Winsford
Encyclopedia
Winsford is a town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
. It lies on the River Weaver
south of Northwich
and west of Middlewich
, and grew around the salt mining
industry after the river was canal
ised in the eighteenth century, allowing freight to be conveyed northwards to the Port of Runcorn
on the River Mersey
.
Winsford is split into two neighbourhoods: Over
on the western side of the River Weaver
and Wharton on the eastern side.
and Edward I
occasionally held court at Darnhall
near Winsford The latter king founded Vale Royal Abbey
at Darnhall, but then moved it in 1277 to near Whitegate. By around 1280, a charter had been granted to form a new town near the Abbey, centred on the present-day Delamere Street in Winsford. From this charter can be traced the origins of the market that is still held in the town.
The Government gave permission for artificial improvements to the River Weaver
in 1721 to allow large barges to reach Winsford from the port of Liverpool
. At first, this was the closest that barges carrying china clay from Cornwall
could get to the Potteries
district of north Staffordshire
, which was then rapidly developing as the major centre of ceramic production in Britain
.
Cornish china clay was used in the production of earthenware
and stoneware
. The clay was taken overland from Winsford by pack horse to manufacturers in the Potteries, a distance of about 30 miles (48 km). Locally-produced salt was also transported to the Potteries, for use in the manufacture of salt-glazed stoneware
. Finished ceramics from the Potteries were brought back to Winsford, for export through the port of Liverpool
. That trade ended in the 1780s when the Trent and Mersey Canal
opened and carried the goods through Middlewich
, bypassing Winsford.
The canalised River Weaver
was the inspiration for the Duke of Bridgewater's
canals, and later the engineer for the Weaver Navigation, Edwin Leader Williams, designed and built the Manchester Ship Canal
.
From the 1830s, salt
became important to Winsford, partly because the salt mines under Northwich
had begun to collapse and another source of salt near the River Weaver
was needed. A new source was discovered in Winsford, leading to the
development of a salt
industry along the course of the River Weaver
, where many factories were established. By 1897, Winsford had become the largest producer of salt in Britain
. As a result, a new town developed within a mile of the old Borough of Over
which had been focused on Delamere Street. Most of the early development took place on the other side of the river, with new housing, shops, pubs, chapels and a new church being built in the former hamlet of Wharton. As the prevailing winds blew the smoke away from Over, it became the place for the wealthier inhabitants to live. However, barge workers and others working in Winsford started to develop the area along the old Over Lane, now the High Street. The old Borough tried to keep itself separate but had been connected by the 1860s.
By the World War II
, employment in the salt trade had declined as one company took control of all the salt works and introduced methods of manufacture that needed much less labour. Slum clearance started in the 1930s and, by the 1950s, three new housing estates had been built on both sides of the river to replace sub-standard homes. However, even in the 1960s, Winsford could be described as "one long line of mainly terraced houses from the station to Salterswall".
The town experienced a major expansion in the late 1960s and 1970s with its designation as a New Town
. This saw the development of two new industrial areas on both sides of the town, new estates of council and private housing and a new shopping centre with a library, sports centre, civic hall and doctors' surgeries. But the town's population did not grow as much as planned, so the new civic buildings were too large for the population.
The expansion led to a mix of people in the town, comprising the original Cheshire residents, a wave of migrants from Manchester
, and a second and much larger wave of newcomers from Liverpool
. There was (and to some extent still is) some friction between "Old" and "New" Winsfordians. The term "Woolyback" for "Old" Winsfordians was a common term of abuse related to their supposed rural roots. These tensions have now greatly subsided.
Vale Royal
Borough Council was formed in 1974, covering Winsford, Northwich and a large rural area of mid-Cheshire. In 1991, the council moved its main office from Northwich to a purpose-built headquarters in Winsford, which since April 2009 has been used by its successor authority Cheshire West and Chester Council
. The same building also houses Winsford Town Council
. Since then both Cheshire Fire Service (in 1997) and Cheshire Police (in 2003) have moved headquarters from the county town of Chester
to Winsford.
The local hamlets and villages of Moulton
, Darnhall
, Stanthorne
, Whitegate, Wettenhall
are all within the towns limits and use the towns resources
, and the town council. Previously there were three tiers, however Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council
were abolished on 31 March 2009. The town is represented by Stephen O'Brien, Member of Parliament for Eddisbury.
Winsford is served by two police units. Winsford Urban East unit covers the town centre and Wharton, and Broxton unit covers St Chads, Over and Darnhall
with few extremes. The average temperature is slightly above the average for the United Kingdom, as is the average amount of sunshine. The average annual rainfall is slightly below the average for the UK. On an annual basis there are few days when snow lies on the ground, although there are some days of air frost.
and Aldi
in the town centre, Morrisons
in Wharton and Tesco
in Over. Other major chains include DW Sports, Argos, Superdrug, Boots, New Look, Peacocks, Grangier Games, Subway and B&M. The shopping centre is a 1970s design, with newer retail units and a multistorey car park subsequently added to it. A McDonalds fast food restaurant is located in Wharton.
mine is at Winsford. It is one of only three places where rock salt is commercially mined in the UK, the others being at Boulby Mine
, North Yorkshire, and Kilroot
, near Carrickfergus
, Northern Ireland
.
Rock salt was laid down in this part of North West England
220 million years ago, during the Triassic
geological period. Seawater moved inland from an open sea, creating a chain of shallow salt marshes across what is today the Cheshire basin. As the marshes evaporated, deep deposits of rock salt were formed.
Extraction began at Winsford in the 17th century. Initially it was used only as salt lick
s for animals, and to strengthen weak brine
. In 1844 Winsford Rock Salt Mine was opened, and is claimed by its operator, Salt Union Ltd., to be "Britain's oldest working mine". Salt Union Ltd. is part of the US-owned group of companies Compass Minerals
. Today, rock salt is quarried from a depth of more than 150 metres below ground, producing salt (commonly known as "grit") for use as a de-icing agent on roads. The mine produces 1 million tonnes of rock salt annually, and has a network of 135 miles (217 km) of tunnels over several square miles underneath the area between Winsford and Northwich
.
A worked-out part of the mine is operated by DeepStore Ltd., a records management company offering a secure storage facility. Confidential government files, hospital patient records, historic archives belonging to The National Archives, and business data are stored in the mine, where the dry and stable atmosphere provides ideal conditions for long-term document storage.
group), but the title ceased publication on September 30, 2009.
A community radio station, Cheshire FM
, broadcasts from studios in Winsford to the mid-Cheshire region of Northwich
, Winsford and Middlewich
. The station was launched on March 30, 2007.
was originally built in Over Square, but the devil was so angry at the people's use of it that he decided to fly off with it. The monks at Vale Royal Abbey
were said to have seen him and rung the abbey bells so that it was dropped at its current location. In fact, its location is probably due to it having always belonged, along with its tithe
s, to St Mary's Convent in Chester. This presumably convinced the Abbot to build the town far enough away from the Church in order to gain the tithes himself.
Many invented tales of buried treasure and secret passages are told about the Cross but none are true. The nearby street name of Saxon Crossway was invented by the Borough Council in the 1960s. The real Saxon Cross is preserved at St Chad's Church.
and Lancashire
. The Winsford Flashes (Top Flash, Middle Flash, and Bottom Flash, the largest) are three lakes along the course of the River Weaver
, extending over some 200 acres (80 hectares). They formed in the 19th century (cartographical evidence dates their formation to between 1845 and 1872), due to the subsidence of surface ground into underground voids. The voids were largely the result of brine extraction, in which rock salt deposits were dissolved and washed out by water. As the ground slumped into the voids, the River Weaver
widened at each point, until lakes were made where arable land had once been. From the late 19th century, Winsford Flashes became popular with working class
day-trippers from the nearby industrial centres of Manchester
and the Staffordshire Potteries
. Visitors came in large numbers for a day's leisure boating, picknicking, and sightseeing.
However, the Winsford Flashes were never developed as a public amenity, and their popularity soon fell into decline. Today, they are primarily enjoyed by the local community, and are used for sailing (Winsford Flash Sailing Club is based on the 90 acre (35 hectare) Bottom Flash), fishing, and walking. They support a wide range of wildlife, with several species of migrant wildfowl, such as Canada Geese
, using them as an over-winter destination.
St John's Church on Delamere Street dates from 1863 when Lord Delamere of Vale Royal commissioned the young Sandiway
architect John Douglas to build it as a memorial to his deceased wife. This is the tallest building on the highest part of Over, so the spire can be seen for miles around.
The Brunner Guildhall, which now houses the Citizens Advice Bureau, was built in the late 19th century. It is a two-storey building built in Flemish Gothic style, and carries the date 1899. It was built by Sir John Tomlinson Brunner, who gave it to Winsford Urban District Council, to be used for Trade and Friendly Societies, and other public purposes. It was given its name by the chairman of the council in recognition of Brunner's generosity.
Littler Grange, now a children's nursery, is the best remaining half-timber building in Winsford, including sloping floors on part of the first floor.
Dawk House on Swanlow Lane is a largely unaltered timber framed farm, covered in white stucco
probably during the reign of Queen Anne
, including the date 1711.
Blue Bell Inn by St Chad's Church, now also a children's nursery, is an exact replica of a medieval building that burned down in the 1960s.
, on the Liverpool to Birmingham main line
, is one mile (1.5 km) east of the centre of the town, in Wharton. The town at one time had two other railway stations: Winsford and Over
, on a branch
from the Mid-Cheshire Line
near Cuddington, and Over and Wharton
, on a branch from the Liverpool to Birmingham line
.
The M6 motorway
at junction 18 at Middlewich
is the nearest motorway link, with the A54 connecting the town to it.
The nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport
and Manchester Airport.
The town also has a very good bus network with countless stops and bus services in the town. This is run by bus companys Arriva, D&G Buses and RST Travel with buses every half an hour to Chester, Crewe, Northwich, Middlewich and Cheshire Oaks.
that suffered numerous relegations and now plays in the North West Counties Football League
Division 2. Support for the team has dwindled over the years, falling from a pre-war peak of over 10,000 to just 100. The Blues, (after the colour of their shirts) play at Barton Stadium. Neville Southall
once played for the club.
Winsford ASC is a swimming club which has achieved Swim21 club status and won the North West Division 1 speedo league. It has now been promoted to the premier league.
Vale Royal Athletic Club is based mainly in Northwich
and Winsford, and has several international athletes training with them. This club was created in its present form by the merger, in 1994, of the Mid Cheshire Athletic Club and Winsford Athletic Club.
The youth football teams are Winsford Junior Blues, Winsford Over 3 and Winsford diamonds.
Winsford Cricket Club play in the Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League, which forms part of the Cheshire pyramid. Winsford have had a cricket team since 1888 when the team was founded by ICI workers and played at the Dingle, next to the Palace Picture House (now Palace Bingo). In 1991 Winsford moved to Knights Grange to allow the Council to build the new council offices (Wyvern House).
Allotment gardens
at Moss Bank, Over, date from 1924, when William Stubbs of 'Leahlands', Swanlow Lane, sold a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) field behind High Street to Winsford Urban District Council, ‘for the purpose of the Allotments Act’. The field, named on the 1846 Over Parish Tithe Map
as 'Well Field', had been farmed since at least the seventeenth century, and its conversion to allotments secured its use for future generations. The site shrank in the 1960s and 1970s with the building of housing and an electricity sub-station along Moss Bank, but the acquisition in 1970 of land adjacent to Over Recreation Ground brought it to its present size.
In the late 1980s, a record-breaking pumpkin
was grown on the allotments. Weighing in at 579 lb (263 kg), it held the national record for a time.
The allotments (about 50 plots and 5 raised beds) are owned and managed by Winsford Town Council
. The plot-holders have their own organisation, Over Allotments and Leisure Gardeners’ Association. Lottery funding has enabled a programme of on-going improvements since 2002, the most recent grant being in 2007 from the Awards for All scheme for £6,940.
Winsford is also well known for its crown green bowlers, with many of the top players in the country hailing from Winsford over the years, many of whom played or play for Wharton Cons BC.
Winsford Flash Sailing Club is situated on Bottom Flash, the largest of the town's three flashes. The club was founded (originally as Northwich Sailing Club) in 1931 and moved to Winsford in 1934.
The Brighton Belle pub was known as the Railway Inn until 1972, when a Pullman
carriage from the Brighton Belle
train was added to function as a restaurant. In the next 26 years the carriage became a local landmark until it was removed in 1998 because the cost of refurbishment in situ was prohibitive.
with:
Winsford also has an informal ‘friendship link' with:
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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies on the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
south of Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
and west of Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
, and grew around the salt mining
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
industry after the river was 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:...
ised in the eighteenth century, allowing freight to be conveyed northwards to the Port of Runcorn
Port of Runcorn
The Port of Runcorn is in the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is situated to the west of a point where the River Mersey narrows, known as Runcorn Gap. Originally opening directly into the Mersey, with the building of the Manchester Ship Canal, it now links with this canal.-Early...
on 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....
.
Winsford is split into two neighbourhoods: Over
Over, Cheshire
Over is a former borough and market town that forms the western part of the town of Winsford in the English county of Cheshire. Wharton forms the eastern part, the boundary being the River Weaver.-Ancient Origins:...
on the western side of the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
and Wharton on the eastern side.
History
Kings Henry IIIHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
occasionally held court at Darnhall
Darnhall
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Darnhall within the former Borough of Vale RoyalDarnhall is a civil parish and small village to the south west of Winsford in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England...
near Winsford The latter king founded Vale Royal Abbey
Vale Royal Abbey
Vale Royal Abbey is a medieval abbey, and later country house, located in Whitegate, between Northwich and Winsford in Cheshire, England.The abbey was founded in 1270 by Edward I for monks of the austere Cistercian order...
at Darnhall, but then moved it in 1277 to near Whitegate. By around 1280, a charter had been granted to form a new town near the Abbey, centred on the present-day Delamere Street in Winsford. From this charter can be traced the origins of the market that is still held in the town.
The Government gave permission for artificial improvements to the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
in 1721 to allow large barges to reach Winsford from the port of 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...
. At first, this was the closest that barges carrying china clay from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
could get to the Potteries
Staffordshire Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is a generic term for the industrial area encompassing the six towns that now make up Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire, England....
district of north Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, which was then rapidly developing as the major centre of ceramic production in Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
.
Cornish china clay was used in the production of earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
and stoneware
Stoneware
Stoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
. The clay was taken overland from Winsford by pack horse to manufacturers in the Potteries, a distance of about 30 miles (48 km). Locally-produced salt was also transported to the Potteries, for use in the manufacture of salt-glazed stoneware
Stoneware
Stoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...
. Finished ceramics from the Potteries were brought back to Winsford, for export through the port of 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...
. That trade ended in the 1780s when the Trent and Mersey Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
opened and carried the goods through Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
, bypassing Winsford.
The canalised River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
was the inspiration for the Duke of Bridgewater's
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
canals, and later the engineer for the Weaver Navigation, Edwin Leader Williams, designed and built 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...
.
From the 1830s, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
became important to Winsford, partly because the salt mines under Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
had begun to collapse and another source of salt near the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
was needed. A new source was discovered in Winsford, leading to the
development of a salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
industry along the course of the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
, where many factories were established. By 1897, Winsford had become the largest producer of salt in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. As a result, a new town developed within a mile of the old Borough of Over
Over, Cheshire
Over is a former borough and market town that forms the western part of the town of Winsford in the English county of Cheshire. Wharton forms the eastern part, the boundary being the River Weaver.-Ancient Origins:...
which had been focused on Delamere Street. Most of the early development took place on the other side of the river, with new housing, shops, pubs, chapels and a new church being built in the former hamlet of Wharton. As the prevailing winds blew the smoke away from Over, it became the place for the wealthier inhabitants to live. However, barge workers and others working in Winsford started to develop the area along the old Over Lane, now the High Street. The old Borough tried to keep itself separate but had been connected by the 1860s.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, employment in the salt trade had declined as one company took control of all the salt works and introduced methods of manufacture that needed much less labour. Slum clearance started in the 1930s and, by the 1950s, three new housing estates had been built on both sides of the river to replace sub-standard homes. However, even in the 1960s, Winsford could be described as "one long line of mainly terraced houses from the station to Salterswall".
The town experienced a major expansion in the late 1960s and 1970s with its designation as a New Town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
. This saw the development of two new industrial areas on both sides of the town, new estates of council and private housing and a new shopping centre with a library, sports centre, civic hall and doctors' surgeries. But the town's population did not grow as much as planned, so the new civic buildings were too large for the population.
The expansion led to a mix of people in the town, comprising the original Cheshire residents, a wave of migrants from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and a second and much larger wave of newcomers from 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...
. There was (and to some extent still is) some friction between "Old" and "New" Winsfordians. The term "Woolyback" for "Old" Winsfordians was a common term of abuse related to their supposed rural roots. These tensions have now greatly subsided.
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:...
Borough Council was formed in 1974, covering Winsford, Northwich and a large rural area of mid-Cheshire. In 1991, the council moved its main office from Northwich to a purpose-built headquarters in Winsford, which since April 2009 has been used by its successor authority Cheshire West and Chester Council
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 same building also houses Winsford Town Council
Winsford Town Council
Winsford Town Council is the lowest tier of the local government of Winsford, Cheshire and the direct successor of the old Manor Court of the Mayors of "Over" dating back to around 1280...
. Since then both Cheshire Fire Service (in 1997) and Cheshire Police (in 2003) have moved headquarters from the county town 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...
to Winsford.
The local hamlets and villages of Moulton
Moulton, Cheshire
thumb|right|200px|Map of civil parish of Moulton within the former borough of Vale RoyalMoulton is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and near the centre of the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, situated south of Northwich and north of...
, Darnhall
Darnhall
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Darnhall within the former Borough of Vale RoyalDarnhall is a civil parish and small village to the south west of Winsford in the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England...
, Stanthorne
Stanthorne
right|thumb|200px|Map of civil parish of Rushton within the former borough of Vale RoyalStanthorne is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north west of England, approximately 2 miles west of...
, Whitegate, Wettenhall
Wettenhall
Wettenhall is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 3½ miles to the south west of Winsford and 6 miles to the north west of Crewe. The parish also includes the settlements of Chapel Green and Woodside...
are all within the towns limits and use the towns resources
Governance
Political representation
Currently there are two layers of local government with responsibility for Winsford, Cheshire West and Chester CouncilCheshire 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 town council. Previously there were three tiers, however Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council
Cheshire County Council was a County Council, of the second highest level of United Kingdom Government for the residents of Cheshire. Founded in 1889, it ceased to exist on 1 April 2009, when it and the district councils in Cheshire were replaced by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and...
were abolished on 31 March 2009. The town is represented by Stephen O'Brien, Member of Parliament for Eddisbury.
Winsford is served by two police units. Winsford Urban East unit covers the town centre and Wharton, and Broxton unit covers St Chads, Over and Darnhall
Geography
A small area in the south of the civil parish falls within the Weaver Valley Area of Special County Value.Weather
Winsford's climate is temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
with few extremes. The average temperature is slightly above the average for the United Kingdom, as is the average amount of sunshine. The average annual rainfall is slightly below the average for the UK. On an annual basis there are few days when snow lies on the ground, although there are some days of air frost.
Retail
Major supermarkets are AsdaAsda
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...
and Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
in the town centre, Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
in Wharton and Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
in Over. Other major chains include DW Sports, Argos, Superdrug, Boots, New Look, Peacocks, Grangier Games, Subway and B&M. The shopping centre is a 1970s design, with newer retail units and a multistorey car park subsequently added to it. A McDonalds fast food restaurant is located in Wharton.
Winsford Rock Salt and Rock Salt Mine
The UK's largest rock salt (halite)Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
mine is at Winsford. It is one of only three places where rock salt is commercially mined in the UK, the others being at Boulby Mine
Boulby Mine
Boulby Mine is a site run by Cleveland Potash, located just southeast of the village of Boulby, on the northeast coast of the North Yorkshire Moors in Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is Europe's second deepest mine at —Pyhäsalmi Mine in Finland is even deeper, being 1,448 metres deep—producing...
, North Yorkshire, and Kilroot
Kilroot
Kilroot is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Eden, on the outskirts of Carrickfergus on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. It is within the Carrickfergus Borough Council area.-History:...
, near Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Rock salt was laid down in this part of North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
220 million years ago, during the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
geological period. Seawater moved inland from an open sea, creating a chain of shallow salt marshes across what is today the Cheshire basin. As the marshes evaporated, deep deposits of rock salt were formed.
Extraction began at Winsford in the 17th century. Initially it was used only as salt lick
Salt lick
A mineral lick is a natural mineral deposit where animals in nutrient-poor ecosystems can obtain essential mineral nutrients...
s for animals, and to strengthen weak brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
. In 1844 Winsford Rock Salt Mine was opened, and is claimed by its operator, Salt Union Ltd., to be "Britain's oldest working mine". Salt Union Ltd. is part of the US-owned group of companies Compass Minerals
Compass Minerals
Compass Minerals is a leading producer of minerals, including salt, sulfate of potash specialty fertilizer, and magnesium chloride. Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, the company provides bulk treated and untreated highway deicing salt to customers in North America and the United Kingdom...
. Today, rock salt is quarried from a depth of more than 150 metres below ground, producing salt (commonly known as "grit") for use as a de-icing agent on roads. The mine produces 1 million tonnes of rock salt annually, and has a network of 135 miles (217 km) of tunnels over several square miles underneath the area between Winsford and Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
.
A worked-out part of the mine is operated by DeepStore Ltd., a records management company offering a secure storage facility. Confidential government files, hospital patient records, historic archives belonging to The National Archives, and business data are stored in the mine, where the dry and stable atmosphere provides ideal conditions for long-term document storage.
Local media
Winsford has one local newspaper, the weekly Winsford and Middlewich Guardian (part of the Newsquest Media Group). The town was previously served by a second weekly paper, the Mid-Cheshire Chronicle (part of the Trinity MirrorTrinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror plc is a large British newspaper and magazine publisher. It is Britain's biggest newspaper group, publishing 240 regional papers as well as the national Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People, and the Scottish Sunday Mail and Daily Record. Its headquarters are at Canary Wharf in...
group), but the title ceased publication on September 30, 2009.
A community radio station, Cheshire FM
Cheshire FM
Cheshire FM is a community radio station serving the towns of Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford in the English county of Cheshire, from its studios in Winsford, and can be heard on 92.5 FM.-Background:...
, broadcasts from studios in Winsford to the mid-Cheshire region of Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Winsford and Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
. The station was launched on March 30, 2007.
St Chad's Church
This church, off Swanlow Lane, is the most well-known local historical landmark. One of the most popular local stories is that St Chad's ChurchSt Chad's Church, Over
St Chad's Church, Over, is in the town of Winsford, Cheshire, England. It was formerly in the separate town of Over, but with the growth of Winsford it has become part of this town. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
was originally built in Over Square, but the devil was so angry at the people's use of it that he decided to fly off with it. The monks at Vale Royal Abbey
Vale Royal Abbey
Vale Royal Abbey is a medieval abbey, and later country house, located in Whitegate, between Northwich and Winsford in Cheshire, England.The abbey was founded in 1270 by Edward I for monks of the austere Cistercian order...
were said to have seen him and rung the abbey bells so that it was dropped at its current location. In fact, its location is probably due to it having always belonged, along with its tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s, to St Mary's Convent in Chester. This presumably convinced the Abbot to build the town far enough away from the Church in order to gain the tithes himself.
Stone (or 'Saxon') Cross
By St John's Church of England Primary School, on Delamere Street, is a rare (possibly unique) lock-up/monument built in the 19th century. The Over Market met nearby, and the Cross was used to lock up drunks, thieves and swindlers until the magistrates court at the George and Dragon on the edge of Delamere Street was in session. The building is in the form of a stepped pyramid surmounted by a cross. The door to the lock-up is still visible but was blocked up in the 1970s.Many invented tales of buried treasure and secret passages are told about the Cross but none are true. The nearby street name of Saxon Crossway was invented by the Borough Council in the 1960s. The real Saxon Cross is preserved at St Chad's Church.
Winsford Flashes
The Winsford Flashes are the town's most notable geographical feature. In referring to them as the "Cheshire Broads", a comparison is made with the better-known Norfolk Broads. "Flash" is an English dialect word for "lake", with a regional distribution centred on the north-west counties of CheshireCheshire
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...
and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. The Winsford Flashes (Top Flash, Middle Flash, and Bottom Flash, the largest) are three lakes along the course of the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
, extending over some 200 acres (80 hectares). They formed in the 19th century (cartographical evidence dates their formation to between 1845 and 1872), due to the subsidence of surface ground into underground voids. The voids were largely the result of brine extraction, in which rock salt deposits were dissolved and washed out by water. As the ground slumped into the voids, the River Weaver
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 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
widened at each point, until lakes were made where arable land had once been. From the late 19th century, Winsford Flashes became popular with working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
day-trippers from the nearby industrial centres of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and the Staffordshire Potteries
Staffordshire Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is a generic term for the industrial area encompassing the six towns that now make up Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire, England....
. Visitors came in large numbers for a day's leisure boating, picknicking, and sightseeing.
However, the Winsford Flashes were never developed as a public amenity, and their popularity soon fell into decline. Today, they are primarily enjoyed by the local community, and are used for sailing (Winsford Flash Sailing Club is based on the 90 acre (35 hectare) Bottom Flash), fishing, and walking. They support a wide range of wildlife, with several species of migrant wildfowl, such as Canada Geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
, using them as an over-winter destination.
Other places
Sandiway
Sandiway is a village in the civil parish of Cuddington, Cheshire, England. It lies to the east of and is contiguous with the village of Cuddington....
architect John Douglas to build it as a memorial to his deceased wife. This is the tallest building on the highest part of Over, so the spire can be seen for miles around.
The Brunner Guildhall, which now houses the Citizens Advice Bureau, was built in the late 19th century. It is a two-storey building built in Flemish Gothic style, and carries the date 1899. It was built by Sir John Tomlinson Brunner, who gave it to Winsford Urban District Council, to be used for Trade and Friendly Societies, and other public purposes. It was given its name by the chairman of the council in recognition of Brunner's generosity.
Historic Landmarks
Parts of the Knights Grange pub, Grange Lane, which was once a farmhouse and belonged to Vale Royal Abbey, were built in the 17th century.Littler Grange, now a children's nursery, is the best remaining half-timber building in Winsford, including sloping floors on part of the first floor.
Dawk House on Swanlow Lane is a largely unaltered timber framed farm, covered in white stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
probably during the reign of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
, including the date 1711.
Blue Bell Inn by St Chad's Church, now also a children's nursery, is an exact replica of a medieval building that burned down in the 1960s.
Transport
Winsford railway stationWinsford railway station
Winsford railway station serves the town of Winsford in Cheshire, England.It is a staffed station which has a hourly service throughout the day with a few exceptions....
, on the Liverpool to Birmingham main line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, is one mile (1.5 km) east of the centre of the town, in Wharton. The town at one time had two other railway stations: Winsford and Over
Winsford and Over railway station
Winsford and Over railway station was one of three railway stations serving the town of Winsford in Cheshire. The station was the terminus of the Winsford and Over branch operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee and later British Railways.-History:...
, on a branch
Winsford and Over Branch Line
The Winsford and Over Branch Line was a railway line serving the town of Winsford in Cheshire. It was operated by the Cheshire Lines Committee from 1870 until the railways were nationalised under the Transport Act 1947, which took effect on 1 January 1948...
from the Mid-Cheshire Line
Mid-Cheshire Line
The Mid-Cheshire Line is a railway line in the north-west of England, between Chester and Manchester.- History :The Mid Cheshire line has its origins in railways promoted by three separate railway companies in the 19th century. The Cheshire Midland Railway was opened to passengers between...
near Cuddington, and Over and Wharton
Over and Wharton railway station
Over and Wharton railway station was one of three railway stations serving the town of Winsford in Cheshire. The station was the terminus of the Over and Wharton branch line, a short branch off the West Coast main line operated by the London and North Western Railway and later the London Midland...
, on a branch from the Liverpool to Birmingham line
Over and Wharton branch line
The Over and Wharton branch line was a railway line serving the town of Winsford in Cheshire. It was owned and operated by the London and North Western Railway Company from 1882 and then the London Midland and Scottish Railway until the railways were nationalised under the Transport Act 1947,...
.
The M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
at junction 18 at Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
is the nearest motorway link, with the A54 connecting the town to it.
The nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
and Manchester Airport.
The town also has a very good bus network with countless stops and bus services in the town. This is run by bus companys Arriva, D&G Buses and RST Travel with buses every half an hour to Chester, Crewe, Northwich, Middlewich and Cheshire Oaks.
Primary schools
- Darnhall Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 333
- Grange Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 238
- Greenfields Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 178
- Winsford High Street Community Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 297
- Overhall Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 203
- St. Chad's C of E Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 185
- St. Josephs' Roman Catholic Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 276
- Wharton CofE Infant and Junior School Current Pupils on School Roll - 604
- Willow Wood Community Primary School Current Pupils on School Roll - 206
- Over St Johns CofE Primary School - 136
Secondary schools
- Hebden Green Community School
- Oaklands School
- The Winsford E-ACT Academy and Sixth Form - Number of Students Currently on Roll - 1,460 (school students), 196 (sixth form)
Religious sites
- Assemblies of GodAssemblies of GodThe Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
New Life Pentecostal Church, High Street. - Christ Church, WhartonChrist Church, WhartonChrist Church, Wharton, is in the town of Winsford, Cheshire, England . It is an active evangelical Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.-History:...
, Crook Lane Official Website. - St Andrew's Methodist Church, Dingle Lane.
- St Chad's Church, OverSt Chad's Church, OverSt Chad's Church, Over, is in the town of Winsford, Cheshire, England. It was formerly in the separate town of Over, but with the growth of Winsford it has become part of this town. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
, off Swanlow Lane. - St John the Evangelist's Church, WinsfordSt John the Evangelist's Church, WinsfordSt John the Evangelist's Church, Winsford, is in Over, Winsford, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building...
, Delamere Street. - St Joseph's Catholic Church, Woodford Lane.
- The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, Weaver Street. - Trinity Methodist Church, Station Road
- Over United Reformed ChurchOver United Reformed ChurchOver United Reformed Church is in Swanlow Lane, Over, Winsford, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, and continues to be an active congregation within the United Reformed Church....
, Over Square, Swanlow Lane.
Sports and recreation
The town has a non-league football team, Winsford UnitedWinsford United F.C.
Winsford United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1883 and is nicknamed The Blues...
that suffered numerous relegations and now plays in the North West Counties Football League
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
Division 2. Support for the team has dwindled over the years, falling from a pre-war peak of over 10,000 to just 100. The Blues, (after the colour of their shirts) play at Barton Stadium. Neville Southall
Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE is a former Wales international footballer, best known for his time with Everton. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985...
once played for the club.
Winsford ASC is a swimming club which has achieved Swim21 club status and won the North West Division 1 speedo league. It has now been promoted to the premier league.
Vale Royal Athletic Club is based mainly in Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
and Winsford, and has several international athletes training with them. This club was created in its present form by the merger, in 1994, of the Mid Cheshire Athletic Club and Winsford Athletic Club.
The youth football teams are Winsford Junior Blues, Winsford Over 3 and Winsford diamonds.
Winsford Cricket Club play in the Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League, which forms part of the Cheshire pyramid. Winsford have had a cricket team since 1888 when the team was founded by ICI workers and played at the Dingle, next to the Palace Picture House (now Palace Bingo). In 1991 Winsford moved to Knights Grange to allow the Council to build the new council offices (Wyvern House).
Allotment gardens
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
at Moss Bank, Over, date from 1924, when William Stubbs of 'Leahlands', Swanlow Lane, sold a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) field behind High Street to Winsford Urban District Council, ‘for the purpose of the Allotments Act’. The field, named on the 1846 Over Parish Tithe Map
Tithe maps
The term Tithe map is usually applied to a map of an English or Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule gave the names of all owners and occupiers of land in the...
as 'Well Field', had been farmed since at least the seventeenth century, and its conversion to allotments secured its use for future generations. The site shrank in the 1960s and 1970s with the building of housing and an electricity sub-station along Moss Bank, but the acquisition in 1970 of land adjacent to Over Recreation Ground brought it to its present size.
In the late 1980s, a record-breaking pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
was grown on the allotments. Weighing in at 579 lb (263 kg), it held the national record for a time.
The allotments (about 50 plots and 5 raised beds) are owned and managed by Winsford Town Council
Winsford Town Council
Winsford Town Council is the lowest tier of the local government of Winsford, Cheshire and the direct successor of the old Manor Court of the Mayors of "Over" dating back to around 1280...
. The plot-holders have their own organisation, Over Allotments and Leisure Gardeners’ Association. Lottery funding has enabled a programme of on-going improvements since 2002, the most recent grant being in 2007 from the Awards for All scheme for £6,940.
Winsford is also well known for its crown green bowlers, with many of the top players in the country hailing from Winsford over the years, many of whom played or play for Wharton Cons BC.
Winsford Flash Sailing Club is situated on Bottom Flash, the largest of the town's three flashes. The club was founded (originally as Northwich Sailing Club) in 1931 and moved to Winsford in 1934.
The Brighton Belle pub was known as the Railway Inn until 1972, when a Pullman
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
carriage from the Brighton Belle
Brighton Belle
The Brighton Belle was a named train which ran on the Southern Railway from Victoria Station in London to Brighton, on the Sussex coast. The first electric all-Pullman service in the world, it ran from 29 June 1934 till 30 April 1972.-History:...
train was added to function as a restaurant. In the next 26 years the carriage became a local landmark until it was removed in 1998 because the cost of refurbishment in situ was prohibitive.
Notable people
- Sir John Swanwick Bradbury, 1st Baron BradburyJohn Swanwick Bradbury, 1st Baron BradburyJohn Swanwick Bradbury, 1st Baron Bradbury GCB was a British economist and public servant.Bradbury was born in Crook Lane, Winsford, Cheshire, the son of John Bradbury and Sarah Cross. He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford, and joined the Civil Service in 1896...
(Baron BradburyBaron BradburyBaron Bradbury, of Winsford in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1925 for the economist and public servant Sir John Bradbury. He was Joint Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 1913 to 1919 and considered to be the British government's...
) (1872–1950) – British Treasury official, born in Winsford. - Sam BrittletonSam BrittletonSamuel "Sam" Brittleton was an English footballer who played at inside-left for various clubs in the 1900s. He was the brother of England international Tom Brittleton.-Football career:...
(1885–?) – Footballer (Stockport County, and others), born in Winsford. - Tom BrittletonTom BrittletonJohn Thomas Brittleton was a professional footballer. He was one of the pioneers of the long throw-in. With a career spanning over 30 years, including 24 seasons in the Football League, he is the oldest person to play for Sheffield Wednesday in a competitive game.-Early years:Brittleton was born...
(1882–1955) – Footballer (Sheffield Wednesday, and others), born in Winsford. - Clare CalbraithClare CalbraithClare Calbraith , is a British actress whose recent appearances include roles in the ITV period drama series Downton Abbey and the BBC2 drama The Shadow Line....
(born 1974) – Actress, born in Winsford. - James Clarke (1894–1947) – Recipient of the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, born in Winsford. - Simon Ithel Davies (born 1974) – Footballer (WalesWales national football teamThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, Manchester United, and others) and football manager (Chester City F.C.Chester City F.C.Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
), born in Winsford. - Gareth GriffithsGareth GriffithsGareth John Griffiths is an English former footballer. A defender, he played 337 league games in a 13 year career in the Football League....
(born 1970) – Footballer (Port ValePort Vale F.C.Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, and others), born in Winsford. - Nicky MaynardNicky MaynardNicholas David "Nicky" Maynard is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bristol City.-Crewe Alexandra:...
(born 1986) – Footballer (Bristol City F.C.Bristol City F.C.Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, and others), born in Winsford. - Herman Eugene Falk (1820–98) – Salt manufacturer; proprietor of salt works at Winsford.
- Daniel FoxDaniel Fox (footballer)Daniel "Danny" Fox is an English-born Scottish footballer who plays for English Championship club Southampton as a left wingback but can also play as a left winger...
(born 1986) – Footballer (ScotlandScotland national football teamThe Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, Celtic FC, and others), born in Winsford. - Robert NixonRobert Nixon (Cheshire)Robert Nixon was a legendary prophet of Cheshire. Many accounts about him appear to be in conflict with each other.At least one account has Robert Nixon being born in c. 1467. In this account, he is the son of John Nixon during the time of Edward IV, who leased a farm in the parish of Over from...
– 18th century prophet, reputedly born in Winsford. - Alan OakesAlan OakesAlan Arthur Oakes is an English footballer who holds Manchester City's all-time record for appearances. Thanks to a further six year stint at Chester , Oakes played 776 Football League matches – the seventh most in history.-Permanent Fixture with Man City:Oakes signed for Manchester City on...
(born 1942) – Footballer (Manchester City, and others) and football manager (Chester City F.C.Chester City F.C.Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
), born in Winsford. - Jack OakesJack OakesJack Oakes , is a former English footballer who played as a centre half in the Football League.He was on the losing side for Charlton Athletic in the 1946 FA Cup Final, and turned out for Nottingham Forest, Southend United and Aldershot before joining the Addicks in 1936.He did not make the line-up...
(1905–92) – Footballer (Nottingham Forest, and others), born in Winsford. - Glyn PardoeGlyn PardoeGlyn Pardoe is an English former footballer who played for Manchester City between 1962 and 1974. He made his first team debut against Birmingham City in April 1962...
(born 1946) – Footballer (Manchester City), born in Winsford. - Gertrude Maud Robinson, née Walsh, Lady Robinson (1886–1954) – Organic chemist, University of Oxford, born in Winsford.
- Stan WoodStan WoodStanley "Stan" Wood was an English footballer who played as an outside left. During his professional career he represented West Bromwich Albion and Halifax Town.- Career :...
(1905–67) – Footballer (West Bromwich Albion), born in Winsford.
Twin town
Winsford is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
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Deuil-la-BarreDeuil-la-BarreDeuil-la-Barre is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Originally called simply Deuil, the name of the commune became officially Deuil-la-Barre on 7 December 1952.-History:...
, France (since 1993).
Winsford also has an informal ‘friendship link' with:
-
Nieder-Eschbach, Germany, which is itself twinned with Deuil-la-BarreDeuil-la-BarreDeuil-la-Barre is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Originally called simply Deuil, the name of the commune became officially Deuil-la-Barre on 7 December 1952.-History:...
.
See also
- Winsford United F.C.Winsford United F.C.Winsford United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Winsford, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1883 and is nicknamed The Blues...
– Winsford United Football Club. - Rail accidents in Winsford – summaries of three rail accidents at Winsford.
- Salt in CheshireSalt in CheshireCheshire is a county in North West England. Rock salt was laid down in this region some 220 million years ago, during the Triassic period. Seawater moved inland from an open sea, creating a chain of shallow salt marshes across what is today the Cheshire basin...
– summary of Cheshire's salt industry.