Saltney is a town straddling the counties of
Flintshire
Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...
and
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 ...
on the
England–Wales border
The England–Wales border, sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south, separating England and Wales.
It has followed broadly ...
. The local government
community
A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
of Saltney lies entirely in Wales, while the English areas are
unparished. The town forms part 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 ...
's built-up area
and is around 5 miles from
Deeside
Deeside () is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the England–Wales border, Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee, Wales, River Dee t ...
.
Saltney is located next to the
River Dee. In the
2001 census the population of the town was 4,769, rising to 5,132 at the time of the
2011 census.
Location
Higher Saltney, known locally as "Top Saltney" is in
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 ...
, Cheshire. The Welsh sector of the community is known as Saltney, and is known as "Saltney" in Welsh as well.
The
England–Wales border
The England–Wales border, sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south, separating England and Wales.
It has followed broadly ...
runs down the middle of Boundary Lane, the only urban street in England and Wales where this happens.
['']The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'', BBC TV, 6 August 2009 Houses on the west side of the street are in the
Flintshire County Council
Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at Tŷ Dewi Sant, Ewloe since 2025. It was previously based at County Hall in Mold.
Elections take place ...
area and in the
North Wales Police jurisdiction, while those on the east side are 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 ...
unitary authority area and in the
Cheshire Police jurisdiction.
in terms of policing, this refers to operations jurisdiction not legal jurisdiction. Officers from both forces have full legal jurisdiction throughout England & Wales therefore the border is largely immaterial for practical purposes.
The west side is in the
Alyn and Deeside parliamentary constituency and the east is in the
Chester South and Eddisbury
Chester South and Eddisbury is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. The Member of P ...
electoral division.
History
Saltney's name is derived from the former
salt marsh
A salt marsh, saltmarsh or salting, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. I ...
es by the
River Dee on which it is built. Once the terminus of
Sir John Glynne's Canal, Saltney grew in the late 19th century and through the 20th century to its present population of over 5,000.
Saltney Ferry railway station was open between 1891 and 1962.
is an old Welsh name for the area.
Saltney was a location for shipbuilding and in particular chain-making and the manufacture of
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek ().
Anch ...
s. The firm Henry Wood & Company was first to establish an engineering works on the west bank of the Dee in 1847, with further industrial development continuing into the 1880s.
Henry Wood's legacy is implemented with Wood Memorial CP School being named after him.
Amenities
There is a public house called The City Arms in Higher Saltney. Other amenities in Saltney include the Corner Pin public house, a post office, Saltney Business Centre, St David's Retail Park and the
Asda
Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...
and
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, trading as Morrisons, is the List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Sco ...
supermarkets.
Saltney has three primary schools, St Anthony's Catholic Primary, Saltney Ferry C.P. and Wood Memorial. St David's High School is the local secondary school for students from the surrounding areas.
The Anglican parish church is
St Mark's which is in Higher Saltney. On the High Street can be found St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and Saltney Methodist Church.
There is a community centre in the centre of Saltney which is regularly used by children's groups as well as being surrounded by fields where football tournaments are often held. The Community Centre is also home to
Saltney Town FC who formed in 2010.
Notable people
*
Stephen Dewar Holden (1870–1918), engineer, locomotive superintendent of the
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...
, 1908-1912.
*
Charles Sitch (1887–1960,) politician and MP for
Kingswinford
Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands (county), West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census.
T ...
, 1918-1931.
*
Arthur Pearson (1897–1980), politician and MP for
Pontypridd
Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre.
Geography
Pontypridd comprises the ...
, 1938-1970
*
Ted Regan (1900–1973), footballer with 188 caps with
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Association Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales. Formed in 1864, it is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world. The club compe ...
*
Melanie Roberts
Melanie Roberts (born 13 May 1988 in Saltney, Flintshire, Wales) is a retired British gymnast.
At the age of five, Roberts started gymnastics at the Northgate Arena Leisure Centre in Chester. She later joined the City of Liverpool gym club.
...
(born 1988), retired
artistic gymnast.
See also
*
St Matthew's Church, Saltney
*
Sealand, Flintshire, a nearby area of farmland reclaimed from the Dee estuary.
*
Chester Corporation Tramways former tramway to
Chester station
References
External links
Photos of Saltney and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control
Towns in Flintshire
Towns in Cheshire
Towns of the Welsh Marches
England–Wales border
Areas of Chester