Northwich
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Northwich is a fairly large town in the centre of Cheshire, England. Its been going since before the Roman times and it was a main trading centre even then. I has a proper Roman name and everything, Condate meaning confluence. Northwich is famous for its salt. The town motto is 'sal est vita', 'Salt is Life'. Salt has been mined in the area for centuries and was one of the goods traded for slaves when they were kidnapped and exported to the americas.
Northwich is also a meeting place for the canals connecting Manchester with the sea and is the location for the first boat lift in the world, in Anderton, a surrounding village. Recently there has been much effort in raising the money to restore the boat lift to full working order.
The town was also a major site within the civil war - being the last place where Royalists and Roundheads met in battle.
Northwich today is left with the legacy of subsidence and a lot of effort is being put into the problem of dealing with the salt mines.
The town has a bustling centre, but problems of access routes and limits on parking (max 3 hours in main car parks) have prevented many people from visiting, and caused much controversy within the town population. The closing of Town Bridge for renovations in the late 1990s put huge pressure on the routes into the centre and businesses subsequently lost many customers as they went elsewhere.
Visit Northwich's Website [URL removed by moderator] for details about the town and various site-seeing you can do there.
I've just read the recently renovated 'history of the town' based on a book called 'The Book of Northwich by J. Brian Curzon ISBN 0 86023 519 X' it is great and I recommend a look.
Northwich is also a meeting place for the canals connecting Manchester with the sea and is the location for the first boat lift in the world, in Anderton, a surrounding village. Recently there has been much effort in raising the money to restore the boat lift to full working order.
The town was also a major site within the civil war - being the last place where Royalists and Roundheads met in battle.
Northwich today is left with the legacy of subsidence and a lot of effort is being put into the problem of dealing with the salt mines.
The town has a bustling centre, but problems of access routes and limits on parking (max 3 hours in main car parks) have prevented many people from visiting, and caused much controversy within the town population. The closing of Town Bridge for renovations in the late 1990s put huge pressure on the routes into the centre and businesses subsequently lost many customers as they went elsewhere.
Visit Northwich's Website [URL removed by moderator] for details about the town and various site-seeing you can do there.
I've just read the recently renovated 'history of the town' based on a book called 'The Book of Northwich by J. Brian Curzon ISBN 0 86023 519 X' it is great and I recommend a look.
