Northwich is a market town and
civil parish
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to l ...
borough of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It lies on the
Cheshire Plain
The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland within the county of Cheshire in North West England but extending south into Shropshire. It extends from the Mersey Valley in the north to the Shropshire Hills in the south, bounded by t ...
, at the confluence of the rivers
Weaver and
Dane, east of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, south of
Warrington
Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
and south of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. The population of the parish was 22,726 at the
2021 census.
The area around Northwich was exploited for its
salt pans by the
Romans, when the settlement was known as
''Condate''. The town had been severely affected by salt mining and
subsidence
Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...
was historically a significant problem. Mine stabilisation work was completed in 2007.
History
Early history
During
Roman times, Northwich was known as ''Condate'', thought to be a
Latinisation of a
Brittonic name
A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...
meaning "Confluence". There are
several other sites of the same name, mostly in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
; in Northwich's case, it lies at the junction of the rivers Dane and Weaver.
Northwich can be identified through two contemporary Roman documents. The first of these is the
Antonine Itinerary, a 3rd-century road map split into 14 sections. Two of these sections, or Itinerary, mention Condate: Route II ("the route from the
Wall
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...
to the port of
Rutupiae") and Route X ("the route from
Glannoventa to
Mediolanum
Mediolanum, the ancient city where Milan now stands, was originally an Insubres, Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important Ancient Rome, Roman city in Northern Italy.
The city was settled by a Celts, Celtic tribe belonging to the Ins ...
").
The second document is the 7th-century ''
Ravenna Cosmography
The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' (, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a work describing the Ecumene, known world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. It consists of five books describing ...
''; it refers to Condate between the entries for
Salinae (now
Middlewich
Middlewich is a town and civil parish in Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is located east of Chester, east of Winsford, south-east of Northwich and north-west of Sandbach. The population of the parish at the United Kingdom 2021 census, ...
, Cheshire) and
Ratae (now
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
), at the time the capital of the
Corieltauvi tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
.
The Romans' interest in the Northwich area is thought to be due to the strategic river crossing and the location of the
salt brines.
Salt was very important in Roman society; the Roman word ''salarium'', linked employment, salt and soldiers, but the exact link is unclear. It is also theorised that this is the basis for the modern word ''
salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis.
...
''. Another theory is that the word ''soldier'' itself comes from the Latin ''sal dare'' (to give salt). There is archaeological evidence of a Roman
auxiliary fort within the area of Northwich, now known as "Castle", dated to AD 70.
This, and other north-western forts, were built as the Romans moved north from their stronghold in Chester.
The association with salt continues in the
etymology
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
of Northwich. The "wich" (or "wych") suffix applies to other towns in the area: Middlewich,
Nantwich and
Leftwich
Leftwich is a historic village, ward and southern suburb of Northwich in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. The name, given as merely 'Wice' in the Domesday Book of 1086, is written 'Leftetewych' in a document of 1278 an ...
. This is considered to have been derived from the
Norse, ''wic'' for bay, and is associated with the more traditional method of obtaining salt by evaporating sea water. Therefore, a place for making salt became a ''wych-house''; Northwich was the most northern of the
-wich towns in Cheshire.
Medieval to early modern
The existence of Northwich in the early medieval period is shown by its record 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086:
The
manor of Northwich belonged to the
Earls of Chester until 1237, when the family line died out. Subsequently, Northwich became a royal manor and was given to a noble family to collect tolls in exchange for a set rent.
The
Cheshire archers were a body of élite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow, who fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include
Agincourt and
Crécy; many of these archers hailed from the Northwich Hundred.
Richard II employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the
Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of Cheshire.
That salt production continued throughout the centuries and can be seen through
John Leland's description of the town in 1540:
Between 1642 and 1643, during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
, Northwich was fortified and garrisoned by
Sir William Brereton for the
Parliamentarians.
The salt beds beneath Northwich were rediscovered in the 1670s by employees of the local Smith-Barry family.
The Smith-Barrys were looking for coal, but instead discovered
rock salt
Halite ( ), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pi ...
, in the grounds of the family home,
Marbury Hall (since demolished) to the north of Northwich.
19th century
During the 19th century, it became uneconomical to mine for the salt; instead, hot water was pumped through the mines, which dissolved the salt.
The resultant brine was pumped out, from which the salt was extracted. This technique weakened the mines and led to land
subsidence
Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...
as they collapsed. Subsidence affected the town and the surrounding landscape.
For example, collapses in 1880 formed Witton Flash as the River Weaver flowed into a huge hole caused by subsidence. Subsidence also allegedly accounts for many old
timber-framed houses in the town centre, which were better able to withstand the movement of the ground. Some houses were built on a base of steel girders that could be jacked up to level the house with each change in the underlying ground. The town's historical link with the salt industry is celebrated in its the Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, which is now in the old
workhouse
In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...
.
In 1874,
John Brunner and
Ludwig Mond founded
Brunner Mond in Winnington and started manufacturing
soda ash using the
Solvay ammonia-soda process. This process used salt as a main raw material. The chemical industry used the subsided land for the disposal of waste from the manufacture of
soda-ash. The waste was transported through a network of cranes and rails to the produce ''limebeds''. This was a dangerous alkaline substance and caused the landscape to be abandoned as unusable.
Modern development

In 1975,
Marbury Country Park was the first area to be reclaimed from dereliction and has become a popular recreational area. In 1987, more land was reclaimed to form Furey Wood and over later years,
Cheshire County Council's Land Regeneration Unit reclaimed what is now known as Anderton Nature Park, Witton Flash, Dairy House Meadows, Witton Mill Meadows, and Ashton's and Neumann's Flashes. The area now extends to approximately of public space known as
Northwich Community Woodlands.
In February 2004, a £28 million programme to stabilise the abandoned salt mines underneath Northwich began.
The work was funded by the
English Partnerships
English Partnerships (EP) was the national urban renewal, regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by regional development agency, regional development agencies on a regions of England, region ...
through its ''Land Stabilisation Programme'', introduced to resolve issues associated with unstable mines around England.
The four mines identified for work were Baron's Quay, Witton Bank, Neumann's and Penny's Lane. These mines were chosen because their subsidence was causing problems for the town centre. The stabilisation plan involved removing millions of litres of brine from the four mines and replacing it with a mixture of
pulverised fuel ash (PFA),
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
and salt. The project was completed in late 2007.
The old Magistrates Court and Memorial Hall have been demolished and been replaced by ''Memorial Court'', a £12.5 million cultural and leisure centre, which offers a pool, dance studios and a gym.
The £80 million Barons Quay Development, a retail and leisure complex, opened in 2016 and has seen the creation of more than of shopping space, together with a large supermarket with a petrol filling station, cinema, restaurants, cafés, new public spaces and car parking. As of January 2023, roughly half of the retail space remains empty.
A major fire occurred at the Northwich Outdoor Market on 3 January 2020. The market's remains were quickly demolished and, so far, there are no plans to rebuild it.
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Northwich, at
civil parish
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
(town) and
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
level: Northwich Town Council and
Cheshire West and Chester Council. The town council is based at 78 Church Road. Cheshire West and Chester Council also has an area office at the Memorial Court building on Chester Way. For national elections, Northwich is part of the
Mid Cheshire constituency.
Administrative history
At the time of the
Domesday survey in 1086, Northwich was in the
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
of Middlewich. By the 14th century, it had become part of the
Northwich hundred. This probably happened during the reorganisation of the hundreds in the 12th century.
Northwich was described as a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
in the late 13th century, but it had no
municipal charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...
, and borough status for the town did not endure.
The town formed part of the
ancient parish
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Great Budworth. The parish was subdivided into numerous
townships, including a Northwich township of just at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, corresponding to the medieval core of the town. The neighbouring townships were Castle Northwich to the south-west,
Winnington to the north-west, and
Witton cum Twambrooks to the east, all of which also formed part of Great Budworth parish. To the south was the township of
Leftwich
Leftwich is a historic village, ward and southern suburb of Northwich in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. The name, given as merely 'Wice' in the Domesday Book of 1086, is written 'Leftetewych' in a document of 1278 an ...
, which formed part of the parish of
Davenham
Davenham (; ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is part of the Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It had a population of 2,745 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 201 ...
.
[''Kelly's Directory of Cheshire'' (1896), p.409]
St Helen's Church was built in 14th century at Witton to serve as a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
for the southern townships of Great Budworth parish.
In 1723, St Helen's was assigned a parochial
chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century.
Status
A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
district and given its own clergy, effectively separating it from Great Budworth for most ecclesiastical purposes. The Witton chapelry initially covered the townships of Birches, Castle Northwich,
Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, Hulse,
Lach Dennis,
Lostock Gralam, Northwich, Winnington, Witton cum Twambrooks, and part of
Rudheath.
[ The chapelry was gradually reduced in area as more churches were built. The ecclesiastical separation from Great Budworth was confirmed in 1900, at which point the chapelry was renamed "St Helen Witton, otherwise Northwich".]
From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief in England and Wales that developed out of the codification of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws in 1587–1598. The system continued until the modern welfare state emerged in the late 1940s.
E ...
, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Great Budworth and Davenham, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the townships also became civil parish
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
es, which therefore diverged from the ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es.
During 1863, the Northwich and Witton cum Twambrooks townships were each made local government districts
The districts of England (officially, local authority districts, abbreviated LADs) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the structure of local government in England is not uniform, there ...
, administered by separate local boards. The two districts were merged into a single Northwich district in 1875, which also took in the whole of the Castle Northwich township and parts of the townships of Hartford, Leftwich and Winnington. Such local government districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...
.[ Also in 1894, the parishes within the district were united into a single civil parish of Northwich matching the district.
Northwich Urban District Council took over the former Northwich Grammar School buildings (built 1878) on Church Road after the school relocated in 1908.] The building was converted to become the council's offices and meeting place and renamed the Council House, opening in 1913. The urban district was enlarged in 1936 by the addition of parts of Winnington, Lostock Gralam, Barnton, Leftwich and Rudheath; then again in 1955, when parts of Davenham
Davenham (; ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is part of the Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It had a population of 2,745 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 201 ...
, Hartford, Rudheath and Whatcroft were added. The urban district council was granted a coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
in 1962, which features the Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
motto
A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...
"Sal est Vita", meaning ''Salt is Life''.
Northwich Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
. The area became part of the new district (borough after 1988) of Vale Royal
Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.
History
The ...
. A successor parish called Northwich covering the area of the former urban district was created, with its parish council taking the name Northwich Town Council. The former urban district council's coat of arms was transferred to the new town council.
In 2009, Cheshire West and Chester Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and Cheshire County Council, which were both abolished.
Between 1885 and 1983, Northwich gave its name to the Northwich parliamentary constituency.
Geography
Northwich is situated in the Cheshire Plain at co-ordinates h (53.255, −2.522). The town lies between above mean sea level. The town is surrounded by the following civil parishes
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishe ...
, starting due north and proceeding in a clockwise direction: Anderton with Marbury, Marston, Wincham, Lostock Gralam, Rudheath, Davenham
Davenham (; ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is part of the Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It had a population of 2,745 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 201 ...
, Hartford, Weaverham and Barnton.
Two rivers meet in the town centre: the rivers Weaver and Dane. The town is surrounded by undulating pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing.
Types of pasture
Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...
. Subsidence and the collapse of underground saltworks has created flashes and there are also local meres; for example, to the north is Budworth Mere and to the north-east is Pick Mere.
Demographics
The Northwich urban area is defined in different ways by different authorities.
For town planning purposes, Cheshire West and Chester Council's Local Plan identifies a 'Northwich settlement area' which also includes Anderton, Barnton, Davenham
Davenham (; ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is part of the Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Cheshire West and Chester. It had a population of 2,745 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 201 ...
, Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, Lostock Gralam, Lower Marston, Lower Wincham, Rudheath, and Weaverham.
The Northwich Neighbourhood Plan (2018) records a population figure of 53,391 for the urban area at the 2011 census, derived from combining the populations of the parishes of Northwich, Anderton with Marbury, Barnton, Davenham, Hartford, Kingsmead, Lostock Gralam, Rudheath, Weaverham and Wincham. At the 2021 census, the same group of parishes had a combined population of 58,950.
Following the 2011 census, the Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; ) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible fo ...
(ONS) defined a Northwich built up area with a population of 47,421, divided into two built up area subdivisions of Northwich (population 45,471) and Lostock Gralam (population 1,950).
For the 2021 census, the ONS defined a much smaller built up area for Northwich, with a population of 18,640. Areas which had been part of the Northwich built up area in 2011 have been classed as separate built up areas in 2021, including Barnton (population 6,255), Davenham (13,835), and Hartford (6,695). Weaverham, although classed as part of the Northwich settlement or urban area in the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan, was not included in the ONS definitions of the built up area in either 2011 or 2021.[
The population of Northwich in 1664 has been estimated as 560;] over the last 200 years, it has been:
Economy
Northwich has been described by Leland as having a market since at least 1535, but there is no surviving charter. The town still has a market today, which is earmarked for refurbishment as part of the ''Northwich Vision'' plans.
The town's economy was dominated by the salt industry. However, a list of tolls for goods crossing over Northwich bridge in 1353 shows goods coming into the town, including a wide range of carcasses, fleeces, hides and skins, cloth, fish, alcoholic drinks, dairy products, building materials, household goods, metals and glass, and millstones. This indicates a much wider economic base to medieval Northwich than just the salt trade. Documentary evidence also exists for a mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
* Factory
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Paper mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* Sugarcane mill
* Textile mill
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic ...
from 1332 onwards and there is evidence for more than one mill from 1343.
Allied to the extraction of salt was a bulk chemical industry, which became concentrated at the three ICI sites at Winnington, Wallerscote and Lostock. The first industrially practical method for producing polythene was accidentally discovered at the Winnington Laboratory in 1933.
Bakers Frank Roberts & Sons have been associated with the town since 1887 and continues to be based near the town at Rudheath on the A556. Two of its three main business divisions, Roberts Bakery and The Little Treats Co, are based in Northwich and Aldred's The Bakers is in Ilkeston, Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
.
There are many contemporary major employers in nearby Rudheath and Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
.
Based on the 2001 census, Northwich had 13,928 people aged between 16 and 74. Of these, 8,908 (64.0%) people were categorised as economically active; 4,268 (30.6%) were economically inactive; 455 (3.3%) were unemployed.
Landmarks and religious sites
The parish church is known as St. Helen's Witton; it is a Grade I listed building.[ The church developed initially as a ]chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
, associated with the parish of Great Budworth, to serve the local community, known as the ''Chapel of Witton''. There is no known date for the creation of this chapel, but it is thought to have existed in the 13th century. None of this building exists in the current church. There is no documentary evidence to indicate the dates of the older parts of the current building; however, stones in the fabric of the porch carry inscriptions attributed to "Ricardus Alkoke Capellanus". This name matches documents concerning land in Northwich and Lostock Gralam dated 1468, but this cannot be used to date the church accurately.
The present St Wilfrid's (Roman Catholic)] church was built in 1866. The current Northwich Methodist Chapel was opened in 1990, but there has been a Methodist presence in the town at least since 1774, when John Wesley
John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
laid the foundation stone of the first chapel in the London Road area.
The Northwich Union Workhouse opened in 1837, following the Poor Law
In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...
Amendment of 1834 that standardised the system of poor relief throughout Britain. The building is now the Weaver Hall Museum.
The Dock Road Edwardian Pumping Station is a Grade II listed building originally built by Northwich Urban District Council in 1913. For over 60 years, it was used for pumping sewage from parts of Northwich to the Wallerscote Treatment Works. Before it was built, untreated sewage was discharged directly into the River Weaver, causing widespread pollution.
Two swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...
s, Hayhurst Bridge built in 1898 and Town Bridge built in 1899, cross the Weaver at Northwich. The bridges were the first two electrically powered swing bridges in Great Britain and were built on floating pontoons to counteract the mine subsidence. They were designed by Colonel John Saner.
The Floatel Northwich was moored on the Weaver near the confluence of the two rivers, but was closed when the owners, The Real Hotel Company plc, went into administration in January 2009; it has since been removed. It was the UK's only floating hotel.
Transport
Water
The key historical mode of transport was by water. By 1732, the River Weaver was improved from Frodsham Bridge to Winsford Bridge and eventually allowed vessels up to to travel up to Northwich Bridge. The Trent and Mersey Canal, opened in 1775, passed to the north of Northwich because of objections from the trustees of the Weaver Navigation. However, the canal passed salt deposits near to the village of Marston and many of the later salt mines were based along its banks including the Lion Salt Works. The Anderton Boat Lift was opened in 1875 to connect the canal and river systems. It was fully restored in 2002 and now houses a visitor centre.
Roads
The road system around Northwich can be dated back to the Roman times. The A556 and A559 follow the route of the Roman road that runs from Chester to York. The A556 diverts away from the route of the Roman road following a new route to the south of the town acting as the town's bypass. The Chester to Manchester road became a Turnpike in 1769.
The A530, known as King Street, also passes near to the town, and this follows the route of the Roman road that connected Warrington and Middlewich. The old route to Warrington and the north from Middlewich, however, was replaced by a new route through Knutsford, which became a turnpike in 1753. Northwich is connected to the motorway network to the north of the town via the A559 onto the M56 motorway
The M56 motorway serves the Cheshire and Greater Manchester areas of England. It runs east to west from junction 4 of the M60 at Gatley, south of Manchester, to Dunkirk, approximately north of Chester. With a length of , it connects North Wales ...
; and to the east of the town via the A556 at junction 19 of the M6 motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
.
Railway
The railway came to the town in 1863, when the Cheshire Midland Railway constructed its line from . The West Cheshire Railway built its line to in 1869. Passenger trains from Northwich to , via commenced in 1875. The route through Northwich is now marketed as the Mid-Cheshire Line.
Northwich railway station, last rebuilt in 1897, is a stop on the line between Chester, and ; Northern Trains
Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...
operates a generally hourly service in each direction. Other nearby stations are at , also on the Mid-Cheshire line, and 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, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
.
Buses
Bus routes are operated predominately by Warrington's Own Buses and D&G Bus, linking Northwich with Weaverham, Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, Crewe, Warrington, Kelsall and Chester.
Family-run coach company, Walker's Coaches, was based in Anderton, before being taken over by Holmeswood Coaches, which still runs the Northwich depot.
Education
Northwich and its surroundings has a number of schools and colleges. Sir John Deane's College is now a sixth form college
A sixth form college (pre-university college in Malaysia) is an educational institution, where students aged 16 to 19 study typically for advanced post-school level qualifications such as GCE Advanced Level, A Levels, Business and Technology Edu ...
, but was originally formed as a grammar school in 1557. The school was originally known as Witton Grammar School and was erected close to Witton Chapel. The school moved to its current location, to the south of the town, in 1907–08. The Grange School, Northwich is an independent school.
Primary schools include:
* The Grange Junior School
* Witton Church Walk CofE Primary School
* Victoria Road Primary School
* Charles Darwin Community Primary School
* Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery School
* St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School
* Hartford Manor Primary School
* Hartford County Primary School
* Kingsmead Primary School was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Better Public Building award in 2005.
* Rosebank School is a school for autistic
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
children aged 3–11 years.
During the 19th century, many new schools were founded and, by 1850, twelve academies were recorded in the area. The town is now served by County High School Leftwich
The County High School, Leftwich, is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, for students between 11 and 16 years of age, in Leftwich, Cheshire, England.
History
The school was established in 1957 as the Northwich County Gram ...
, a specialist media arts college, while Rudheath Senior Academy, a specialist performing arts college and Hartford Church of England High School both admit pupils from Northwich. There are also several primary schools in the area. St. Nicholas Catholic High School is also in the local vicinity and performs well on national exam boards, coming second in the whole of Cheshire.
Mid Cheshire College had its main campus in nearby Hartford, offering further education
Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It ...
courses. The campus closed in 2018 after it merged with Warrington Collegiate a year earlier to form Warrington and Vale Royal College.
In November 2005, as part of the Northwich Vision, a refurbishment of the town's railway station included a centre called ''Zone'' that promotes lifelong learning by offering people the opportunity to access a range of on-line and taught courses.
Culture and community
The town hosts a number of large annual festivals, including music, river and ''Pina Colada'' events.
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend, Northwich Festival is held at Moss Farm Sports Complex, featuring four days of music and sport.
Since 2021, an annual Piña Colada Festival has taken place in recognition of Rupert Holmes who was born in the town and wrote " Escape (The Piña Colada Song)", released in 1979. The festival grew in 2022, with live music, fairground rides and old school street games among other attractions. Local bars, restaurants and cafés offered piña coladas alongside other tropical themed drinks and snacks.
Northwich Memorial Hall was opened in 1960, but closed for redevelopment in 2013 to be replaced by the Memorial Court Facility; this opened in 2015. It hosted a range of activities, including pantomimes, music events and the Purple Cactus Comedy Club.
The Harlequin Theatre produces six plays each year and is also the home of Northwich Folk Club, which has run continuously since 1977.
The Regal cinema closed in 2007 and was demolished. A cinema in the Barons Quay development opened in 2016. Northwich Plaza also offered a wide range of music gigs and other cultural events.
Local newspaper, the ''Northwich Guardian'', is published by Newsquest
Newsquest Media Group Limited is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom. It is owned by the American mass media holding company Gannett.
It has 205 brands across the UK, publishing online and in pr ...
. Radio Northwich is a popular and community-focussed radio station broadcasting out of Barons Quay.
Northwich musicians include Steve Hewitt, drummer with Placebo
A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
, which provided a song for the soundtrack to the film '' Cruel Intentions'', and Tim Burgess from the Charlatans, a band once managed by Steve Harrison from the town's former Omega Music record store.
Local horror author Stuart Neild's first novel, ''A Haunted Man'', was set in the salt mines that run underneath Northwich, combining fact with supernatural fiction. Neild's novels featuring Northwich and other North West locations. A Hollywood film and television series was in development.
The town is twinned with Dole in France.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West
BBC North West is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region serving Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, as well as parts of North Yorkshire (western Craven District, Craven), Derbyshire (western High Peak, Derbyshire, High ...
and ITV Granada
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...
. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. The town is served by both BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Stoke. Other radio stations include Capital North West & Wales, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, Silk Radio
Cheshire's Silk Radio is an Independent Local Radio serving Macclesfield and parts of Cheshire East, East Cheshire, owned and operated by neighbouring station Dee 106.3, Chester's Dee Radio.
It broadcasts a mix of current and classic hits alongs ...
, and Radio Northwich, a community based local station. The local newspaper is the ''Northwich Guardian'', which is published on Wednesdays.
Sport
Northwich is the home of three non-league football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
teams: Witton Albion, Northwich Victoria and 1874 Northwich. In May 2018, the Cheshire FA
The Cheshire Football Association, also simply known as Cheshire FA, is the Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in the county of Cheshire, England. They are responsible for the governance and development of foot ...
announced plans for a £70m development near Northwich, modelled on St George's Park National Football Centre. The facility would include two FIFA-standard pitches with a 1000-seat stadium, 3G pitches, six grass pitches, full medical facilities and a hotel/spa.
The town has two rugby union sides: Northwich RUFC and Winnington Park.
The area also boasts several amateur cricket clubs, including Winnington Park CC, Davenham CC, Weaverham CC, Northwich CC and Hartford CC. Northwich also has a successful competitive swimming team, Northwich Swimming Club, first formed in the late 19th century.
Northwich Rowing Club was formed in 1875 in Northwich and continues to row on the River Weaver, producing Olympic and international rowers such as Matt Langridge
Matthew Langridge Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 20 May 1983) is a British Rowing (sport), rower. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London he was part of the British crew that won the bronze medal in the Rowing at the 2012 Summer Olympics ...
. The club has its own boat and clubhouse located by The Crescent and holds three events every year, the Autumn Head in November, the Spring Head in April and the Regatta in May. In 2015, the club was the first rowing club from the north of England to win the Junior Coxed Quad Sculls at the Head of the River Fours on the tideway in London. Club crews have also competed in the Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...
, with a crew seeded in 2015 for the first time in the club's history. The club also has a large junior section taking rowers on from age 12.
The Northwich Festival, held at Moss Farm Sports Complex each August includes the UK Strongman-North Competition.
The town also has a long-standing cycling club, Weaver Valley CC. Established in 1962, its members included ex-pro and ITV commentator Paul Sherwen and domestic rider Alan Kemp. The club competes in road racing, time trials, track racing and off-road. The club promotes three road races, a series of circuit races in June at Oulton Park
Oulton Park is a hard surfaced Race track, track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England, from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...
, the Cat and Fiddle hill climb, and cyclo-cross in September. Since 1980, the club has promoted the Cheshire Classic women's cycling road race, held every April. Part of British Cycling
British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national sport governing body, governing body for cycle sport in United Kingdom, Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands a ...
's National Road Race Series, it is the longest running race on the women's national calendar. Previous winners include Dame Sarah Storey, Lucy Garner, Lizzie Armitstead, Nicole Cooke and Mandy Jones.
The first known swimming baths in Northwich was the Verdin Baths, situated on Verdin Park, presented by Robert Verdin in commemoration of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. It consisted of a cast-iron plunge bath and five slipper baths. Northwich Public Baths was built in 1913 following subsidence at Verdin Park pool. It its doors on 23 January 1991 to be replaced with Moss Farm leisure complex; this, in turn, was replaced by Memorial Court entertainment and leisure venue in 2015.
Notable people
Politics & Public Service
* Robert Verdin (1836 in Witton – 1887) a salt manufacturer, philanthropist and MP for Northwich
Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, east of Chester, south of Warrington and south of Ma ...
1886–1887
* William Allen Whitworth (1840–1905) was an English mathematician and a priest in the Church of England, schooled at the Sandicroft School in Northwich.
* Geoffrey Cheshire (1886 in Northwich – 1978) an English barrister, scholar and influential writer on law
* Sir Philip Holland (1917 in Northwich – 2011) Conservative MP for Acton 1959-1964 and for Carlton 1966-1983
* Arthur Dodd (1919 in Northwich – 2011) British Army soldier in WWII; a Prisoner of War at Auschwitz
* Paul Dean, Baron Dean of Harptree (1924 in Northwich – 2009) MP for North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is based in Weston-super-Mare, the area's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea ...
1964 to 1983
* John Greenway (born 1946) MP for Ryedale 1987-2010, was born and educated in the town
* Diana Johnson (born 1966) MP for Hull North since 2005, born and educated in the town
* Mary-Ann Ochota (born 1981 in Wincham) a British broadcaster and anthropologist specialising in archaeology, social history and adventure factual television
Creative arts
* Bob Crossley (1912 in Northwich – 2010) abstract artist, worked in oil and acrylic; lived in Cornwall from 1959
* Percy M. Young (1912 in Northwich – 2004) a British musicologist, organist, composer, conductor and teacher
* Peter Gammond (born 1925 in Winnington) a British music critic, writer, journalist, musician, poet, and artist.
* Robert Westall (1929–1993) the children's author lived in the town, Head of Art and Careers at Sir John Deane's Grammar School.
* Sue Birtwistle (born 1945 in Northwich) a producer and writer of television costume drama
* Rupert Holmes (born 1947 in Northwich) composer, songwriter and author, now lives in New York
* Malcolm Garrett (born 1956 in Northwich) a British graphic designer
* Jennifer Saunders (born 1958) actress and comedian, attended Northwich Girls' Grammar School
* Jim Tavaré (born 1963) an English stand-up comedian, actor, and musician. He attended art school in Northwich.
* Moira Buffini
Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.
Early life
Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Gold ...
(born 1965) an English dramatist, director, and actor.
* Tim Burgess (born 1967) an singer-songwriter and lead singer of the alternative rock band The Charlatans
* Steve Hewitt (born 1971 in Northwich) an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and former drummer for the band Placebo
A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
, 1996–2007
* Helsinki Seven (formed 2006) an alternative rock band from Northwich,
Science & Industry
* Peter Drinkwater (1750 – 1801) an English cotton manufacturer and merchant. In 1782 he opened his first cotton mill on the River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1721 and the work, which included ...
in Northwich
* Eaton Hodgkinson (1789 in Anderton – 1861) an English engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
, a pioneer of the application of mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
to problems of structural design.
* Sir Joseph Verdin, 1st Baronet (1838 in Witton – 1920) ran a family salt business known as Joseph Verdin & Sons with his brothers, Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
and William, lived at The Brockhurst in the town.
* Ludwig Mond (1839–1909) German-born co-founder of Brunner Mond, a soda factory in Winnington
* Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919) co-founder of chemical firm Brunner Mond in 1873, MP for Northwich
Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, east of Chester, south of Warrington and south of Ma ...
1885–1886 and from 1887 to 1910, lived at Winnington Hall
* William James Yarwood (1851–1926) shipbuilder and proprietor of W. J. Yarwood & Sons, a local shipbuilding business on the River Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1721 and the work, which included ...
* Harold Drinkwater (1855-1925) physician and botanical artist, born and raised in Northwich
* Arron Banks (born 1966 in Northwich) a British businessman and political donor.
Sport
* Charles James Hughes (1853 in Northwich –1916), footballer, referee, and co-founder of Northwich Victoria
* George Elmore (1880 in Witton – 1916 Somme), footballer, played over 200 games
* John Boden (1882 in Northwich – 1946), footballer, played over 300 games
* Billy Harrison (1886 in Wybunbury – 1948), footballer, played 412 games, including 317 for Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...
* Jack Lees (1892 in Northwich – 1983), footballer, played 279 games
* Jack Eyres (1899 in Lostock Gralam – 1975), footballer, played 257 games
* Sid Collins Jr. (1912 in Northwich – 1983) golfer
* Tom Manley (1912 in Northwich – 1988), footballer and manager, played over 300 games
* Brian Siddall (1930 in Northwich – 2007), footballer, played 202 games
* Zandra Nowell (born 1936 in Northwich), alpine skier, competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956.
Cortina, which ...
* Malcolm Arnold (born 1940 in Northwich), athletics coach
* Dennis Walker (1944 in Northwich - 2003), footballer, played over 220 games
* Jim Walker (born 1947 in Northwich), footballer, played over 250 games
* Mike Whitlow (born 1968 in Northwich), footballer, played 397 games
* Michael Oakes (born 1973 in Northwich), footballer, played 282 games
* Andy Oakes (born 1977 in Northwich), football goalkeeper, played 118 games
* Matt Langridge
Matthew Langridge Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 20 May 1983) is a British Rowing (sport), rower. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London he was part of the British crew that won the bronze medal in the Rowing at the 2012 Summer Olympics ...
(born 1983), team medallist in the men's eight rowing at the 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, 2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
& 2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
, grew up locally
* Mark Roberts (born 1983 in Northwich), footballer, played 575 games
* Craig Jones (1985–2008), motorcycle racer, grew up locally
* Jason Oswell (born 1992 in Northwich), footballer, played over 300 games
Twin towns
Northwich is twinned with:
*
Dole, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
*
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
, Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
See also
* Salt in Cheshire
* Tata Chemicals Europe
* Listed buildings in Northwich
* Winnington Hall
* Holy Trinity Church, Northwich
Market Fire
References
External links
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Visit Northwich
GoNorthwich
Northwich Town Council
Northwich and Rural North community website
{{Authority control
Civil parishes in Cheshire
Towns in Cheshire