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91-687: The River Croco ( / k r oʊ . k oʊ / ) is a small river in Cheshire in England . It starts as lowland field drainage west of Congleton , flows along the south edge of Holmes Chapel , and joins the River Dane at Middlewich . It is about 8 miles (13 km) long. According to an historical account, dating back to 1585, the course of the River Croco begins west of Bag Mere, Brereton cum Smethwick : The Place-Names of England and Wales (1915) suggests that

182-702: A unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Cheshire. In April 2014, Halton Borough Council joined five other local authorities in Merseyside to form the Liverpool City Region . Runcorn is in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency for representation in the House of Commons . The seat has been held by Mike Amesbury of the Labour Party since its creation for the 2024 general election . From 1997 to 2024, Runcorn

273-678: A centre for manufacturing, logistics, and wholesale and retail. The town's motto is Navem Mercibus Implere (Latin for "fill the ship with goods"), a classical quotation from Juvenal . The earliest written reference to the town is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , where it is spelled "Rumcofan", literally meaning "a wide cove or bay". This word is derived from the Old English words "rúm" ("wide" or "broad") and "cofa" ("cave" or "cove"). Other historical spellings of Runcorn include "Rumcoven", "Ronchestorn", "Runckhorne", and "Runcorne". Little

364-600: A new town under the New Towns Act 1946 . The ministry cited the urgent need for more housing to reduce overcrowding in Liverpool and to increase the rate of slum clearance there. Runcorn was chosen because of its strong road, rail and canal connections, ample water supply, convenient location on the Mersey Estuary for the disposal of effluent, established industry and the availability of land for more. Following objections to

455-494: A weir was constructed to form Brereton Pool . It then heads towards Holmes Chapel before turning west and passing under London Road ( A50 ) at Alum Bridge. The river continues this westward course, passing under the M6 and Poolford Lane near Cinderhill and then Brereton Lane, north of Dockbank Farm at Sproston . The river continues its westward journey via Fender Wood, winding its way north of Kinderton Lodge towards Middlewich , where it

546-568: Is Halton Borough Council for which the town is divided into nine electoral wards , each electing three councillors. At the time of the Domesday survey, Runcorn was in the hundred of Tunendune, but later, and until the early 19th century, Runcorn was part of the Bucklow hundred. Under the Runcorn Improvement Act 1852, a board of Improvement Commissioners was established to administer

637-448: Is Sherwood Sandstone and pebbly sandstone. To the south there is a transition to siltstone, sandstone and predominantly Mercia Mudstone . The primary sedimentary rock is New Red Sandstone . The superficial geology is varied with pockets of sand and diamicton along the lower-lying land adjacent to the Mersey and through Runcorn. Sand and gravel becomes common on the southern fringes of

728-563: Is a history of interaction between Cheshire and North Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became the principal part of Flintshire . Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as English Maelor (Maelor Saesneg) when it was transferred to North Wales. For this and other reasons, the Welsh language name for Cheshire, Swydd Gaerlleon ,

819-421: 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 Winsford . Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to

910-692: Is at Ellesmere Port. The oil refinery has operated since 1924 and has a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year. Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry , and remains a major railway junction. The Crewe railway works , built in 1840, employed 20,000 people at its peak, although the workforce is now less than 1,000. Crewe is also the home of Bentley cars. Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants for Jaguar and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port. The county also has an aircraft industry, with

1001-559: Is common. Cheshire West has a fairly large proportion of residents who work in Liverpool and Manchester, while the town of Northwich and area of Cheshire East falls more within Manchester's sphere of influence. All four local education authorities in Cheshire operate only comprehensive state school systems. When Altrincham , Sale and Bebington were moved from Cheshire to Trafford and Merseyside in 1974, they took some former Cheshire selective schools. There are two universities based in

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1092-641: Is crossed by three bridges: Runcorn Railway Bridge (which carries the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line), the Silver Jubilee Bridge and the Mersey Gateway which carries the A533 . A system of dual carriageways called 'expressways' form a figure of 8 around the town. The Central Expressway runs through the centre of the town in a north–south direction and is the main through-road. It connects to

1183-472: Is famous for the production of Cheshire cheese , salt and silk. The county has seen a number of inventions and firsts in its history. A mainly rural county, Cheshire has a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based on the dairy trade, and cattle are the predominant livestock. Land use given to agriculture has fluctuated somewhat, and in 2005 totalled 1558 km over 4,609 holdings. Based on holdings by EC farm type in 2005, 8.51 km

1274-527: Is generally high, but there are open green areas, in particular heathland on Runcorn Hill and the extensive Town Park created as part of the new town. Housing is typically situated within the expressways and industry outside. The Runcorn area drains into the River Mersey to the north and the River Weaver to the south. The bedrock geology of the River Mersey and the northern and western fringes of Runcorn

1365-584: Is joined by Sanderson's Brook southeast of the town, near Brooks Lane. It then heads northwest on the right-hand side of the Trent and Mersey Canal until it joins the River Dane at the northwest corner of Harbutt's Field . Back in Fender Wood, a weir feeds a channel of water to supply a historical mill race ; this watercourse follows the field boundaries, past what was Brookhouse Farm, then under Pochin Way (historically

1456-498: Is known about the early history of the settlement but isolated findings of objects from the Stone , Bronze , and Iron Ages have been made and there is evidence of a Roman presence in the area. The first recorded event in its history is the building by Æthelflæd of a fortification at Runcorn to protect the northern frontier of her kingdom of Mercia against the Vikings in 915. The fort

1547-624: Is part of Liverpool City Region combined authority , which also includes the five metropolitan boroughs of Merseyside . A referendum for a further local government reform connected with an elected regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned. As part of the local government restructuring in April 2009, Cheshire County Council and the Cheshire districts were abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester . The existing unitary authorities of Halton and Warrington were not affected by

1638-713: Is sometimes used. After the Norman conquest of 1066 by William I , dissent and resistance continued for many years after the invasion. In 1069 local resistance in Cheshire was finally put down using draconian measures as part of the Harrying of the North . The ferocity of the campaign against the English populace was enough to end all future resistance. Examples were made of major landowners such as Earl Edwin of Mercia , their properties confiscated and redistributed amongst Norman barons. The earldom

1729-781: The BAE Systems facility at Woodford Aerodrome , part of BAE System's Military Air Solutions division. The facility designed and constructed Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan bombers and the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod . On the Cheshire border with Flintshire is the Broughton aircraft factory, more recently associated with Airbus . Tourism in Cheshire from within the UK and overseas continues to perform strongly. Over 8 million nights of accommodation (both UK and overseas) and over 2.8 million visits to Cheshire were recorded during 2003. At

1820-656: The Church of England Diocese of Chester follows most closely the pre-1974 county boundary of Cheshire, so it includes all of Wirral , Stockport , and the Cheshire panhandle that included Tintwistle Rural District council area. In terms of Roman Catholic church administration, most of Cheshire falls into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury . Cheshire has a diverse economy with significant sectors including agriculture, automotive, bio-technology, chemical, financial services, food and drink, ICT, and tourism. The county

1911-587: The Industrial Revolution when the extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Runcorn in 1776 established it as a port which would link Liverpool with inland Manchester and Staffordshire. The docks enabled the growth of industry, initially shipwrights and sandstone quarries. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was a spa and health resort but this ended with the growth of polluting industries, especially soap and chemical works. In 1964, Runcorn

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2002-651: The M56 motorway which cuts into the south of the town. To the west of the Central Expressway lies the Old Town of Runcorn, Higher Runcorn, Weston , Weston Point and Clifton (formerly Rocksavage), and the new town estates of Halton Brook and Halton Lodge. To the east are the formerly separate villages of Halton and Norton , and the new town estates of Castlefields, Palacefields, Windmill Hill, Murdishaw, Brookvale, Hallwood Park, Beechwood and Sandymoor . The density of housing

2093-513: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 : Runcorn Hill, Dorchester Park, Oxmoor Woods, Wigg Island and Murdishaw Valley. Early census statistics for the town include only the areas known now as the Old Town and Higher Runcorn. In 1936, Runcorn Urban District grew to incorporate the neighbouring village of Weston. The present statistical boundaries of Runcorn were defined in

2184-984: The Peak District . The River Mersey runs through the north of Cheshire before broadening into its wide estuary; the River Dee forms part of the county's border with Wales, then fully enters England and flows through the city of Chester before re-entering Wales upstream of its estuary. Red Triassic sandstone forms the bedrock of much of the county, and was used in the construction of many of its buildings. The culture of Cheshire has impacted global pop culture by producing actors such as Daniel Craig , Tim Curry , and Pete Postlethwaite ; athletes such as Shauna Coxsey , Tyson Fury , and Paula Radcliffe ; authors such as Lewis Carroll ; comedians such as John Bishop and Ben Miller ; and musicians such as Gary Barlow , Ian Curtis , and Harry Styles . Most places are involved in agriculture and chemistry, leading to Cheshire's reputation for

2275-630: The Reform Act 1832 , Runcorn was in the constituency of Cheshire which was represented by two Members of Parliament . Following the Reform Act, the town was placed in the North Cheshire constituency and from 1868 in the Mid Cheshire constituency. From 1885 to 1950 the town was in the constituency of Northwich . The constituency of Runcorn was created by a 1948 Act of Parliament and Dennis Vosper

2366-534: The Runcorn Gap . It lies on the southern shore of the River Mersey 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the port of Liverpool. Runcorn was founded by Æthelflæd of Mercia in 915 AD as a fortification to guard against Viking invasion at a narrowing of the River Mersey. Under Norman rule, Runcorn fell under the Barony of Halton and an Augustinian abbey was established here in 1115. It remained a small, isolated settlement until

2457-514: The Runcorn to Latchford Canal linking with the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, and the Weston Canal which gave better access to the Weaver Navigation system. Industries began to develop within and around the town, in particular shipbuilding, engineering, chemical manufacturing, tanning, and sandstone quarrying. Towards the end of the 18th century and in the early years of the 19th century,

2548-474: The Silver Jubilee Bridge ) which allowed a more efficient means of road traffic across Runcorn Gap. During the first half of the 20th century, the industry of the town continued to be dominated by chemicals and tanning. This growth was largely due to government fixed-priced cost contracts for tanned hides. In 1926, four chemical companies merged to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). During

2639-701: The Wirral Peninsula and parts of southern Greater Manchester and northern Derbyshire, but excluded Widnes and Warrington. The landscape of the county is dominated by the Cheshire Plain , an area of relatively flat land divided by the Mid-Cheshire Ridge . To the west, Cheshire contains the south of the Wirral Peninsula, and to the east the landscape rises to the Pennines , where the county contains part of

2730-679: The " Matterhorn of Cheshire" thanks to its distinctive steep profile. Cheshire contains portions of two green belt areas surrounding the large conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester (North Cheshire Green Belt, part of the North West Green Belt) and Stoke-on-Trent (South Cheshire Green Belt, part of the Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt), these were first drawn up from the 1950s. Contained primarily within Cheshire East and Chester West & Chester, with small portions along

2821-406: The 1070s. In 1115, Nigel's son, William Fitznigel, founded an Augustinian Priory at Runcorn . In 1134, the priory was moved to Norton, about 3.5 mi (6 km) away. In 1391, the priory was raised to the higher status of abbey . In 1536, the monastery was dissolved , and around nine years later, the buildings and some of the monastic lands were sold to Sir Richard Brooke who converted

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2912-551: The 2011 Census. The population for 2021 is forecast to be 708,000. In 2001, the population density of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester was 32 people per km , lower than the North West average of 42 people/km and the England and Wales average of 38 people/km . Ellesmere Port and Neston had a greater urban density than the rest of the county with 92 people/km . In 2001, ethnic white groups accounted for 98% (662,794) of

3003-570: The Bottlemen member Van McCann, Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts , Stephen Hough , John Mayall , The Charlatans member Tim Burgess , and Nigel Stonier . Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton , Cheshire , England. Its population in 2021 was 62,100. Runcorn is on the southern bank of the River Mersey , where the estuary narrows to form

3094-625: The Gestapo Black Book as a company of special interest but although the works at Weston Point were discussed at Luftwaffe briefings in 1940, the town was never deliberately targeted and was subject only to very limited bombing. In September 1963, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government published a draft of the Runcorn New Town (Designation) Order which would allocate 7,750 acres (3,140 ha) in and around Runcorn for development of

3185-495: The Old Town centre, now designated a smaller 'district centre'. The plan sought to increase public open space, reduce shopping provision, rationalise roads and renew housing stock. It also included plans to widen the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge from two to four lanes and create a new system of junctions between the bridge and the expressway. The masterplan was amended for the second and final time in 1975. Amendment No.2 extended

3276-513: The River Croco is about 85 m (280 ft) at source, falling to 27 m (89 ft) at the point where it flows into the River Dane. Cheshire Cheshire ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ ʃ ər , - ɪər / CHESH -ər, -⁠eer ) is a ceremonial county in North West England . It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to

3367-468: The Runcorn New Town (Designation) Order 1964 which greatly expanded the town to the east. The population of Runcorn in 1664 has been estimated as 305. In the 2021 census , 52.5% said they were Christian , down from 70.1% in 2011. 41.5% stated that they had "no religion" and 4.6% made no religious claims. Those stating their religions as Buddhist , Hindu , Jewish , Muslim , Sikh or other amounted to 1.3%. The town's Anglican churches are part of

3458-530: The Urban District Council and existing traders. The new Halton site was favoured and Shopping City opened in 1972. However, the Urban District Council secured a commitment from the Development Corporation to continue a programme of regeneration which the council had already begun. In 1971, the Development Corporation published Master Plan Amendment No.1 which focused on the urban renewal of

3549-655: The West Bank area of Widnes; together these form Runcorn Gap, a narrowing of the River Mersey. The town is bounded to the southwest by the Weaver Navigation ; to the south by the Chester–Manchester and Crewe–Liverpool railway lines; and to the east by the West Coast Main Line until the village of Moore . A series of valleys is formed by high points at Runcorn Hill (75m AOD ), Halton Castle (75m AOD), Windmill Hill (70m AOD) and Keckwick Hill (75m AOD). Runcorn Gap

3640-517: The barons of Kinderton, Halton, Malbank, Mold, Shipbrook, Dunham-Massey, and the honour of Chester itself. Feudal baronies or baronies by tenure were granted by the Earl as forms of feudal land tenure within the palatinate in a similar way to which the king granted English feudal baronies within England proper. An example is the barony of Halton. One of Hugh d'Avranche's barons has been identified as Robert Nicholls, Baron of Halton and Montebourg. In 1182,

3731-788: The borders of the Halton and Warrington districts, towns and cities such as Chester, Macclesfield, Alsager, Congleton, Northwich, Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Warrington, Poynton, Disley, Neston, Wilmslow, Runcorn, and Widnes are either surrounded wholly, partially enveloped by, or on the fringes of the belts. The North Cheshire Green Belt is contiguous with the Peak District Park boundary inside Cheshire. The ceremonial county borders Merseyside , Greater Manchester , Derbyshire , Staffordshire and Shropshire in England along with Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales, arranged by compass directions as shown in

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3822-675: The change. Cheshire has no county-wide elected local council, but it does have a Lord Lieutenant under the Lieutenancies Act 1997 and a High Sheriff under the Sheriffs Act 1887 . Local government functions apart from the Police and Fire/Rescue services are carried out by four smaller unitary authorities: Cheshire East , Cheshire West and Chester , Halton , and Warrington . All four unitary authority areas have borough status . Policing and fire and rescue services are still provided across

3913-469: The civil government of the town. By the Local Government Act 1894 , the administration of the town and the surrounding areas was divided into Runcorn Urban District and Runcorn Rural District . Initially the urban district consisted of only the built-up area of Runcorn itself. By 1937, this area had been extended to include the communities of Weston and Weston Point to the south. In 1964, Runcorn

4004-410: The county as a whole. The Cheshire Fire Authority consist of members of the four councils, while governance of Cheshire Constabulary is performed by the elected Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner . Winsford is a major administrative hub for Cheshire with the Police and Fire & Rescue Headquarters based in the town as well as a majority of Cheshire West and Chester Council. It was also home to

4095-536: The county, the University of Chester and the Chester campus of The University of Law . The Crewe campus of Manchester Metropolitan University was scheduled to close in 2019. Cheshire has produced musicians such as Joy Division members Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris , One Direction member Harry Styles , the members of The 1975 , Take That member Gary Barlow , The Cult member Ian Astbury , Catfish and

4186-417: The distinction on Richard's fall in 1399. Through the Local Government Act 1972 , which came into effect on 1 April 1974, some areas in the north became part of the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside . Stockport (previously a county borough), Altrincham , Hyde , Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the north-east became part of Greater Manchester. Much of the Wirral Peninsula in

4277-494: The draft order, a public Local Inquiry was held at Runcorn from 10 to 12 December 1963. The subsequent report accepted the location in principle and the proposed population of 90,000. It did, however, recommend that 500 acres (200 ha) around the village of Sutton Weaver to the south of the Chester–Manchester and Crewe–Liverpool railway lines be excluded from the designated area, partly to preserve its highly productive agricultural land. The minister, Keith Joseph , accepted

4368-554: The earldom forfeit and gave the title to Hugh d'Avranches (nicknamed Hugh Lupus, or "wolf"). Because of Cheshire's strategic location on the Welsh Marches , the Earl had complete autonomous powers to rule on behalf of the king in the county palatine. Cheshire in the Domesday Book (1086) is recorded as a much larger county than it is today. It included two hundreds , Atiscross and Exestan, that later became part of North Wales . At

4459-438: The east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shropshire to the south; to the west it is bordered by the Welsh counties of Flintshire and Wrexham , and has a short coastline on the Dee Estuary . Warrington is the largest settlement, and the city of Chester is the county town . The county has an area of 905 square miles (2,344 km ) and had a population of 1,095,500 at the 2021 census . After Warrington (211,227),

4550-432: The energy and water sector and there was also a significant reduction in the manufacturing sector. The largest growth during this period was in the other services and distribution, hotels and retail sectors. Cheshire is considered to be an affluent county. However, towns such as Crewe and Winsford have significant deprivation. The county's proximity to the cities of Manchester and Liverpool means counter urbanisation

4641-448: The expressway further to the east and redesignated land at Sandymoor intended for industrial use to residential. The Runcorn Development Corporation merged with Warrington Development Corporation on 1 April 1981 and was wound up on 30 September 1989. Much of the architecture of the new town was innovative, especially the Southgate development designed by Sir James Stirling and built between 1970 and 1977. Stirling's housing development

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4732-411: The former Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council. Devolution talks for the county are scheduled for Autumn 2024. From 1 April 1974 the area under the control of the county council was divided into eight local government districts; Chester , Congleton , Crewe and Nantwich , Ellesmere Port and Neston , Halton , Macclesfield , Vale Royal and Warrington . Halton (which includes

4823-408: The habitable part of the abbey into a house. In 1565, Rocksavage , an Elizabethan Hall, was constructed for Sir John Savage in Clifton, now part of Runcorn. During the Civil War , Halton Castle was held for the Royalists by John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers , the Steward of Halton. It fell twice to Parliamentarian Roundheads . The first siege was led by Sir William Brereton in 1643; the second

4914-407: The historic county of Cheshire was Black Hill (582 m (1,909 ft)) near Crowden in the Cheshire Panhandle, a long eastern projection of the county which formerly stretched along the northern side of Longdendale and on the border with the West Riding of Yorkshire . Black Hill is now the highest point in the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire . Within the current ceremonial county and

5005-468: The judicial review it lost in October 2007. The appeal was dismissed on 4 March 2008. A plain of glacial till and other glacio-fluvial sediments extends across much of Cheshire, separating the hills of North Wales and the Pennines . Known as the Cheshire Plain , it was formed following the retreat of a Quaternary ice sheet which left the area dotted with kettle holes , those which hold water being referred to as meres . The bedrock of this region

5096-425: The land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire , resolving any uncertainty about the county in which the land "Inter Ripam et Mersam" was. Over the years, the ten hundreds consolidated and changed names to leave just seven—Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral. In 1397 the county had lands in the march of Wales added to its territory, and

5187-418: The largest settlements are Chester and Crewe . The south and east of the county are primarily rural, while the north is more densely populated and includes the settlements of Runcorn , Widnes , and Ellesmere Port . For local government purposes Cheshire comprises four unitary authority areas: Cheshire East , Cheshire West and Chester , Halton , and Warrington . The county historically included all of

5278-423: The name Croco may be Celtic or even earlier. Historical maps show the source of the river to be the lowland field drainage system to the northeast of Brookhouse Green . From here, the river heads north past the hamlet of Illidge Green and then northwest via Brereton Hall , where a weir and boathouse were created to the west of Saint Oswald's Church . The river flows northwest towards Parkmill Farm, where again

5369-428: The north bank of the River Mersey. During the 18th century, water transport had been improved in the area by the Mersey and Irwell Navigation , the Bridgewater Canal and the Trent and Mersey Canal . This gave Runcorn waterway connections with most of the interior of England through the canal system and with the sea along the River Mersey, thus forming the basis for the development of the Port of Runcorn. Later came

5460-638: The north-west, including the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey, joined Merseyside as the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral . At the same time the Tintwistle Rural District was transferred to Derbyshire . The area of south Lancashire not included within either the Merseyside or Greater Manchester counties, including Widnes and the county borough of Warrington , was added to the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire. Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 1998, but remain part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes and also for fire and policing. Halton

5551-401: The only means of crossing the River Mersey at this point had been by the Runcorn ferry. Thomas Telford proposed a 1,000 ft (300 m) single span suspension bridge as early as 1817, but it was not until 1868 that the first bridge, Runcorn Railway Bridge , was opened across the Mersey at Runcorn. This gave the town direct rail links with Liverpool and the rest of the country. Runcorn

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5642-413: The population, and 10,994 (2%) in ethnic groups other than white. Of the 2% in non-white ethnic groups: In the 2001 Census, 81% of the population (542,413) identified themselves as Christian; 124,677 (19%) did not identify with any religion or did not answer the question; 5,665 (1%) identified themselves as belonging to other major world religions; and 1,033 belonged to other religions. The boundary of

5733-407: The port of Runcorn. The rise in population between 1881 and 1891 and the drop by 1901 is explained by the number of people involved in constructing the ship canal. In 1905, the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge opened, giving a direct link for vehicular traffic for the first time between the two towns. This would not be replaced until 1961 with the construction of Runcorn Road Bridge (since renamed

5824-410: The production of chemicals, Cheshire cheese , salt, and silk. Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded as Legeceasterscir in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , meaning "the shire of the city of legions". Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920. In the Domesday Book , Chester

5915-413: The proposal to split two-tier Cheshire into two would proceed. Cheshire County Council leader Paul Findlow, who attempted High Court legal action against the proposal, claimed that splitting Cheshire would only disrupt excellent services while increasing living costs for all. On 31 January 2008 The Standard , Cheshire and district's newspaper, announced that the legal action had been dropped. Members against

6006-523: The proposal were advised that they may be unable to persuade the court that the decision of Hazel Blears was "manifestly absurd". The Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority covers the area formerly occupied by the City of Chester and the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal; Cheshire East now covers the area formerly occupied by the boroughs of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, and Macclesfield. The changes were implemented on 1 April 2009. Congleton Borough Council pursued an appeal against

6097-471: The report's recommendations and the designation order was made on 10 April 1964. The new town masterplan of 1967 more than doubled the population as it encompassed neighbouring settlements and created new housing estates to the south and east. The key features of the new town were its unique housing and estate designs, segregated pedestrian pathways, Busway , extensive landscaped green space, separate industrial areas and new town centre. The new town centre

6188-415: The second half of the 20th century, the tanneries closed (the last to close was the Highfield Tannery in the late 1960s) and the chemical industry declined. At the same time, light industry developed together with warehouses and distribution centres. In 1937, ICI began to build a new factory for mustard gas production at their Randle plant on Wigg Island . The ICI chemical plants at Runcorn featured in

6279-472: The start of 2003, there were 22,020 VAT-registered enterprises in Cheshire, an increase of 7% since 1998, many in the business services (31.9%) and wholesale/retail (21.7%) sectors. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of businesses grew in four sectors: public administration and other services (6.0%), hotels and restaurants (5.1%), construction (1.7%), and business services (1.0%). The county saw the largest proportional reduction between 2001 and 2002 in employment in

6370-408: The start of Lodge Lane), through Midpoint 18 business park and under Holmes Chapel Road, before running through the garden of the bungalow to the east of the Old Station House. Here, it disappears through a culvert towards the railway embankment. Historically, this watercourse would have fed the mill pond that powered the Kinderton Corn Mill, as shown in the 1882 Ordnance Survey map. The elevation of

6461-545: The table. below. Cheshire also forms part of the North West England region. In July 2022, beavers bred in Cheshire for the first time in 400 years, following a reintroduction scheme. Based on the Census of 2001, the overall population of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester is 673,781, of which 51.3% of the population were male and 48.7% were female. Of those aged between 0–14 years, 51.5% were male and 48.4% were female; and of those aged over 75 years, 62.9% were female and 37.1% were male. This increased to 699,735 at

6552-517: The time of the Domesday Book, it also included as part of Duddestan Hundred the area of land later known as English Maelor (which used to be a detached part of Flintshire ) in Wales. The area between the Mersey and Ribble (referred to in the Domesday Book as "Inter Ripam et Mersam") formed part of the returns for Cheshire. Although this has been interpreted to mean that at that time south Lancashire

6643-454: The town and elsewhere there are small pockets of clay, silt, sand and gravel. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the town: Floodbrook Clough and the Mersey Estuary. Floodbrook Clough in Beechwood is an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland and one of the best examples in Cheshire of clough woodland on keuper marl . There are five Local Nature Reserves designated under

6734-596: The town was a health resort. The growth of industry did not diminish Runcorn's late 18th and early 19th century reputation as a health resort and the "Montpelier of England". In 1822 the town's first Saltwater Baths opened followed by new visitor accommodation in Belvedere Terrace in 1831. In the middle of the century, the growing wealth of the town and its industrialists saw the construction of several new landmarks, including Halton Grange , St Paul's Methodist Chapel and All Saints' Church . For hundreds of years,

6825-602: The towns of Runcorn and Widnes ) and Warrington became unitary authorities in 1998. The remaining districts and the county were abolished as part of local government restructuring on 1 April 2009. The Halton and Warrington boroughs were not affected by the 2009 restructuring. On 25 July 2007, the Secretary of State Hazel Blears announced she was 'minded' to split Cheshire into two new unitary authorities, Cheshire West and Chester , and Cheshire East . She confirmed she had not changed her mind on 19 December 2007 and therefore

6916-479: The unitary authority of Cheshire East the highest point is Shining Tor on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border between Macclesfield and Buxton , at 559 metres (1,834 ft) above sea level. After Shining Tor, the next highest point in Cheshire is Shutlingsloe , at 506 metres (1,660 ft) above sea level. Shutlingsloe lies just to the south of Macclesfield Forest and is sometimes humorously referred to as

7007-594: The west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge . A 55-kilometre (34 mi) footpath, the Sandstone Trail , follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch passing Delamere Forest , Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts. The western fringes of the Peak District - the southernmost extent of the Pennine range - form the eastern part of the county. The highest point (county top) in

7098-629: Was allocated to dairy farming, with another 11.78 km allocated to cattle and sheep. The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded in Roman times, with the mining of salt in Winsford, Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area by British Salt . The salt mining has led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, with Brunner Mond based in the town. Other chemical companies, including Ineos (formerly ICI ), have plants at Runcorn . The Essar Refinery (formerly Shell Stanlow Refinery )

7189-624: Was becoming an industrialised and highly polluted town. During the later 19th century the town became increasingly dominated by the chemical and tanning industries. In the 1880s a pipeline was opened between Northwich and Weston Point, supplying brine to the salt works and in 1896 the Castner Kellner chemical works was established. In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was opened throughout its length. This allowed ocean-going ships to travel inland as far as Salford , some of them calling at

7280-668: Was beset with problems and it was demolished in the early 1990s. In 2002, the Castlefields Partnership (made up of English Partnerships and Halton Borough Council) was created to comprehensively redevelop the Castlefields estate, including the demolition of over 700 deck access flats. Runcorn is unparished with the exception of Sandymoor , and a large part of the Whitehouse Industrial Estate which falls under Preston Brook Parish Council. The local authority

7371-501: Was built on Castle Rock overlooking the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap. Following the Norman conquest , Runcorn was not mentioned in the 1086 Domesday survey, although surrounding settlements were. William the Conqueror granted the earldom of Chester to Hugh d'Avranches who granted the barony of Halton to Nigel. It is likely that Nigel erected a motte and bailey castle on Halton Hill in

7462-399: Was designated a new town and expanded eastward, swallowing neighbouring settlements and more than doubling its population. Three bridges span the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn: the Silver Jubilee Bridge , Mersey Gateway , and Runcorn Railway Bridge . Its location between Liverpool and Manchester and its links to the rail, motorway and canal networks have made it

7553-515: Was designated as a New Town and greatly expanded so that by 1971 it had grown to incorporate the village of Halton. Runcorn Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 when it merged with the Municipal Borough of Widnes and parts of Runcorn Rural District and Whiston Rural District to form the Borough of Halton under Halton Borough Council and Cheshire County Council . In 1998, Halton Borough Council became

7644-418: Was designated at the geographical heart of the expanded town with Shopping City , an American style enclosed mall, as its focus. This was a source of conflict between Arthur Ling , the new town Master Planner, and Fred Roche , Chief Architect. Whereas Ling envisaged a centre reminiscent of a citadel or acropolis at the base of Halton Castle, Roche preferred to expand the existing town centre, partly to placate

7735-472: Was during the following year. Following this, a "Council of War" was held in Warrington in 1646 at which it was decided that the castle should be slighted . In 1656, Runcorn was described as being "nothing but a fair parish church, a parsonage and a few scattered tenements". And so it remained for over a century, an isolated and poor hamlet. The only through traffic used the ferry which crossed from Runcorn to

7826-444: Was part of Cheshire, more exhaustive research indicates that the boundary between Cheshire and what was to become Lancashire remained the River Mersey . With minor variations in spelling across sources, the complete list of hundreds of Cheshire at this time are: Atiscross, Bochelau, Chester, Dudestan, Exestan, Hamestan, Middlewich, Riseton, Roelau, Tunendune, Warmundestrou and Wilaveston. There were 8 feudal baronies in Chester,

7917-447: Was promoted to the rank of principality. This was because of the support the men of the county had given to King Richard II, in particular by his standing armed force of about 500 men called the "Cheshire Guard". As a result, the King's title was changed to "King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Chester". No other English county has been honoured in this way, although it lost

8008-413: Was recorded as having the name Cestrescir (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time. Through the next few centuries a series of changes that occurred in the English language, which have included simplifications and elision , has resulted in the name Cheshire. Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became modern Wales , there

8099-456: Was split between the two constituencies of Weaver Vale and Halton . Prior to their abolition, those seats were held by Mike Amesbury and Derek Twigg respectively, both of the Labour Party . While Halton was a safe Labour seat since its creation in 1983, Weaver Vale was a marginal seat and switched between the Labour and Conservative parties several times since its creation in 1997. Before

8190-463: Was sufficiently independent from the kingdom of England that the 13th-century Magna Carta did not apply to the shire of Chester , so the earl wrote up his own Chester Charter at the petition of his barons. William I made Cheshire a county palatine and gave Gerbod the Fleming the new title of Earl of Chester . When Gerbod returned to Normandy in about 1070, the king used his absence to declare

8281-420: Was the first to be elected to the seat in 1950. In 1964, he was succeeded by Mark Carlisle who held the seat until the constituency of Runcorn was abolished in 1983 and split between the constituencies of Halton and Warrington South . Runcorn is situated on a spur projecting into the River Mersey, which flows to the north and then to the west of the town. On the north bank of the river is another spur forming

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