cheshire

Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester) ^[1] is a county in North West England. Its county town, and the location of the county council, is the city of Chester. ^[2] Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield and Wilmslow. ^[3] Cheshire is historically famous for the production of Cheshire cheese. ^[4] The county is primarily rural, however places such as Alderley Edge contain concentrations of high net-worth individuals. ^[5]

Divisions and environs

The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into an number of local government districts. They are Ellesmere Port and Neston, City of Chester, Crewe and Nantwich, Congleton, Macclesfield and Vale Royal. ^{[6] [7]}

Halton (which includes the towns of Runcorn and Widnes) and Warrington are unitary authorities which form part of the county for various functions such as Lord Lieutenant but do not come under county council control. ^{[8] [9]} The ceremonial county, the area including the unitary authorities, borders Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire in England and Clwyd in Wales and forms part of the North West England region. ^[10]

Identity

As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the cuckooflower as the county flower. Music critic/writer John Harris, who was born and raised in Cheshire (he still retains a slight cheshire burr), describes his home county on his website as "probably England's least remarkable county!". ^{citation needed]}

History

Main article: History of Cheshire.

Cheshire in the Domesday Book was recorded as a much larger county than it is today. ^[11] Its northern border was the River Ribble, and it was recorded with eighteen hundreds, six of which were north of the River Mersey. It also included the towns of Broughton, Hawarden, Prestatyn and Rhuddlan, now in Wales.

In 1182 the land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire instead. ^[12] Later, the hundreds of Atiscross and Exestan became part of Wales. ^[13] Over the years the ten hundreds consolidated to just seven — Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, and Wirral. ^[14]

Through The Local Government Act 1972 which came into effect in 1974, some areas in the north became part of the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, ^[15] particularly Stockport (previously a county borough), Hyde, Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the north-east and much of the Wirral Peninsula in the north-west (including the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey). At the same time the Tintwistle Rural District was transferred to Derbyshire. The area of Lancashire south of the Merseyside/Greater Manchester area, including Widnes and the county borough of Warrington was added to the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire. ^[16]

Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 1998, but remain part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes, as well as fire and policing. ^[17]

A referendum for a further local government reform connected with an elected regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned (see Northern England referendum, 2004).

Economy

Cheshire is a mainly rural county with a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based around the dairy trade and cattle are the predominant livestock. Most of the industry is in the North adjacent to the Mersey, notably the centre of the British chemical industry, including ICI at Runcorn (originally sited here because of the proximity of salt mines). Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry and remains a major junction. Towns in the east of Cheshire form Manchester's most affluent commuter belt with some of the UK's highest property prices outside the Home Counties. Cheshire is rich in canals, particularly the east of the county with its strategic importance between Manchester, Stoke and Birmingham. The Rochdale, Ashton, Peak Forest, Macclesfield, Trent and Mersey and Bridgewater canals have been restored for leisure use, forming the "Cheshire Ring".

The following is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Cheshire at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Note 1: includes hunting and forestry

Note 2: includes energy and construction

Note 3: includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

Note 4: Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

Geography

Cheshire covers a boulder clay plain separating the hills of North Wales and the Peak District of Derbyshire. This was formed following the retreat of ice age glaciers which left the area dotted with kettle holes, locally referred to as "meres". The bedrock of this region is almost entirely Triassic sandstone, outcrops of which have long been quarried, notably at Runcorn, providing the distinctive red stone for Liverpool Cathedral and Chester Cathedral.

The eastern half of the county is Upper Triassic Mercia mudstone laid down with large salt deposits which were mined for hundreds of years around Northwich. Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood sandstone to the west is a prominent Sandstone Ridge. A 51km footpath, the Sandstone Trail, follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch passing Delamere Forest, Beeston Castle and earlier iron age forts.

Buildings

Prehistoric burial grounds can be found at the Bridestones, near Congleton (neolithic) and Robin Hood's Tump, near Alpraham (bronze age).^[18] The remains of iron age hill forts are found on sandstone ridges at several locations in Cheshire. Examples include Maiden Castle on Bickerton Hill, Helsby Hillfort and Woodhouse Hillfort at Frodsham. The Roman fortress and walls of Chester, perhaps the earliest building works in Cheshire remaining above ground, are constructed from purple-grey sandstone.^[19]

The distinctive local red sandstone has been used for many monumental and ecclesiastical buildings throughout the county, for example, the medieval Beeston Castle, Chester Cathedral and numerous parish churches. Occasional residential and industrial buildings, such as Helsby Station, Helsby (1849) are also in this sandstone.

Many surviving buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries are timbered, particularly in the southern part of the county. Notable examples include the moated manor house Little Moreton Hall, dating from around 1450, and many commercial and residential buildings in Chester, Nantwich and surrounding villages.

Early brick buildings include Peover Hall, near Macclesfield (1585), Tattenhall Hall (pre-1622) and Pied Bull Hotel in Chester (17th C). From the 18th century, orange, red or brown brick became the predominant building material used in Cheshire, although earlier buildings are often faced or dressed with stone. Examples from the Victorian period onwards often employ distinctive brick detailing, such as brick patterning and ornate chimney stacks and gables. Notable examples include Arley Hall, near Macclesfield, Willington Hall, near Chester (both by Nantwich architect George Latham) and Overleigh Lodge, Chester. From the Victorian era, brick buildings often incorporate timberwork in a mock Tudor style, and this hybrid style has been used in some modern residential developments in the county. Industrial buildings, such as the Macclesfield silk mills (for example, Waters Green New Mill), are also usually in brick.

Settlement

Some northern parts of the county are effectively suburbs of Manchester or Liverpool, and many of those who work in these cities commute from other parts of the county. The county is home to some of the most affluent areas of England, including Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Prestbury and Knutsford. The area is sometimes referred to as The Golden Triangle on account of the area in around the above mentioned towns and villages. ^{citation needed]}

List of places

Main article: List of places in Cheshire

covering the ceremonial county

Some settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the counties of Derbyshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester: ^{[20] [21] [22] [23]}

Famous products

• Cheshire cheese
• Salt

Famous people

• Ian Astbury singer in the band The Cult, was born in Heswall;
• Lewis Carroll was born and raised in Daresbury, Halton, hence the Cheshire cat;
• Emma Bossons ceramic artist at Moorcroft was born in Congleton;
• Singer Tim Burgess from the Charlatans;
• Anglo–Canadian actress Kim Cattrall, born in Widnes;
• Ian Curtis singer with Joy Division;
• Djibril Cissé French international footballer lives in Frodsham;
• Actor and singer Tim Curry was born in Warrington;
• Thomas Egerton, 1st Baron Ellesmere was born in Ellesmere;
• Writer Alan Garner lives in Goostrey;
• Film and stage actress Dame Wendy Hiller was born in Bramhall;
• Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell was brought up in the town of Knutsford, which she depicted in her book, Cranford;
• Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, one of the UK's wealthiest residents lives at Eaton Hall near Chester;
• Emma Hamilton (Lady Hamilton) was born in the county;
• George Mallory born in Mobberley, Cheshire, famous mountaineer, died in 1924 climbing Mount Everest;
• Wayne Rooney, footballer;
• Michael Owen, footballer, was born in Chester and stills maintains a family home there despite recent transfers to Real Madrid in 2004 and then to Newcastle United F.C in 2005;
• Peter Crouch, footballer;
• Daniel Craig, actor playing the 6th James Bond, was born in Chester;
• Derby County footballer Seth Johnson went to Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School;
• West Ham footballer Dean Ashton grew up in Holmes Chapel.
• Lewis McGibbon film actor best known for his role in Millions was born and lives in Cheshire.

Places of interest

(in alphabetical order)

• Adlington Hall
• Anderton Boat Lift
• Arley Hall
• Beeston Castle
• Capesthorne Hall
• Cholmondeley Castle
• Doddington Park
• Ellesmere Port Boat Museum
• Elton Hall, Aldford
• Gawsworth Hall
• Hills: Shining Tor, Shutlingsloe
• Holt Castle
• Jodrell Bank Science Centre
• Lamaload Reservoir
• Lion Salt Works, Marston, an industrial museum
• Little Moreton Hall
• Long distance footpaths: Biddulph Valley Way, Gritstone Trail, Sandstone Trail
• Lyme Hall, Lyme Park, one of the locations for BBC's Pride and Prejudice
• Macclesfield Canal
• Macclesfield Forest
• Moss Hall, Audlem
• Ness Botanic Gardens
• Parkgate
• Peckforton Castle
• Peover Hall
• Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, an industrial museum
• River Weaver, River Dee, River Dane, River Bollin, River Goyt, River Gowy
• Sandbach Crosses
• Shropshire Union Canal
• Swettenham Meadows
• Tabley House
• Tatton Park
• Tegg's Nose Country Park
• Trent and Mersey Canal
• Watermills: Bunbury Mill, Nether Alderley Mill, Quarry Bank Mill, Stretton Mill

References

1. ^ Vision of Britain - Cheshire ancient county alternative name
2. ^ Cheshire County Council - County Hall address
3. ^ Cheshire County Council - County map (main settlements shown) (PDF)
4. ^ Ingham, A., Cheshire: Its Traditions and History, (1920)
5. ^ North West Regional Assembly - About Cheshire
6. ^ Vision of Britain - Divisions of Cheshire
7. ^ Cheshire County Council - Map of Cheshire districts
8. ^ OPSI - The Cheshire (Boroughs of Halton and Warrington) (Structural Change) Order 1996
9. ^ Cheshire County Council - The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire
10. ^ Government Office for the North West - Local Authorities
11. ^ Roffe, D., Domesday: The Inquest and the Book, (2000)
12. ^ George, D., Lancashire, (1991)
13. ^ Davies, R., The Age of Conquest: Wales 1063-1415, (2000)
14. ^ Vision of Britain - Cheshire ancient divisions
15. ^ Jones, B. et al, Politics UK, (2004)
16. ^ Local Government Act 1972
17. ^ OPSI - The Cheshire (Boroughs of Halton and Warrington) (Structural Change) Order 1996
18. ^ Cheshire County Council: Revealing Cheshire's Past
19. ^ Images of England
20. ^ Chandler, J., Local Government Today, (2001)
21. ^ Vision of Britain - Cheshire ancient county boundaries
22. ^ Vision of Britain - Cheshire 1974 boundaries
23. ^ Local Government Act 1972

External links

• Cheshire Wildlife Trust
• Lion Salt Works Museum
• Cheshire Canals