Middlewich
Encyclopedia
Middlewich is a market town
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England. It is 19.2 miles (30.9 km) east of the city of Chester
, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) east of Winsford
, 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of Northwich
and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) northwest of Sandbach
.
There has been a settlement at Middlewich since at least the time of the Roman occupation
. As a wich town
, Middlewich is an important centre for the extraction of salt; in earlier years it was also known for its production of Cheshire cheese
, silk, and its agriculture. In the present day it is known for its canals, its heritage events and its festivals. The parish church of St. Michael and All Angels
, dates back to the 12th century.
Middlewich lies on the confluence of three rivers: the Dane
, Croco and Wheelock
. Three canals also pass through the town, the Shropshire Union
, Trent and Mersey
, and the Wardle canal
, as well as three major roads, the A533, A54
and A530
; Middlewich also has good motorway links to the nearby cities of Manchester
and Liverpool
. The town's population has doubled since 1970 despite a reduction in the number of manufacturing jobs in salt and textile manufacturing, suggesting that many of the new residents live in Middlewich for reasons other than local employment.
Since 1990 there have been initiatives to increase the volume of tourism into the town, through events such as the annual folk and boat festival
, the Roman and Norman festivals, and regular farmers' markets.
In the Domesday Book
Middlewich is spelt "Mildestvich"; the termination wic or wyc in Anglo-Saxon refers to a camp or station. It is also supposed that "wich" or "wych" refers to a salt town
, with Middlewich being the middle town between Northwich and Nantwich.
Middlewich was founded by the Romans
, who gave it the name Salinae because of its surrounding salt deposits. It became one of the major Roman sites for salt production, an activity that was centred on the township of Kinderton, about a quarter of a mile north of the present-day parish church of St. Michael and All Angels. It has been suggested that pre-Roman salt production also occurred in the same area, but there is no supporting archaeological evidence. Whittaker's History of Manchester claims that the Iron Age
Cornovii made Kinderton their capital, but it is more likely that the Cornovii inhabited Kinderton for its salt-making potential. There was once thought to have been a medieval castle at Kinderton, but that is now thought to have been unlikely.
Middlewich lies across the King Street fault, which roughly follows the Roman road
, King Street, from Northwich
to Middlewich. During their occupation the Romans built a fort
at
Harbutts Field , and excavations to the south of the fort have found further evidence of Roman activity including a well and part of a preserved Roman road
. An excavation in 2004, in Buckley's Field, also uncovered signs of Roman occupation.
Salt manufacture has remained the principal industry for the past 2,000 years, and it has shaped the town's history and geography. Before the Norman
invasion of England in 1066, there is thought to have been one brine
pit in Middlewich, between the River Croco and the current Lewin Street. In the Domesday Book
the area is described as being "wasted", having been cleared by King William
around 1070 as an "act of rage against his rebellious barons". Gilbert de Venables became the first Baron of Kinderton shortly after the Norman Conquest, the title being conferred by Hugh Lupus
. A manor house
was built to the east of the town and became the baronial seat of the Venables family. A Jacobean
screen in the church of St Michael and All Angels
has the carved Venables coat of arms. The title "Baron of Kinderton" is now vested in the Lord Vernon
.
On 13 March 1643 the town was the scene of the first Battle of Middlewich
, between the Parliamentarians, under Sir William Brereton
, and the Royalist supporters
of King Charles I of England, under Sir Thomas Aston. The second Battle of Middlewich
took place on 26 December 1643, and claimed the lives of about 200 Parliamentarian
s, along with a number of Royalist
s under the command of Lord Byron
.
The population of Middlewich rose during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of this rise is attributable to a number of parishes being combined, for example parts of Newton
were added to Middlewich in 1894, with Sutton
having previously been added to Newton in 1892. Some will also be due to a general increase in population of the United Kingdom, and some of the increase would have been required to provide a labour force for the increased number, and scale, of salt and chemical works in the town. In the middle of the 19th century Middlewich was described as a town with principal works being the surrounding farming district, a silk factory, and the salt works in Kinderton and Newton.
In 1887 the town was described as having an antique appearance, with its principal trade being salt, along with fruit and vegetables, and small silk and heavy cotton works. The town had one bank and one newspaper. By 1911 the Encyclopædia Britannica
mentions the existence of chemical works and the manufacture of condensed milk
.
In common with the rest of the United Kingdom, Middlewich's young male population was decimated during the First World War
. The cenotaph
, near to the parish church, lists the names of the 136 men who died in that conflict, representing around 10% of the male population of the town aged between 15 and 45. Forty-two of Middlewich's inhabitants lost their lives in the Second World War
, with a further fatality in the Korean War
. The Brunner Mond
salt works in Brooks Lane also erected a cenotaph in memory of the 16 men from the works killed in the First World War, and the two who died during the Second World War.
In the period between the end of the First World War until shortly after the Second World War, there was extensive housebuilding in the town; a significant number of houses were built in the King Street area to the north, the area bounded between Nantwich Road and St. Anne's Road to the west, and especially in Cledford to the south. The 1970s commenced with the building of a new road, St. Michael's Way, which allowed traffic moving from east to west through the town to bypass the main shopping street, Wheelock Street. Along with the bypass there was significant remodelling of the town centre, with the old town hall and library being demolished. This bypass successfully eased the flow of traffic away from the main shopping street, but the joining of three major roads remains a bottleneck, which will be eased by a proposed eastern bypass.
Since the early 1980s Middlewich has seen a significant quantity of new housing development, initially in the Sutton Lane and Hayhurst Avenue areas. New developments have recently been built on the sites of old salt workings to the south of the Roman Fort at Harbutt's Field, near the Norman
Baron
's moated manor house
at Kinderton Manor, and on the site of the old railway station. One of the latest developments is on the old silk works next to the Big Lock public house. In common with other local towns such as Holmes Chapel
, Northwich
and Winsford
, people are attracted to Middlewich because of its good road links via the M6 motorway
and the relatively low price and availability of suitable building land.
since a very early time. At the time of the Domesday survey
(1086) Middlewich was in the hundred of Middlewich, but by the 14th century it had become part of the Northwich hundred
, although a small part of the then large parish of Middlewich extended into the hundred of Eddisbury.
Following the Local Government Act 1894
, Middlewich became an urban district
. In 1974, as part of the Local Government Act 1972
, Middlewich Urban District was abolished and its territory passed into the borough of Congleton
. Since 1 April 2009 the town has been served by Cheshire East Council
.
Middlewich is in the parliamentary constituency of Congleton
. The current MP is Fiona Bruce
for the Conservative Party
, elected in the 2010 General Election. Previously, Ann Winterton
, also a member of the Conservative Party, had been the MP
since the constituency's creation in 1983. At the 2005 General Election
, Winterton won the seat with a majority of 8,246, representing 45.4% of the vote. Labour
took 27.7% of the vote, and the Liberal Democrats
26.9%.
, the Croco and the Wheelock
. The town is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) from junction 18 of the M6 motorway
. The main westward traffic route between the motorway and Winsford
, and also southbound traffic to Crewe
, go through the town. There are three canals in Middlewich, the Middlewich branch
of the Shropshire Union Canal
, the Trent and Mersey Canal
, and the Wardle Canal
, the United Kingdom's shortest canal at 100 feet (30 m) long.
The town sits less than 98 feet (30 m) above sea level, on Upper Triassic Mercia mudstone
laid down with large salt deposits as part of the Cheshire plain, a boulder clay
plain separating the hills of North Wales
and the Peak District
of Derbyshire
, formed following the retreat of ice age
glacier
s.
The climate is generally temperate
with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean average temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom as is the average amount of sunshine. The average annual rainfall is slightly below the average for the UK. There are few days when snow is lying on the ground, although there are some days of air frost.
As at the 2001 UK census
, the Middlewich wards of Cledford and Kinderton had a total population of 13,101. Middlewich's population is relatively young; the proportion of children (aged 0–15) is 3% higher than the national average. Households are larger than average, consistent with a younger population, with an average of 2.51 people per household, compared to the national average of 2.36. Approximately 25% are single person households, compared to 30% nationally; the majority (almost 85%) of Middlewich's housing stock is owner-occupied.
Three-quarters of the 9,500 people between the ages of 16 and 74 are classed as "economically active", that is, either in full or part-time employment, or full time students. Unemployment runs at around 2.2%, compared to 3.4% nationally. Eighty-seven percent of households own at least one car, primarily used for travel to and from work; nearly 77% of residents travel to work by car, 10% work from home, and the remainder use public transport, walk, or cycle.
As of the 2001 census, 16.3% of the population of Middlewich either did not answer the question about religion, or stated that they had no religion. The breakdown for Congleton showed that 99.3% of those that replied, and did not state that they had no religion, were Christian; the figures for Middlewich will be broadly similar.
, with small shops on Wheelock Street and Lewin Street. There are also four supermarkets, Tesco
(was Somerfield
), Lidl
, a smaller Tesco on Warmingham Lane and a Poplar store next to the canal. Historically the major employers have been the salt industry and agriculture. Salt is still manufactured at British Salt
, which employs around 125 people. The close proximity to the M6 motorway
has led to the creation of a large distribution and business park, with companies such as Tesco
and ERF
locating to the site. Approximately 300 people are employed at the Ideal Standard
factory, which since 1937 has been making vitreous china sanitaryware.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in Cheshire, and Congleton Borough Council has recognised the importance of Middlewich's canals in its attempts to promote tourism in the borough. Visitors to the 2003 Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival were estimated to have spent £2.3 million in the town over the two days of the festival.
Power for the town is provided from the National Grid for electricity, and National Grid Gas plc
for natural gas
. Fresh water supply and foul water collection is by United Utilities
.
has been run in the town every year since 1990, except for 2001 when it was cancelled because of a foot and mouth epidemic. During the three-day festival (which takes place over a long weekend) folk
artists play at a number of locations in the town, and it is estimated to bring in an extra 30,000 visitors to the town during the festival period, along with 400 narrowboats.
In addition to this annual event there have been a number of ad-hoc events, including the Middlewich Roman Festival in 2001. This Roman Festival led to a Heritage lottery fund grant which allowed the construction of a Roman theatre
at the Bull Ring near to St Michaels and All Angels church. Since its construction this has regularly been used for other purposes, such as an open-air music stage and an ice-rink. Following the Roman festival in 2001, further Roman festivals were held in 2003 and 2007. Tim Strickland, a consultant archaeologist, was awarded a MBE
for services to archaeology for his work in organising the Roman Middlewich Project. In 2005 a Norman
Festival was put on in the town, and there are plans for an Industrial Festival. A series of arts and music events "@ the Bull Ring" was started in 2006.
The local newspapers are the Middlewich Guardian and Middlewich Chronicle. A radio station, Cheshire FM
, was launched in 2007, covering the mid-Cheshire area including Middlewich. The library, in Lewin Street, was built in the 1970s to replace the old library which was demolished to build St Michael's Way. It has examples of finds from Middlewich's Roman past on display.
Fountain Fields on Queen Street is a traditional town park, with a number of facilities including a bowling green. It has been owned by the council since 1926.
Middlewich has had a football club since at least 1902. The current club, Middlewich Town
, was formed in 1998, and plays in the Mid-Cheshire League. Middlewich also has a cricket club on Croxton Lane. There is a leisure centre which shares facilities with the high school. Middlewich is one of two large towns in the former borough of Congleton
without a public swimming pool, in spite of the various initiatives that have been started to provide one.
Middlewich's hospital is Leighton Hospital
near Crewe
, part of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service
Trust. Primary care
services are provided by the Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust
. GP
services are provided by two medical practices. There are two dental practices.
parish church of St Michael and All Angels, parts of which date back to the 12th century, although the majority was built during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. There was a general remodelling of the church during the 19th century, which included removing the whitewash from its interior to reveal the sandstone appearance seen today. The church was the site of fierce fighting in the first
and second
Battles of Middlewich during the English Civil War
.
Other landmarks include: the Roman Theatre built on the Bull Ring on the site of the old town hall and library; and the town bridge, opened in 1931 as a replacement for an earlier bridge. Middlewich has a town cemetery with a twin chapel dating from 1859 by Bellamy & Hardy.
The Victoria technical school and library, which was opened in 1897, is a red brick and red terracotta building, "with a cupola but otherwise vaguely in the Loire style". Since 1900, the building on Lewin Street has been used as offices by the town council
. One mile north of the town centre along King Street lies Ravenscroft Hall
, which dates from 1837.
There are places of worship for five Christian
denominations
within the town: Church of England
, Methodist
, United Reformed Church
, Catholic
and Pentecostal
. There are no places of worship for non-Christian faiths.
Middlewich Methodist Church was built in 2000 in Booth Lane, replacing the earlier chapel in Lewin Street. Middlewich United Reformed Church
(Image) was founded in 1797, with the current church (the second on this site) in Queen Street being built in 1870, and completed in 1871. The church celebrated its bicentenary in 1997 with the publication of a history of the church, Two Hundred Years (not out).
Catholic
masses were held in a cottage near the cemetery from 1848 until the building of the first Catholic church in the town in Wych House Lane
in 1864. This church was enlarged to include the first Catholic school in the town in 1869. The church was later replaced by the modern St Mary's Catholic Church on New King Street (Image) in 1890, with the stone cross from the church on Wych House Lane being kept within the porch of the new church.
Middlewich Community Church (Image) is a relatively new Pentecostal
church located in the former social club for the Brunner Mond
works in Brooks Lane.
Middlewich lies on the A533 road linking it to Northwich
and Runcorn
in the north, and Sandbach
to the south, the A54
linking it to Chester
and Winsford
to the west and Holmes Chapel
and Buxton
to the east, and A530
linking it to Crewe
and Nantwich
to the south.
Middlewich lies on a railway branch line between Sandbach
and Northwich
, but Middlewich railway station
– opened in 1868 and closed to passenger traffic in 1959 – has been demolished. The branch line is still used by freight trains. The closest railway station is at Winsford
, 2.3 miles (3.7 km) away.
Following a petition in 1766, the Trent and Mersey Canal
was diverted from its original course to provide transport to the town, and now links with a branch of the Shropshire Union Canal
. The link between the two canals, which was opened in 1833, is actually a third canal known as the Wardle Canal
; at about 100 feet (30 m) in length, it is the shortest canal in the United Kingdom.
Middlewich is 19 miles (30.6 km) from Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the UK outside London, and 26 miles (41.8 km) from Liverpool John Lennon Airport
.
, in 1906, with later additions improving the teaching areas and providing a sports hall which could also be used by the wider community. The school opened on 1 November 1906. In 2007 it was ranked 34 out of 50 by GCSE results for schools in Cheshire in the 2007 league tables. Byley Primary School and Wimboldsley Community Primary School serve children from outside the immediate bounds of the town.
John Hulse
(1708 – 1790) who founded the Hulsean lectures at Cambridge University, and Theophilus Lindsey
(1723 O.S.
– 1808) who inspired the Feathers Tavern Petition against clerical subscription to the Thirty-Nine Articles
, and so helped start one of the most profound debates within the Church of England
in the 18th century.
Elizabeth Ashbridge
(1713–55), an 18th-century Quaker minister, was born in the town.
The France-Hayhurst family
were local landowners responsible for the development of the model village
at Bostock
, and Charles Frederick Lawrence
(1873–1940) was a local antiquarian
who documented much of the early history of Middlewich, and also discovered a Neolithic
stone celt whilst digging in the town.
John Wright Oakes
(1820–1887) was a landscape painter
who exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy
.
James Hargreaves
(1834–1915) was a chemist and inventor, who, along with Thomas Bird, developed a process for the electrolysis
of brine
using asbestos
diaphragms. In 1899, he became director of the newly opened General Electrolytic Alkali Company at Middlewich.
Sir Charles Lidbury (1880–1978), banker, born at the School House, Middlewich.
Other links
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough 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...
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 19.2 miles (30.9 km) east 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...
, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) east of Winsford
Winsford
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 canalised in the...
, 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast 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 4.7 miles (7.6 km) northwest of Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
.
There has been a settlement at Middlewich since at least the time of the Roman occupation
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. As a wich town
Wich towns
In Anglo-Saxon England the "-wich towns" designated by the suffix -wic identified coastal trading settlements, equivalents of emporia, provisioned from outside the protected community and characterised by extensive artisanal activity and imports, which have left material traces in excavations. The...
, Middlewich is an important centre for the extraction of salt; in earlier years it was also known for its production of Cheshire cheese
Cheshire cheese
Cheshire cheese is a dense and crumbly cheese produced in the English county of Cheshire, and four neighbouring counties, two in Wales and two in England .-History:...
, silk, and its agriculture. In the present day it is known for its canals, its heritage events and its festivals. The parish church of St. Michael and All Angels
St. Michael and All Angels, Middlewich
St. Michael and All Angels, Middlewich is the parish church for the town of Middlewich in Cheshire, England. It stands at the junction of the A54 and A533 roads. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the...
, dates back to the 12th century.
Middlewich lies on the confluence of three rivers: the Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
, Croco and Wheelock
River Wheelock
The River Wheelock is a small river in Cheshire in north west England. It drains water from the area between Sandbach and Crewe, and joins the River Dane at Middlewich , and then the combined river flows into the River Weaver in Northwich...
. Three canals also pass through the town, the Shropshire Union
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....
, Trent and Mersey
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....
, and the Wardle canal
Wardle Canal
The Wardle canal is the shortest canal in the UK at .-Description:The canal lies in Middlewich, Cheshire, UK, and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, terminating with a single lock known as Wardle Lock...
, as well as three major roads, the A533, A54
A54 road
The A54 road is a road linking Chester in Cheshire, England with Buxton in Derbyshire. The road follows the route:*Chester*Winsford*Middlewich*Holmes Chapel*Congleton*Buxton...
and A530
A530 road
The A530 road is a road linking the A525 east of Whitchurch, Shropshire, England with the A559 east of Northwich, in Cheshire. The road follows the route:*A525*Nantwich*Crewe*Middlewich*A559...
; Middlewich also has good motorway links to the nearby cities 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 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...
. The town's population has doubled since 1970 despite a reduction in the number of manufacturing jobs in salt and textile manufacturing, suggesting that many of the new residents live in Middlewich for reasons other than local employment.
Since 1990 there have been initiatives to increase the volume of tourism into the town, through events such as the annual folk and boat festival
Middlewich Folk And Boat Festival
The Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival takes place in June in Middlewich, Cheshire, England. The festival builds on the towns industrial heritage in which canal boats were used to move coal and other raw materials in the town for the production of salt, and then move the salt out of town, either for...
, the Roman and Norman festivals, and regular farmers' markets.
History
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...
Middlewich is spelt "Mildestvich"; the termination wic or wyc in Anglo-Saxon refers to a camp or station. It is also supposed that "wich" or "wych" refers to a salt town
Wich towns
In Anglo-Saxon England the "-wich towns" designated by the suffix -wic identified coastal trading settlements, equivalents of emporia, provisioned from outside the protected community and characterised by extensive artisanal activity and imports, which have left material traces in excavations. The...
, with Middlewich being the middle town between Northwich and Nantwich.
Middlewich was founded by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, who gave it the name Salinae because of its surrounding salt deposits. It became one of the major Roman sites for salt production, an activity that was centred on the township of Kinderton, about a quarter of a mile north of the present-day parish church of St. Michael and All Angels. It has been suggested that pre-Roman salt production also occurred in the same area, but there is no supporting archaeological evidence. Whittaker's History of Manchester claims that the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
Cornovii made Kinderton their capital, but it is more likely that the Cornovii inhabited Kinderton for its salt-making potential. There was once thought to have been a medieval castle at Kinderton, but that is now thought to have been unlikely.
Middlewich lies across the King Street fault, which roughly follows the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, King Street, from 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...
to Middlewich. During their occupation the Romans built a fort
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
at
Harbutts Field , and excavations to the south of the fort have found further evidence of Roman activity including a well and part of a preserved Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
. An excavation in 2004, in Buckley's Field, also uncovered signs of Roman occupation.
Salt manufacture has remained the principal industry for the past 2,000 years, and it has shaped the town's history and geography. Before the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invasion of England in 1066, there is thought to have been one 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...
pit in Middlewich, between the River Croco and the current Lewin Street. In the Domesday Book
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 area is described as being "wasted", having been cleared by King William
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
around 1070 as an "act of rage against his rebellious barons". Gilbert de Venables became the first Baron of Kinderton shortly after the Norman Conquest, the title being conferred by Hugh Lupus
Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester
Hugh d'Avranches , also known as le Gros and Lupus was the first Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.-Early career:...
. A manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was built to the east of the town and became the baronial seat of the Venables family. A Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
screen in the church of St Michael and All Angels
St. Michael and All Angels, Middlewich
St. Michael and All Angels, Middlewich is the parish church for the town of Middlewich in Cheshire, England. It stands at the junction of the A54 and A533 roads. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the...
has the carved Venables coat of arms. The title "Baron of Kinderton" is now vested in the Lord Vernon
Baron Vernon
Lord Vernon, Baron of Kinderton in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1762 for the former Member of Parliament George Venables-Vernon. He had previously represented Lichfield and Derby in the House of Commons...
.
On 13 March 1643 the town was the scene of the first Battle of Middlewich
First Battle of Middlewich
The First Battle of Middlewich took place on the 13 March 1643, during the English Civil War, and was fought between the Parliamentarians, under Sir William Brereton, and the Royalist supporters of King Charles I of England, under Sir Thomas Aston....
, between the Parliamentarians, under Sir William Brereton
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1659. He was a commander in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
, and the Royalist supporters
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
of King Charles I of England, under Sir Thomas Aston. The second Battle of Middlewich
Second Battle of Middlewich
The Second Battle of Middlewich took place on the 26 December 1643. In the battle around 200 Parliamentarians were killed, along with a number of Royalists under the command of Lord Byron.According to Ormerod's history of Cheshire:"December 2nd, 1643...
took place on 26 December 1643, and claimed the lives of about 200 Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
s, along with a number of Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
s under the command of Lord Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War.-Life:...
.
The population of Middlewich rose during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of this rise is attributable to a number of parishes being combined, for example parts of Newton
Newton, Cheshire
Newton in Cheshire may refer to:* Newton, Chester* Newton-by-Tattenhall, near to Tattenhall* Newton near to Frodsham* Newton, Hyde, a suburb of Hyde, now in Greater Manchester* Newton, a hamlet in Middlewich...
were added to Middlewich in 1894, with Sutton
Sutton, Newton
Sutton was a hamlet near to Middlewich in Cheshire, England which was added to Newton in 1892. Sutton's population in 1801 was 30, and in 1851 had dropped to 23....
having previously been added to Newton in 1892. Some will also be due to a general increase in population of the United Kingdom, and some of the increase would have been required to provide a labour force for the increased number, and scale, of salt and chemical works in the town. In the middle of the 19th century Middlewich was described as a town with principal works being the surrounding farming district, a silk factory, and the salt works in Kinderton and Newton.
In 1887 the town was described as having an antique appearance, with its principal trade being salt, along with fruit and vegetables, and small silk and heavy cotton works. The town had one bank and one newspaper. By 1911 the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
mentions the existence of chemical works and the manufacture of condensed milk
Condensed milk
Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...
.
World War I
World 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...
. The cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
, near to the parish church, lists the names of the 136 men who died in that conflict, representing around 10% of the male population of the town aged between 15 and 45. Forty-two of Middlewich's inhabitants lost their lives in the Second World War
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...
, with a further fatality in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The Brunner Mond
Brunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
salt works in Brooks Lane also erected a cenotaph in memory of the 16 men from the works killed in the First World War, and the two who died during the Second World War.
In the period between the end of the First World War until shortly after the Second World War, there was extensive housebuilding in the town; a significant number of houses were built in the King Street area to the north, the area bounded between Nantwich Road and St. Anne's Road to the west, and especially in Cledford to the south. The 1970s commenced with the building of a new road, St. Michael's Way, which allowed traffic moving from east to west through the town to bypass the main shopping street, Wheelock Street. Along with the bypass there was significant remodelling of the town centre, with the old town hall and library being demolished. This bypass successfully eased the flow of traffic away from the main shopping street, but the joining of three major roads remains a bottleneck, which will be eased by a proposed eastern bypass.
Since the early 1980s Middlewich has seen a significant quantity of new housing development, initially in the Sutton Lane and Hayhurst Avenue areas. New developments have recently been built on the sites of old salt workings to the south of the Roman Fort at Harbutt's Field, near the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
's moated manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Kinderton Manor, and on the site of the old railway station. One of the latest developments is on the old silk works next to the Big Lock public house. In common with other local towns such as Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme.At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 5,669...
, 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
Winsford
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 canalised in the...
, people are attracted to Middlewich because of its good road links via 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...
and the relatively low price and availability of suitable building land.
Governance
Middlewich has lain within the county boundaries 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...
since a very early time. At the time of the Domesday survey
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...
(1086) Middlewich was in the hundred of Middlewich, but by the 14th century it had become part of the Northwich hundred
Hundreds of Cheshire
The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative, military and judicial purposes. They were introduced in Cheshire some time before the Norman conquest...
, although a small part of the then large parish of Middlewich extended into the hundred of Eddisbury.
Following the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
, Middlewich became an urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
. In 1974, as part of 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....
, Middlewich Urban District was abolished and its territory passed into the borough of Congleton
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough 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...
. Since 1 April 2009 the town has been served by Cheshire East Council
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough 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...
.
Middlewich is in the parliamentary constituency of Congleton
Congleton (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
. The current MP is Fiona Bruce
Fiona Bruce (politician)
Fiona Claire Bruce is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Congleton, elected at the 2010 general election....
for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, elected in the 2010 General Election. Previously, Ann Winterton
Ann Winterton
Jane Ann, Lady Winterton is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Congleton from 1983 to 2010...
, also a member of the Conservative Party, had been the 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,...
since the constituency's creation in 1983. At the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, Winterton won the seat with a majority of 8,246, representing 45.4% of the vote. Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
took 27.7% of the vote, and the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
26.9%.
Geography
Middlewich is located at 53°11′31"N 2°26′35"W (53.192, -2.443), on the confluence of three rivers, the DaneRiver Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
, the Croco and the Wheelock
River Wheelock
The River Wheelock is a small river in Cheshire in north west England. It drains water from the area between Sandbach and Crewe, and joins the River Dane at Middlewich , and then the combined river flows into the River Weaver in Northwich...
. The town is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) from junction 18 of 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...
. The main westward traffic route between the motorway and Winsford
Winsford
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 canalised in the...
, and also southbound traffic to Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, go through the town. There are three canals in Middlewich, the Middlewich branch
Middlewich Branch
The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal is located in Cheshire, in the north west of England, and runs between Middlewich, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal, and Barbridge Junction, where it joins the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal...
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....
, 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....
, and the Wardle Canal
Wardle Canal
The Wardle canal is the shortest canal in the UK at .-Description:The canal lies in Middlewich, Cheshire, UK, and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, terminating with a single lock known as Wardle Lock...
, the United Kingdom's shortest canal at 100 feet (30 m) long.
The town sits less than 98 feet (30 m) above sea level, on Upper Triassic Mercia mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
laid down with large salt deposits as part of the Cheshire plain, a boulder clay
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
plain separating the hills of North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
and the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, formed following the retreat of ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s.
The climate is generally temperate
Temperate
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 of temperature or weather. The mean average temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom as is the average amount of sunshine. The average annual rainfall is slightly below the average for the UK. There are few days when snow is lying on the ground, although there are some days of air frost.
Demography
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 Middlewich wards of Cledford and Kinderton had a total population of 13,101. Middlewich's population is relatively young; the proportion of children (aged 0–15) is 3% higher than the national average. Households are larger than average, consistent with a younger population, with an average of 2.51 people per household, compared to the national average of 2.36. Approximately 25% are single person households, compared to 30% nationally; the majority (almost 85%) of Middlewich's housing stock is owner-occupied.
Three-quarters of the 9,500 people between the ages of 16 and 74 are classed as "economically active", that is, either in full or part-time employment, or full time students. Unemployment runs at around 2.2%, compared to 3.4% nationally. Eighty-seven percent of households own at least one car, primarily used for travel to and from work; nearly 77% of residents travel to work by car, 10% work from home, and the remainder use public transport, walk, or cycle.
| Population of Middlewich since 1801 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1841 | 1851 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | ||||
| Population | 1,190 | 1,242 | 1,235 | 3,706 | 4,669 | 4,909 | 5,115 | 5,458 | 6,390 | 6,736 | 6,863 | 7,853 | 8,300 | 11,913 | 13,101 | ||||
| Sources: | |||||||||||||||||||
As of the 2001 census, 16.3% of the population of Middlewich either did not answer the question about religion, or stated that they had no religion. The breakdown for Congleton showed that 99.3% of those that replied, and did not state that they had no religion, were Christian; the figures for Middlewich will be broadly similar.
Economy
Middlewich has a traditional high streetHigh Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
, with small shops on Wheelock Street and Lewin Street. There are also four supermarkets, 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...
(was Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
), Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
, a smaller Tesco on Warmingham Lane and a Poplar store next to the canal. Historically the major employers have been the salt industry and agriculture. Salt is still manufactured at British Salt
British Salt
British Salt Limited is a United Kingdom-based chemical company that produces pure white salt. The company is owned by the management and private equity company LDC...
, which employs around 125 people. The close proximity to 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...
has led to the creation of a large distribution and business park, with companies such as 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...
and ERF
ERF (lorry manufacturer)
ERF was a British truck manufacturer. Established in 1933 by Dennis Foden, its factory in Sandbach, Cheshire was closed in 2002, and finished as a marque by owner MAN AG in 2007.-History:...
locating to the site. Approximately 300 people are employed at the Ideal Standard
American Standard Companies
American Standard Companies, Inc. was a global manufacturer of air conditioning systems and services, bath & kitchen products and vehicle control systems. The company divested all but the air conditioning business in 2007, and renamed itself Trane....
factory, which since 1937 has been making vitreous china sanitaryware.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in Cheshire, and Congleton Borough Council has recognised the importance of Middlewich's canals in its attempts to promote tourism in the borough. Visitors to the 2003 Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival were estimated to have spent £2.3 million in the town over the two days of the festival.
Power for the town is provided from the National Grid for electricity, and National Grid Gas plc
National Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
for natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. Fresh water supply and foul water collection is by United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
.
Culture and community
A highly regarded folk and boat festivalMiddlewich Folk And Boat Festival
The Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival takes place in June in Middlewich, Cheshire, England. The festival builds on the towns industrial heritage in which canal boats were used to move coal and other raw materials in the town for the production of salt, and then move the salt out of town, either for...
has been run in the town every year since 1990, except for 2001 when it was cancelled because of a foot and mouth epidemic. During the three-day festival (which takes place over a long weekend) folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
artists play at a number of locations in the town, and it is estimated to bring in an extra 30,000 visitors to the town during the festival period, along with 400 narrowboats.
In addition to this annual event there have been a number of ad-hoc events, including the Middlewich Roman Festival in 2001. This Roman Festival led to a Heritage lottery fund grant which allowed the construction of a Roman theatre
Roman theatre (structure)
The characteristics of Roman to those of the earlier Greek theatres due in large part to its influence on the Roman triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Much of the architectural influence on the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings...
at the Bull Ring near to St Michaels and All Angels church. Since its construction this has regularly been used for other purposes, such as an open-air music stage and an ice-rink. Following the Roman festival in 2001, further Roman festivals were held in 2003 and 2007. Tim Strickland, a consultant archaeologist, was awarded a MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to archaeology for his work in organising the Roman Middlewich Project. In 2005 a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Festival was put on in the town, and there are plans for an Industrial Festival. A series of arts and music events "@ the Bull Ring" was started in 2006.
The local newspapers are the Middlewich Guardian and Middlewich Chronicle. A 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:...
, was launched in 2007, covering the mid-Cheshire area including Middlewich. The library, in Lewin Street, was built in the 1970s to replace the old library which was demolished to build St Michael's Way. It has examples of finds from Middlewich's Roman past on display.
Fountain Fields on Queen Street is a traditional town park, with a number of facilities including a bowling green. It has been owned by the council since 1926.
Middlewich has had a football club since at least 1902. The current club, Middlewich Town
Middlewich Town F.C.
Middlewich Town is an association football team based in the Cheshire town of Middlewich. As of 2011-12, they play in the Cheshire Association Football League Division One.-History:...
, was formed in 1998, and plays in the Mid-Cheshire League. Middlewich also has a cricket club on Croxton Lane. There is a leisure centre which shares facilities with the high school. Middlewich is one of two large towns in the former borough of Congleton
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough 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...
without a public swimming pool, in spite of the various initiatives that have been started to provide one.
Middlewich's hospital is Leighton Hospital
Leighton Hospital
Leighton Hospital is a hospital located in the town of Crewe in the county of Cheshire, England. Together with Victoria Infirmary, Northwich, it forms part of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust.-Level of care:...
near Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, part of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
Trust. Primary care
Primary care
Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...
services are provided by the Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust
NHS Primary Care Trust
An NHS primary care trust is a type of NHS trust, part of the National Health Service in England. PCTs commission primary, community and secondary care from providers. Until 31 may2011 they also provided community services directly. Collectively PCT are responsible for spending around 80% of the...
. GP
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
services are provided by two medical practices. There are two dental practices.
Landmarks and religious sites
The principal landmark in Middlewich is the AnglicanAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church of St Michael and All Angels, parts of which date back to the 12th century, although the majority was built during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. There was a general remodelling of the church during the 19th century, which included removing the whitewash from its interior to reveal the sandstone appearance seen today. The church was the site of fierce fighting in the first
First Battle of Middlewich
The First Battle of Middlewich took place on the 13 March 1643, during the English Civil War, and was fought between the Parliamentarians, under Sir William Brereton, and the Royalist supporters of King Charles I of England, under Sir Thomas Aston....
and second
Second Battle of Middlewich
The Second Battle of Middlewich took place on the 26 December 1643. In the battle around 200 Parliamentarians were killed, along with a number of Royalists under the command of Lord Byron.According to Ormerod's history of Cheshire:"December 2nd, 1643...
Battles of Middlewich during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Other landmarks include: the Roman Theatre built on the Bull Ring on the site of the old town hall and library; and the town bridge, opened in 1931 as a replacement for an earlier bridge. Middlewich has a town cemetery with a twin chapel dating from 1859 by Bellamy & Hardy.
The Victoria technical school and library, which was opened in 1897, is a red brick and red terracotta building, "with a cupola but otherwise vaguely in the Loire style". Since 1900, the building on Lewin Street has been used as offices by the town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
. One mile north of the town centre along King Street lies Ravenscroft Hall
Ravenscroft Hall
Ravenscroft Hall is a country house standing to the east of the B5309 road about to the north of Middlewich, Cheshire, England. The house was built in 1837 for William T. Buchanan, replacing a former Jacobean house. It was extended, possibly in 1852 when the house was bought by the Moss family,...
, which dates from 1837.
There are places of worship for five Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
denominations
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
within the town: Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
, Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
. There are no places of worship for non-Christian faiths.
Middlewich Methodist Church was built in 2000 in Booth Lane, replacing the earlier chapel in Lewin Street. Middlewich United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
(Image) was founded in 1797, with the current church (the second on this site) in Queen Street being built in 1870, and completed in 1871. The church celebrated its bicentenary in 1997 with the publication of a history of the church, Two Hundred Years (not out).
Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
masses were held in a cottage near the cemetery from 1848 until the building of the first Catholic church in the town in Wych House Lane
Wich towns
In Anglo-Saxon England the "-wich towns" designated by the suffix -wic identified coastal trading settlements, equivalents of emporia, provisioned from outside the protected community and characterised by extensive artisanal activity and imports, which have left material traces in excavations. The...
in 1864. This church was enlarged to include the first Catholic school in the town in 1869. The church was later replaced by the modern St Mary's Catholic Church on New King Street (Image) in 1890, with the stone cross from the church on Wych House Lane being kept within the porch of the new church.
Middlewich Community Church (Image) is a relatively new Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
church located in the former social club for the Brunner Mond
Brunner Mond
Tata Chemicals Europe is a UK-based chemicals company that is a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals Limited, itself a part of the India-based Tata Group...
works in Brooks Lane.
Transport
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 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...
in the north, and Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
to the south, the A54
A54 road
The A54 road is a road linking Chester in Cheshire, England with Buxton in Derbyshire. The road follows the route:*Chester*Winsford*Middlewich*Holmes Chapel*Congleton*Buxton...
linking it to 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...
and Winsford
Winsford
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 canalised in the...
to the west and Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme.At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 5,669...
and Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
to the east, and A530
A530 road
The A530 road is a road linking the A525 east of Whitchurch, Shropshire, England with the A559 east of Northwich, in Cheshire. The road follows the route:*A525*Nantwich*Crewe*Middlewich*A559...
linking it to Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
and Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
to the south.
Middlewich lies on a railway branch line between Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
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...
, but Middlewich railway station
Middlewich railway station
Middlewich railway station served the Cheshire England salt-producing town of Middlewich between 1868 and 1960. It lay on a branch line from Sandbach to Northwich...
– opened in 1868 and closed to passenger traffic in 1959 – has been demolished. The branch line is still used by freight trains. The closest railway station is at Winsford
Winsford
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 canalised in the...
, 2.3 miles (3.7 km) away.
Following a petition in 1766, 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....
was diverted from its original course to provide transport to the town, and now links with a branch 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....
. The link between the two canals, which was opened in 1833, is actually a third canal known as the Wardle Canal
Wardle Canal
The Wardle canal is the shortest canal in the UK at .-Description:The canal lies in Middlewich, Cheshire, UK, and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, terminating with a single lock known as Wardle Lock...
; at about 100 feet (30 m) in length, it is the shortest canal in the United Kingdom.
Middlewich is 19 miles (30.6 km) from Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the UK outside London, and 26 miles (41.8 km) from 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...
.
Education
There were three schools in Middlewich in the mid-19th century: the British School in Newton Bank; the National School in Cow Lane (Brooks Lane); and the Grammar School, close to the site of the largest tesco store. A Church of England school was erected in Lewin Street in 1854 and extended in 1871. It soon became known as the National School, with the result that the earlier school was demolished. The later National School was itself demolished in the 1980s and is the site of the Salinae Day Care Centre, opened in 1995. At the turn of the 20th century two new schools were built: St Mary's Catholic school, whose keystone was laid in 1899 by Col. France-Hayhurst, and the secondary school, opened by France-Hayhurst in 1906. At the start of the 21st century there were seven schools in Middlewich: one infant, one junior, four primary schools and one secondary school. Cledford Primary School tends to accept students from the South of the town. It has now amalgamated With Cledford Infant And Nursery School. Middlewich Primary School caters for children from the older, northern, part of the town, whilst St Mary's Catholic Primary School receives Catholic children from the town. Work began on the original buildings for the secondary school, Middlewich High SchoolMiddlewich High School
Middlewich High School is a small specialist Science, Mathematics & Computing secondary school in Middlewich, Cheshire. It is a mixed-sex school containing 11–16 year olds and has 700 pupils on roll as of the last OFSTED report: less than the average comprehensive. In its last OFSTED report,...
, in 1906, with later additions improving the teaching areas and providing a sports hall which could also be used by the wider community. The school opened on 1 November 1906. In 2007 it was ranked 34 out of 50 by GCSE results for schools in Cheshire in the 2007 league tables. Byley Primary School and Wimboldsley Community Primary School serve children from outside the immediate bounds of the town.
Notable residents
Notable residents include the theologiansTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
John Hulse
John Hulse
John Hulse was an English clergyman. He is now known mainly as the founder of the series of Hulsean Lectures at the University of Cambridge.-Life:...
(1708 – 1790) who founded the Hulsean lectures at Cambridge University, and Theophilus Lindsey
Theophilus Lindsey
Theophilus Lindsey was an English theologian and clergyman who founded the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country, at Essex Street Chapel.-Life:...
(1723 O.S.
Old Style and New Style dates
Old Style and New Style are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year has been adjusted to start on 1 January even though documents written at the time use a different start of year ; or to indicate that a date conforms to the Julian...
– 1808) who inspired the Feathers Tavern Petition against clerical subscription to the Thirty-Nine Articles
Thirty-Nine Articles
The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are the historically defining statements of doctrines of the Anglican church with respect to the controversies of the English Reformation. First established in 1563, the articles served to define the doctrine of the nascent Church of England as it related to...
, and so helped start one of the most profound debates within the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
in the 18th century.
Elizabeth Ashbridge
Elizabeth Ashbridge
Elizabeth Ashbridge was an 18th century Quaker minister born in Cheshire, England.-Early life:Elizabeth was born in 1713 in the town of Middlewich in Cheshire, England to Thomas and Mary Sampson. Thomas was a surgeon on sea vessels and Mary was a pious follower of the Church of England...
(1713–55), an 18th-century Quaker minister, was born in the town.
The France-Hayhurst family
France-Hayhurst family
The France-Hayhurst family lived in Bostock Hall near to Middlewich in Cheshire, England from 1775, until the house was sold to the local council in the 1950s...
were local landowners responsible for the development of the model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
at Bostock
Bostock
right|200px|thumb|Map of civil parish of Bostock in the former borough of Vale RoyalBostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 229. The village is...
, and Charles Frederick Lawrence
Charles Frederick Lawrence
Charles Frederick Lawrence was an antiquarian who discovered a number of Neolithic celts in Middlewich in Cheshire, England. C F Lawrence was also the clerk to Middlewich town council, and wrote two histories of the town....
(1873–1940) was a local antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
who documented much of the early history of Middlewich, and also discovered a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
stone celt whilst digging in the town.
John Wright Oakes
John Wright Oakes
John Wright Oakes was an English landscape painter.He was born at Sproston House, near Middlewich, Cheshire, which had been in the possession of his family for several generations. He was educated in Liverpool, and studied art under John Bishop in the school attached to the Liverpool Mechanics'...
(1820–1887) was a landscape painter
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
who exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
James Hargreaves
James Hargreaves (chemist)
James Hargreaves was an English chemist and an inventor. He was born at Hoarstones, Pendle Forest, Lancashire, the eldest child of James Hargreaves, a schoolmaster at Slaithwaite near Marsden...
(1834–1915) was a chemist and inventor, who, along with Thomas Bird, developed a process for the electrolysis
Electrolysis
In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of using a direct electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction...
of 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...
using asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
diaphragms. In 1899, he became director of the newly opened General Electrolytic Alkali Company at Middlewich.
Sir Charles Lidbury (1880–1978), banker, born at the School House, Middlewich.
Further reading
- Earl, A. L. (1994). Middlewich, 1900-1950, Cheshire Country Publishing, ISBN 978-0-949001-10-8
- Curzon, B. J.; Hurley, P. (2005).Middlewich (Images of England Series), NPI Media Group, ISBN 978-0-7524-3520-6
- Coward, T. A.Thomas CowardThomas Alfred Coward, MSc, FZS, FRES, MBOU , was an English ornithologist and an amateur astronomer. He wrote extensively on natural history, local history and Cheshire.-Life:...
(1903). Picturesque Cheshire, Chester & the Welsh Border - Bartholomew, J. (1887). Gazetteer of the British Isles
- Lawrence, C. L. (1905/1936). Bygone Middlewich
External links
Historical linksOther links