgow Central railway station, Glasgow Central and the Manchester Piccadilly railway station, Manchester Piccadilly to North Wales via Chester railway station, Chester line, while Warrington Central railway station, Central is on the Liverpool to Manchester line (via Widnes and Warrington) with through services to Manchester Airport and to East Anglia. 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 Padgate railway station, Padgate, Sankey railway station, Sankey, Glazebrook railway station, Glazebrook and Birchwood railway station, Birchwood. A new railway station, Warrington West railway station, Warrington West 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.M6 and M56 motorways and midway between Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Liverpool and Manchester Airport, Manchester airports. It also has five primary A roads, the A49 road, A49, A50 road, A50, A56 road, A56, A57 road, A57 and A580 road, A580 (East Lancashire Road), which forms part of the northern boundary of the borough. Warrington's Own Buses, one of the few municipal bus companies to survive in public ownership, runs most bus services within the town. Go North West 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 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
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 ...
at Bridge Foot and at the Kingsway Bridge. Before the M6 was built, these routes were very busy with through traffic. 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 ri ...
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
Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and 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 opened in 1761 from Wor ...
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 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 Passenger information system, 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 and Warrington Central railway station within around 100 metres. The bus station is the terminus for all local bus services within Warrington. Regional services operate to neighbouring cities
Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...
,
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 ...
and Chester, as well as to Wigan, Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, the
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 ...
, Altrincham, Northwich, Runcorn, Widnes and St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens. A small number of National Express Coaches, National Express long-distance coach services operate to destinations including London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Southend-on-Sea and Southport. The majority of bus services are operated by Warrington's Own Buses, who have their own information office within the main concourse selling season tickets. Other services are provided by Arriva North West and Go North West.


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, 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 made an unsuccessful bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2021. Warrington has a concert hall (the Parr Hall), 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 and designated nature reserves at Woolston Eyes, Risley Moss, Rixton Claypits and Paddington Meadows.


Museums

Warrington Museum & Art Gallery 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, located in part of the working police station, and the Warrington Museum of Freemasonry. A heritage centre for the village of
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 ...
was given planning permission in February 2016.


Events

A number of festivals, carnivals and walking days 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: *
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 " ...
Bawming of the Thorn *
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 ...
Carnival and Safari Day * Croft Carnival *
Culcheth Culcheth is a village in the Borough of Warrington, ceremonial county of Cheshire and historic county of Lancashire, England, six miles (10 km) north-east of Warrington town centre; it is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury ci ...
Community Day * Glazebury Gala *Howley Carnival *
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 ...
May Queen *
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 ...
Dickensian Festival *
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 ...
Rushbearing *
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 ...
Carnival *
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 ...
Arts Festival *
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 ...
Rose Queen *Warrington Music Festival * Winwick Carnival *
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 ...
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, Cheshire, Walton Hall and St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall. Warrington also has many musical groups, including Warrington Male Voice Choir, Gemini Musical Theatre Company (formerly Warrington Light Opera), Warrington Youth Orchestra, North Cheshire Wind Orchestra, Centenary Theatre Company and ladies a cappella choir, the Cheshire Chord Company. Warrington has a purpose-built concert hall, the Parr Hall, which houses a Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ, large and internationally famous concert pipe-organ made by the great nineteenth-century French organ-builder Cavaillé-Coll, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. A number of rock and pop musicians are associated with Warrington. Madchester pioneers The Stone Roses are closely associated with the town, particularly the native lead singer Ian Brown. Other artists include Spike Dawbarn from 90's music act 911 (UK band), band 911, Kerry Katona 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 * 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. *
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 ...
- 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
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 ...
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
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 ...
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
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 ri ...
. 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''


Churches and other religious buildings

*St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, 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

*Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, 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 Cavaillé-Coll, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll *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, Warrington, Bridge Street *Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, now being decommissioned *The industrial modernist
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 dri ...
Soapworks *
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 ...
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 Dawsons Music 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
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 ...
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
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 ...
*Ian Brown (born 1963), lead singer of The Stone Roses, 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 *Kerry Katona (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
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 ...
and
Culcheth Culcheth is a village in the Borough of Warrington, ceremonial county of Cheshire and historic county of Lancashire, England, six miles (10 km) north-east of Warrington town centre; it is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury ci ...
, 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


See also

*Warrington Dock *Walton Lea Walled Garden *Warrington power station


Notes


References


Further reading

* , illustrated with silhouette likenesses () * . * .


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