Ellesmere Port
Encyclopedia
Ellesmere Port ˈɛlzmɪərpɔrt (originally Netherpool) is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula
on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal
, which in turn gives access to the River Mersey
, and to the north of the city of Chester
. The town had a population of 64,100 as of the 2001 Census
.
The town is primarily industrial, being dominated by an oil refinery
at Stanlow
and a former ICI
chemical works. The town is also home to the Vauxhall Motors
car factory, where the Astra
range of cars is produced. There are a number of tourist attractions: the National Waterways Museum
, the Blue Planet Aquarium
and the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet which is owned by McArthurGlen Group.
and the Welsh border area around Llangollen
via a canal
initially called the Ellesmere Canal
. The canal was designed and engineered by William Jessop
and Thomas Telford
as part of a project to connect the rivers Severn
, Mersey
and Dee
. The canal connected to the Mersey in the village of Netherpool, and the basin was known as Whitby Locks. The section between Whitby Locks and Chester
was opened in 1795, connecting two of the rivers; but the connection to the Severn was never completed.
The village of Netherpool gradually changed its name to the Port of Ellesmere, and by the early 19th century, to Ellesmere Port. Settlements had existed in the area since the writing of the Domesday Book
(the suburbs of Great Sutton
, Little Sutton
and Hooton
are all mentioned). The first houses in Ellesmere Port itself, however, grew up around the docks and the first main street was Dock Street, which now houses the National Waterways Museum. Station Road, which connected the docks with the village of Whitby, also gradually developed and as more shops were needed, some of the houses became retail premises. As the expanding industrial areas growing up around the canal and its docks attracted more workers to the area, the town itself continued to expand.
By the mid-20th century, thanks to the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal
in 1894 and the Stanlow Oil Refinery in the 1920s, the town had expanded so that it now incorporated the villages of Great and Little Sutton, Hooton, Whitby, Overpool and Rivacre as suburbs. The town centre itself had moved from the Station Road/Dock Street area, to an area that had once been home to a stud farm
(indeed, the former Ellesmere Port and Neston
Borough Council officially referred to the town centre as Stud Farm for housing allocation purposes) around the crossroads of Sutton Way/Stanney Lane and Whitby Road. Demand for housing was further increased with the opening of the Vauxhall Motors
car plant in 1962.
Between the 1950s and 1980s, a number of new housing estates were developed, many of them on the sites of former farms such as Hope Farm and Grange Farm. Many estates consisted of both council housing and privately owned homes and flats. In the mid-1980s, the Port Arcades, a covered shopping mall
was built in the town centre, which complemented the erection of Lewis's
store which was bought out by Asda
prior to the completion of the Port Arcades.
Some of the town's more deprived suburbs were hit by rioting (blamed largely on the mass unemployment of that era
) in July 1981 in a wave of rioting which hit dozens of other British towns and cities that year.http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=35
By the 1990s, it was the retail sector rather than the industrial that was attracting workers and their families to the town. This was boosted with the building of the Cheshire Oaks outlet village and the Coliseum shopping park, which also included a multiplex
cinema; prior to this since the closure of the cinema adjacent to the station in the 1950s the town's only cinema had been a single screen in the EPIC Leisure Centre.
The town continues to grow and expand, and more housing estates and shops are being built. The industrial sector is still a major employer in the town although in recent years, a number of factories have been closed and jobs lost. Marks & Spencer are currently (2010) building what is being claimed to be their largest store apart from Marble Arch on a site opposite to the Coliseum shopping park
The Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port is now Vauxhall's only car factory in Britain since the end of passenger car production at the Luton plant in 2004 (where commercial vehicles are still made), and currently produces the Astra model. It opened in 1962 as a components supplier to the Luton plant, before passenger car production began there in 1964.
, in Merseyside
, when that was formed on 1 April 1974. It was removed from the proposals before the Local Government Act 1972
had its first reading, and instead remained in Cheshire as part of the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston
.
Ellesmere Port is part of the Ellesmere Port and Neston
parliament constituency. The current MP
is Andrew Miller
(Labour).
In 2007, plans were announced which proposed combining the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston with the Chester
and Vale Royal
districts to form a new "West Cheshire" unitary authority
. The new unitary authority came into being on 1 April 2009 as Cheshire West and Chester
. The Conservatives won control of this council in shadow elections in May 2008, winning a majority of seats in the Ellesmere Port area for the first time.
The current Mayor is Cllr Angela Claydon.
Last year the town saw the youngest mayor to take charge, Cllr Gareth Anderson, 29.
The official Governor of Ellesmere Port is Gurchuran Singh.
, Hope Farm and Great Stanney.
and the M53
motorways. The A41 road
between Birkenhead
and Chester
, also passes through the area. There is a bus station in the town centre with frequent services to Chester, Liverpool
, Runcorn
, Elton
, Ince
,and Neston. There are some services to Mold, North Wales. Occasional National Express coaches serve the bus station. Most services are operated by Arriva North West & Wales, First Chester & The Wirral
, GHA Coaches
or Helms of Eastham.
Ellesmere Port railway station
has frequent electric trains to Liverpool
via the Wirral Line
of the Merseyrail
network. There is also an infrequent service to Helsby
, with the route passing through Stanlow
and Elton.
The Manchester Ship Canal
joins the Mersey estuary north-west of Ellesmere Port at Eastham
, but the town is also the northern terminus of the Shropshire Union Canal
(which used to exchange goods with sea-going boats at what is now the National Waterways Museum).
are the local football team.
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, which in turn gives access to the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
, and to the north of the city of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The town had a population of 64,100 as of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
The town is primarily industrial, being dominated by an oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
at Stanlow
Stanlow Refinery
Stanlow Refinery is an oil refinery owned by Essar Energy in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It was previously owned by Royal Dutch Shell and is part of the Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex.-History:...
and a former ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
chemical works. The town is also home to the Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
car factory, where the Astra
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a small family car engineered and manufactured by the German automaker Opel since 1991.It is branded as Vauxhall Astra in the United Kingdom, the Buick Excelle XT in China and the Chevrolet Astra/Vectra in Latin America...
range of cars is produced. There are a number of tourist attractions: the National Waterways Museum
National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port
The Ellesmere Port site of the National Waterways Museum is situated at the northern extremity of the Shropshire Union Canal where it enters the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England...
, the Blue Planet Aquarium
Blue Planet Aquarium
The Blue Planet Aquarium is a marine and freshwater aquarium located by the Cheshire Oaks retail and leisure complex, near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, England. When opened by the Queen in July 1998, it was the largest aquarium in the UK, and is still the largest in North West England...
and the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet which is owned by McArthurGlen Group.
History
The town of Ellesmere Port was founded as an outlet to the sea from Ellesmere, ShropshireEllesmere, Shropshire
Ellesmere is a small market town near Oswestry in north Shropshire, England, notable for its proximity to a number of prominent lakes, the Meres.-History:...
and the Welsh border area around Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
via a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
initially called the Ellesmere Canal
Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal was a canal in England and Wales, originally planned to link the Rivers Mersey, Dee, and Severn, by running from Netherpool to Shrewsbury. The canal that was eventually constructed was very different from what was originally envisioned...
. The canal was designed and engineered by William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
and Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
as part of a project to connect the rivers Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
, Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
. The canal connected to the Mersey in the village of Netherpool, and the basin was known as Whitby Locks. The section between Whitby Locks and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
was opened in 1795, connecting two of the rivers; but the connection to the Severn was never completed.
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(the suburbs of Great Sutton
Great Sutton
Great Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, Little Sutton
Little Sutton
Little Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England, located between Childer Thornton and Great Sutton. It is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port and part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester....
and Hooton
Hooton, Cheshire
Hooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...
are all mentioned). The first houses in Ellesmere Port itself, however, grew up around the docks and the first main street was Dock Street, which now houses the National Waterways Museum. Station Road, which connected the docks with the village of Whitby, also gradually developed and as more shops were needed, some of the houses became retail premises. As the expanding industrial areas growing up around the canal and its docks attracted more workers to the area, the town itself continued to expand.
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
in 1894 and the Stanlow Oil Refinery in the 1920s, the town had expanded so that it now incorporated the villages of Great and Little Sutton, Hooton, Whitby, Overpool and Rivacre as suburbs. The town centre itself had moved from the Station Road/Dock Street area, to an area that had once been home to a stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
(indeed, the former Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It covered the southern part of the Wirral Peninsula, namely that part which is not included in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral....
Borough Council officially referred to the town centre as Stud Farm for housing allocation purposes) around the crossroads of Sutton Way/Stanney Lane and Whitby Road. Demand for housing was further increased with the opening of the Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
car plant in 1962.
Between the 1950s and 1980s, a number of new housing estates were developed, many of them on the sites of former farms such as Hope Farm and Grange Farm. Many estates consisted of both council housing and privately owned homes and flats. In the mid-1980s, the Port Arcades, a covered shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
was built in the town centre, which complemented the erection of Lewis's
Lewis's
Lewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
store which was bought out by Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
prior to the completion of the Port Arcades.
Some of the town's more deprived suburbs were hit by rioting (blamed largely on the mass unemployment of that era
Early 1980s recession
The early 1980s recession describes the severe global economic recession affecting much of the developed world in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The United States and Japan exited recession relatively early, but high unemployment would continue to affect other OECD nations through at least 1985...
) in July 1981 in a wave of rioting which hit dozens of other British towns and cities that year.http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/index.php?link=template&story=35
By the 1990s, it was the retail sector rather than the industrial that was attracting workers and their families to the town. This was boosted with the building of the Cheshire Oaks outlet village and the Coliseum shopping park, which also included a multiplex
Multiplex (movie theater)
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically three or more. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an...
cinema; prior to this since the closure of the cinema adjacent to the station in the 1950s the town's only cinema had been a single screen in the EPIC Leisure Centre.
The town continues to grow and expand, and more housing estates and shops are being built. The industrial sector is still a major employer in the town although in recent years, a number of factories have been closed and jobs lost. Marks & Spencer are currently (2010) building what is being claimed to be their largest store apart from Marble Arch on a site opposite to the Coliseum shopping park
The Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port is now Vauxhall's only car factory in Britain since the end of passenger car production at the Luton plant in 2004 (where commercial vehicles are still made), and currently produces the Astra model. It opened in 1962 as a components supplier to the Luton plant, before passenger car production began there in 1964.
Governance
Ellesmere Port was nearly included into the Metropolitan Borough of WirralMetropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
, in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, when that was formed on 1 April 1974. It was removed from the proposals before the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
had its first reading, and instead remained in Cheshire as part of the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It covered the southern part of the Wirral Peninsula, namely that part which is not included in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral....
.
Ellesmere Port is part of the Ellesmere Port and Neston
Ellesmere Port and Neston (UK Parliament constituency)
Ellesmere Port and Neston is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
parliament constituency. The current MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller (politician)
Andrew Peter Miller is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Ellesmere Port and Neston since 1992.-Early life:...
(Labour).
In 2007, plans were announced which proposed combining the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston with the Chester
Chester (district)
Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England, with the status of a city and a borough.Apart from Chester itself, which was the principal settlement, the district covered a large rural area...
and Vale Royal
Vale Royal
Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.-Creation:...
districts to form a new "West Cheshire" unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
. The new unitary authority came into being on 1 April 2009 as Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...
. The Conservatives won control of this council in shadow elections in May 2008, winning a majority of seats in the Ellesmere Port area for the first time.
The current Mayor is Cllr Angela Claydon.
Last year the town saw the youngest mayor to take charge, Cllr Gareth Anderson, 29.
The official Governor of Ellesmere Port is Gurchuran Singh.
Demography
As of the 2001 census, 96.1% of the population described themselves as White British. 2.9% are described as Asian or British Asian. 0.6% are described as Chinese and 0.4% are Black African and Other. Many of the ethnic population live in Little SuttonLittle Sutton
Little Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England, located between Childer Thornton and Great Sutton. It is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port and part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester....
, Hope Farm and Great Stanney.
Religion
The main religion of Ellesmere Port is Christianity with 58.9% of the population. 22.3% are unspecified. 10.1% are Muslim. 4.6% are Sikhs. 3.1% are Jewish. 0.6% are Buddhists and 0.3% are Shinto and others. Most of the religious groups live in the Town Centre, Little Sutton and Westminster.Geography
Suburban localities of Ellesmere Port include:- Whitby
- Great SuttonGreat SuttonGreat Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, including Hope Farm and Grange. - Little Sutton
- WestminsterWestminster, Ellesmere PortWestminster, Ellesmere Port is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port. It is located to the north of the town centre and it is the location of the M53 motorway. To the north of the suburb is the Canal Village which is the location of the Boat Museum. Westminster is famous for its terraced houses...
- RivacreRivacreRivacre is an area of Ellesmere Port in the North West of England. The Rivacre is so named because of the Rivacre brook which runs through the area and it is known locally as Rivacre Valley because of the beautiful valley through which the stream runs....
- OverpoolOverpoolOverpool is a village on the Wirral Peninsula in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is a suburb of Ellesmere Port, and part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester.-History:...
- HootonHooton, CheshireHooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...
- Great Stanney (Stanney Grange)
- Cheshire Oaks
- Wolverham
- Canal Village
- Stanlow
- Little StanneyLittle StanneyLittle Stanney is a suburban village and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It has a population of 181, and is located between Chester and Ellesmere Port....
- Dunkirk
- Backford CrossBackford CrossBackford Cross is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England. It is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port and part of Cheshire West and Chester. Backford Cross is located around the A41/A5117 junction, south of Great Sutton and about north of the village of Backford, near Chester....
Transport
Ellesmere Port is located near the interchange of the M56M56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
and the M53
M53 motorway
The M53 is a motorway in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and Cheshire on the Wirral Peninsula in England. It can also be referred to as the Mid Wirral Motorway...
motorways. The A41 road
A41 road
The A41 is a formerly-major trunk road in England that links London and Birkenhead, although it has now largely been superseded by motorways. It passes through or near various towns and cities including Watford, Hemel Hempstead, Aylesbury, Solihull, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton,...
between Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, also passes through the area. There is a bus station in the town centre with frequent services to Chester, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
, Elton
Elton, Cheshire
Elton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated approximately to the northeast of Chester, between Helsby and Ellesmere Port, near to the River Mersey. Its proximity to the River Mersey and...
, Ince
Ince
Ince is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated immediately to the east of the Stanlow Oil Refinery. It shares Ince and Elton railway station with the village of Elton, which it runs into...
,and Neston. There are some services to Mold, North Wales. Occasional National Express coaches serve the bus station. Most services are operated by Arriva North West & Wales, First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & Wirral is a division of bus operator First Manchester Ltd., running local bus services in and around Chester and the Wirral, north west England. The company is a subsidiary of FirstGroup plc, the largest bus operator in Britain....
, GHA Coaches
GHA Coaches
GHA Coaches is a bus and coach operator serving North East Wales and surrounding areas in the United Kingdom. Their current total of bus operations has increased dramatically in recent years after purchases of other local bus operators such as Bryn Melyn, Chaloner's, Hanmers Coaches and Vale of...
or Helms of Eastham.
Ellesmere Port railway station
Ellesmere Port railway station
Ellesmere Port railway station is located in the town of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It is the terminal station of two lines on separate rail networks.* One of the termini of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network....
has frequent electric trains to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
via the Wirral Line
Wirral Line
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
of the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
network. There is also an infrequent service to Helsby
Helsby
Helsby is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, Helsby had a population of 4,701.-Geography:...
, with the route passing through Stanlow
Stanlow Refinery
Stanlow Refinery is an oil refinery owned by Essar Energy in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It was previously owned by Royal Dutch Shell and is part of the Shell Stanlow Manufacturing Complex.-History:...
and Elton.
The Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
joins the Mersey estuary north-west of Ellesmere Port at Eastham
Eastham, Merseyside
Eastham is a village and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bromborough...
, but the town is also the northern terminus of the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
(which used to exchange goods with sea-going boats at what is now the National Waterways Museum).
Sports
Speedway racing operated at the stadium in Thornton Road in the mid to late 1970s and in the 1980s. Ellesmere Port Gunners raced in the lower tier Leagues. Vauxhall Motors F.C.Vauxhall Motors F.C.
Vauxhall Motors Football Club is an English football club based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, who play in the Conference North. It was originally the works team of the car manufacturer Vauxhall...
are the local football team.
Notable people
The following people are natives of Ellesmere Port, or have lived there for a period of time.- Comedian Russ Abbott grew up in the town's Wolverham district.
- Lillian BeckwithLillian BeckwithLillian Comber, author was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England, and wrote under the name Lillian Beckwith. Her most notable works are a series of semi-autobiographical books that chronicle her years living in Elgol, Isle of Skye, and later on the nearby and smaller Isle of Soay...
, author, grew up in Ellesmere Port the daughter of a grocer as chronicled in her book About My Father's Business. - Sam ChedgzoySam ChedgzoySam Chedgzoy was an English football player who changed the laws of the game. He played professionally for Everton F.C., the New Bedford Whalers and Montreal Carsteel. He also earned eight caps with the English national team.- Everton :Chedgzoy began his professional career with Everton F.C...
, footballer who played for EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
between 1910-1926. - Lorraine Connor, British Weight Lifting Champion 1989 & 1990, grew up in the Whitby district where her family still live, trained at the EPIC Leisure Centre under the supervision of her coach Gwylim Parry.
- Rita CullisRita Cullis- Biography :Cullis was born in Ellesmere Port and studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music. She made her debut with the Welsh National Opera and has subsequently worked with the English National Opera, Netherlands Opera, San Diego Opera, Scottish Opera, and Opera North.She is currently...
, operatic soprano, was born in Ellesmere Port. - Stan CullisStan CullisStanley Cullis was a professional footballer and manager, most notably for Wolverhampton Wanderers. During his term as manager between 1948 and 1964 Wolves became one of the strongest teams in the British game, winning the league title on three occasions, and playing a series of high-profile...
, former Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
player and manager was born in Ellesmere Port on 25 October 1916. Like his friend Joe Mercer he played football for Cambridge Road School and Ellesmere Port Boys. - Dave HicksonDave HicksonDavid "Dave" Hickson is an ex-football player, who played for Everton, Aston Villa, Huddersfield Town, Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers.-Club career:...
, footballer who played for Everton, LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Tranmere RoversTranmere Rovers F.C.Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. Born in Ellesmere Port in 1929. He worked for Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council before returning to Everton, where he works as an ambassador for the club. - Beverley HughesBeverley HughesBeverley June Hughes, Baroness Hughes of Stretford is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston from 1997 to 2010. In 2004, she was appointed to the Privy Council...
, Labour MP and former government minister, born and educated in the town and still has family connections - Lee Latchford Evans from pop group Steps grew up here.
- Joe MercerJoe MercerJoseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack...
, England football international and manager was born in Ellesmere Port on 9 August 1914. He played football for Cambridge Road School and was selected to play for Ellesmere Port Boys against Chester Boys in January 1929. Mercer led Manchester City to the 1968 First Division championship, and went on to win the FA Cup (1969), League Cup (1970) and European Cup Winners' Cup (1970). - John PrescottJohn PrescottJohn Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, The Ex-Deputy Prime Minister attended the Grange Secondary Modern School in 1948. - Davey Rose received the Military Medal during the Falklands war
- Ex-professional footballer Graham Turner, better known as a Manager (ex-clubs including Shrewsbury Town, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Hereford United. Also served as chairman of Hereford United)
- Anastasia DobromyslovaAnastasia DobromyslovaAnastasia Dobromyslova-Martin is a professional darts player. She is a former winner of the Women's World Professional Darts Champion of the British Darts Organisation, winning it in 2008...
, former Women's World Professional Darts Champion lives in the town. - Charles BronsonCharles Bronson (prisoner)Charles Bronson is a Welsh criminal often referred to in the British press as the "most violent prisoner in Britain"....
, nicknamed the most violent prisoner in Britain lived in the Little Sutton district.