Nantwich is a market town in the unitary authority of
Cheshire EastCheshire 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
CheshireCheshire ; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester) is a ceremonial county in North West England. The traditional county town is the city of Chester, although Cheshire's largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn, Macclesfield,...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of
Crewe and NantwichCrewe and Nantwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. For 25 years since its creation in 1983, the constituency had elected the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody...
. In 2001 Nantwich had a population of 12,515.
The origins of the settlement date to
RomanRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
times when salt from Nantwich was used by the Roman garrisons at
ChesterChester 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...
(
Deva VictrixDeva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
) and
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
as both a preservative and a condiment. Salt has been used in the production of
Cheshire cheeseCheshire 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:...
and in the
tanningTanning is the process of making leather, which does not easily decompose, from the skins of animals, which do. Often this uses tannin, an acidic chemical compound. Coloring may occur during tanning....
industry, both products of the dairy industry based in the Cheshire Plain around the town.
Nantwich is a market town in the unitary authority of
Cheshire EastCheshire 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
CheshireCheshire ; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester) is a ceremonial county in North West England. The traditional county town is the city of Chester, although Cheshire's largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn, Macclesfield,...
,
EnglandEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of
Crewe and NantwichCrewe and Nantwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. For 25 years since its creation in 1983, the constituency had elected the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody...
. In 2001 Nantwich had a population of 12,515.
History
The origins of the settlement date to
RomanRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
times when salt from Nantwich was used by the Roman garrisons at
ChesterChester 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...
(
Deva VictrixDeva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
) and
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
as both a preservative and a condiment. Salt has been used in the production of
Cheshire cheeseCheshire 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:...
and in the
tanningTanning is the process of making leather, which does not easily decompose, from the skins of animals, which do. Often this uses tannin, an acidic chemical compound. Coloring may occur during tanning....
industry, both products of the dairy industry based in the Cheshire Plain around the town.
WichWICH is a radio station licensed to serve Norwich, Connecticut. The station is owned by Hall Communications and licensed to WICH, Inc. It airs a Talk/Nostalgia format....
and
wych are names used to denote
brineBrine is water saturated or nearly saturated with a salt .It is used to preserve vegetables, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses.Brine is a common fluid used in large refrigeration installations for the transport of heat from...
springA spring is any natural occurrence where water flows on to the surface of the earth from below the surface, and is thus where the aquifer surface meets the ground surface.- Formation :...
s or
wellA water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
s.
In the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
, Nantwich is recorded as having eight salt houses. It had a castle and was the capital of a barony of the earls of Chester, and of a hundred (one of the seven sub-divisions of medieval Cheshire). Nantwich is one of the few places in Cheshire to be marked on the
Gough MapThe Gough Map or Bodleian Map is a map of the island of Great Britain, dating between 1355 and 1366, and is the oldest surviving road map of Great Britain. Its precise date of production and authorship are unknown. It is named after Richard Gough, who donated the map to the Bodleian Library in 1809...
, which dates from 1355–66. The salt industry peaked in the late 16th century when there were 216 salt houses but the industry ended in 1856 when the last salt house closed. The last tannery closed in 1974, but the clothing industry remains important to the area.
Nantwich has suffered several disasters in its history. It was first recorded as an urban area at the time of the Norman conquest – the
NormansThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
burned the town to the ground leaving only one building standing. Two hundred years later the town was attacked over a lengthy period by marauders from
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
while in 1583 the Great Fire of Nantwich raged for 20 days destroying most of the town, which was rebuilt, at a cost of £30,000 in 16th century money, £2,000 of which was personally donated by
Queen Elizabeth IElizabeth I was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called the Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
together with timber from the royal forest. Indeed, one of the main streets of Nantwich was re-named to reflect the fact that the timber to rebuild the town was transported along it (Beam Street). Many plaques in Nantwich now commemorate this.
During the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, Nantwich was the only town in Cheshire to declare for
ParliamentThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and consequently it was besieged several times by
RoyalistCavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War . Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered an archetypical Cavalier.-Early usage:...
forces. The final, six-week long, siege was lifted following the victory of the Parliamentary forces in the
Battle of NantwichThe Battle of Nantwich took place during the English Civil War, between the forces of Parliament and of King Charles I to the northwest of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire on 26 January 1644 . The town was occupied by Parliamentary forces in what was predominantly a county with Royalist sympathies...
on January 26, 1644, which has been re-enacted as
Holly Holy Day on its anniversary every year since 1973 by the
Sealed KnotThe Sealed Knot is a British historical association dedicated to costumed reenactment of battles and events surrounding the English Civil War. It takes its name from the original Sealed Knot, a secret association aimed at the restoration of the monarchy, although the modern incarnation states that...
, a registered charity devoted to re-enacting English civil war battles for educational purposes. The name comes from the sprigs of holly worn by the townsfolk in their caps or clothing in the years after the battle, in its commemoration.
Governance
The Borough Council of
Crewe and NantwichCrewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population of 111,007...
was abolished on 1 April 2009; the civil parish is now administered by the new
unitary authorityA unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of
Cheshire EastCheshire 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...
. Nantwich falls in the parliamentary constituency of
Crewe and NantwichCrewe and Nantwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. For 25 years since its creation in 1983, the constituency had elected the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody...
,
Geography and transport
Geographically, Nantwich is on the
Cheshire PlainThe Cheshire Plain is a flat, boulder clay plain situated entirely within Cheshire. It is bounded by the hills of North Wales in the west, and the Peak District of Derbyshire in the east. To the north west lies the Wirral Peninsula...
, on the banks of the
River WeaverThe River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England....
. The
Shropshire Union CanalThe Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the SU system and lie partially in Wales....
runs through the town and makes a junction with the
Llangollen CanalThe Llangollen Canal is a canal in England and Wales.What is today known as the Llangollen Canal was originally the centre section of the Ellesmere Canal, and later became part of the Shropshire Union Canal network...
at
HurlestonHurleston is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. The parish is predominantly rural with scattered farms and buildings and no settlements...
to the north. It is approximately four miles south-west of
CreweCrewe is a 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 20 miles south-east of
ChesterChester 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...
. It is a major road junction, being the meeting point of the
A51The A51 is a road in England running from Kingsbury in Warwickshire to Chester. The road follows the following route:*Kingsbury*Tamworth*Lichfield*Rugeley *Little Haywood*Great Haywood*Weston*Sandon...
,
A500The A500 is a major primary A road in Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It is dual carriageway for most of its length and connects Nantwich, junctions 16 and 15 of the M6 motorway with the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Because of its shape between the motorway junctions, it is known locally as the...
, A529,
A530The 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...
and A534 roads - the stretch of the A534 from Nantwich to the Welsh border is regarded as one of the ten worst stretches of road in England for road safety.
Nantwich railway stationNantwich railway station, which was opened on 2 September 1858, serves the town of Nantwich in Cheshire, and is on the Crewe to Shrewsbury line. It has two platforms and was formerly the junction for the Great Western Railway route to via Market Drayton until 1963...
is on the line from Crewe to
WhitchurchWhitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
, Shrewsbury and other towns along the Welsh border. The station is currently served mainly by stopping trains between Crewe and Shrewsbury.
Architecture
Nantwich contains over a hundred listed buildings, with the largest collection of historic buildings outside
ChesterChester 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...
in the county. The oldest building in the town is
St Mary's ChurchSt Mary's Church, Nantwich is in the centre of the market town of Nantwich, Cheshire, England . The church is a Grade I listed building. It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval churches, not only in Cheshire, but in the...
, which dates from the 14th century. The town has many
timber-framedTimber framing , or half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged mortise and tenon joints.- Naming :...
or "black-and-white" buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in the centre on Barker Street, Beam Street, Churchyard Side, Hospital Street and High Street, and extending across the
River WeaverThe River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England....
on Welsh Row. Two particularly important examples are
Churche's MansionChurche's Mansion is a timber-framed, black-and-white Elizabethan mansion house at the eastern end of Hospital Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England...
, an
ElizabethanElizabethan architecture is the term given to early Renaissance architecture in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Historically, the period corresponds to the Cinquecento in Italy, the Early Renaissance in France, and the Plateresque style in Spain.Stylistically, it followed Tudor...
mansion house dating from before the fire, and the
Crown HotelThe Crown Hotel, also known as the Crown Inn, is a timber-framed, black-and-white hotel and public house located at 24–26 High Street in the town of Nantwich in Cheshire, England. The present building dates from shortly after 1583...
, a former coaching inn built immediately after the fire. There are also many fine
GeorgianGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the...
town houses and some examples of
VictorianThe term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. As with the latter, the period of building that it covers may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria after whom it is...
corporate architecture.
Education
The town has seven primary schools – Highfields Community, Millfields, Pear Tree, St Anne's (Catholic), Stapeley Broad Lane (Church of England), The Weaver and The Wyche – and two secondary schools, Brine Leas School and Malbank School and Sixth Form College.
Notable residents
- David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy. Achieving career success at an early age, he commanded the British battlecruisers at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, a tactically indecisive engagement after which his aggressive approach was...
(1871–1936), Admiral of the Fleet, was born in Nantwich.
- Sir William Bowman
Sir William Bowman, 1st Baronet was an English surgeon, histologist & anatomist. He is most famous for his research using microscopes to study various human organs, though during his lifetime he pursued a successful career as an ophthalmologist.Born in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, third son of a...
(1816–1892), surgeon, was born in Nantwich.
- Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet was an English soldier, politician, and writer.-Life:Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford and at the Inns of Court. He was elected MP for Cheshire in 1628, where his seat was Handforth Hall. He worked hard to increase the value of his estates...
established his headquarters in Nantwich during the English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
in 1643.
- Walter Cartwright
Walter Cartwright was an English footballer who played at half-back, although he could play at several positions. He played for Nantwich, Heywood Central and Crewe Alexandra before signing for Newton Heath in June 1895. At Newton Heath, which was later renamed Manchester United, he played at every...
(1871–19??), footballerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
, was born in Nantwich.
- Matt Coyle
Matt Coyle in Nantwich, United Kingdom, is an Australian artist and graphic novelist.He has published two graphic novels, Registry of Death which he co-authored with Peter Lamb, and Worry Doll ....
(b. 1971), graphic novelist, was born in Nantwich.
- Sir Randolph Crewe (1559–1646), Lord Chief Justice, was born in Nantwich.
- John Gerard
John Gerard was an English herbalist famous for his herbal garden. After being educated in Willaston near Nantwich he started to study medicine and travelled widely as a ship's surgeon. From 1577 on, he supervised the gardens of William Cecil, Lord Burghley in London...
(1545 – c.1611), botanistBotany, plant science, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of biology and is the scientific study of plant life and development...
was born in WillastonWillaston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in north-west England. It has a population of 2,277 people according to the 2001 census. It is approximately three miles west of Crewe town centre and two miles east of Nantwich...
near Nantwich.
- Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, currently director of football and caretaker manager of Crewe Alexandra, a club with which Gradi has been associated for almost thirty years....
, Former Crewe Alexandra manager, lives in Willaston.
- Simon Heartfield
Simon Heartfield is a DJ, musician and record producer.Heartfield is widely regarded as a leading exponent of electronic music both in his hometown and beyond...
(b. 1962), DJ, musician and record producer, was born in Nantwich.
- George Latham
George Latham was an English architect, from the Cheshire town of Nantwich who designed a number of buildings in the county.These buildings include:*Arley Hall*Northwich Union Workhouse, now the Salt Museum*Chapel at Tilstone Fearnall...
(d. 1871), architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
was born in Nantwich.
- Elizabeth Minshull (1630–1727), third wife of poet John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, author, polemicist and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England. He is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost and for his treatise condemning censorship, Areopagitica....
was born in nearby WistastonWistaston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in north-west England...
and lived as a widow in Nantwich until her death in 1727. She was reputedly buried at the Baptist Chapel in Barker Street.
- Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
(1733–1804), who co-discovered oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
, was a Non-conformist minister and teacher at a school in Nantwich during the late 18th century.
- Sophie Reade (b. 1989), winner of Big Brother 2009 (UK)
Big Brother 2009, occasionally referred to as Big Brother 10, was the tenth series of the British reality television series Big Brother. It began on 4 June 2009 and aired on Channel 4 and E4 for 93 days, concluding on 4 September when Sophie "Dogface" Reade was crowned the winner with 74.4% of the...
, was born in Nantwich.
See also
External links