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|Place= Middlewich |Map = Middlewich - Cheshire dot.png |Population = 13,170 (2001) |District= Congleton |County= Cheshire |Region= North West England |Ceremonial= Cheshire |Police= Cheshire |Traditional= Cheshire |Constituency= Congleton |PostalTown= Middlewich |PostCode= CW10 |DiallingCode= 01606 |GridReference= SJ704663 |Euro= North West England }} Middlewich is one of the Wich Town s in Cheshire , England . Middlewich lies on the confluence of a number of natural and man made features: the Rivers Dane , Croco and Wheelock ; the Shropshire Union and Trent And Mersey Canals; and the A533 , A54 and A530 roads. It is an important location for Salt manufacture, and has also been known for Cheshire Cheese . The parish church for Middlewich is St Michael And All Angels , which dates back to the 12th century.
__NOTOC__ Geography Middlewich lies in 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 glaciers. Middlewich lies on Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits. Middlewich is bounded by two rivers, the Dane and Wheelock, and bisected by the River Croco. To the east of the Croco the ground rises steeply, with the old parish of Kinderton being on high ground overlooking the town centre and parish church. Similarly to the west the ground rises away, however because of the greater number of buildings on this side of the river the views are not so commanding. The high ground in Kinderton is also the start of the ancient Roman road of King Street, and the Roman fort at Harbutt's field which has a dominating view of the River and the area of traditional salt workings. Middlewich lies approximately 2 1/2 miles from junction 18 of the M6 motorway, and is on the main traffic routes between the motorway and Winsford, and for southbound motorway traffic heading for Crewe . Middlewich also sits on a spur of the Shropshire Union Canal , the main route of which joins Wolverhampton with the River Mersey at Ellesmere Port , and the Trent And Mersey Canal which joins the River Mersey, near Runcorn to the River Trent in Derbyshire . Demographics ''Data taken from the 2001 Census'' Middlewich has a relatively young population, with 3% more children (0-15) than the national average [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/UK.asp . 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 1/4 of these households are single person households (compared to 30% nationally), and the vast majority (almost 85%) of housing stock is owner occupied. Three quarters of the 9,500 people between the ages of 16 and 74 are classed as '' Economically Active '', i.e. 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 care, and a primary use of these is to travel to and from Work , with nearly 77% of people travelling to work by this means, with 10% working from Home , and the remainder either Walking , using the Bus or Train . History The town was founded by the . During this time the Romans built a Fort at Harbutts Field (SJ70216696), to the north of the town {Link without Title} , {Link without Title} , and recent excavations to the south of the fort have found evidence of further Roman activity {Link without Title} , {Link without Title} , including a well and part of a preserved Samian Ware suggests that this is unlikely. Salt production in Middlewich See Also: History of salt in Middlewich Salt manufacture has remained the principal industry for the past 2,000 years. Salt making is mentioned in the Domesday Book , and by the 13th century there were approximately 100 "wich houses" packed around the towns two brine pits [ 1 ]. By 1908 there were nine industrial scale salt manufacturers in the town, with a number of open pan salt works close to the Canal, however salt manufacture in Middlewich is now concentrated in one manufacturer, British Salt , who sell under the name Saxa , and also through third parties e.g. supermarket own brands. Salt produced by British Salt in Middlewich has 57% of the UK market [http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/2005/fulltext/505.pdf#page=37] for salt used in cooking. The parish church Parts of the parish church, St. Michael and All Angels, date back to the and Second Battles of Middlewich during the English Civil War . Townships in Middlewich parish The church originally served a number of townships other than Middlewich:
Population changes The figure to the right shows how the population of Middlewich rose through 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 is 1892. These parish names live on in road names in Middlewich, for example Newton Bank and Sutton Lane. An Ordnance Survey map from 1882 shows the town with St. Michael's church in the centre. Middlewich in 1850 ''The following is adapted from {Link without Title} '' The 1841 census records Middlewich as a market town, having 323 houses, and 1242 inhabitants (an average of 3.8 people per dwelling) although since Middlewich extended into Kinderton and Newton the actual Population figure was upwards of 3,800. Middlewich parish in 1850 comprised Byley-cum-Yatehouse, Clive or Cliff (now part of Winsford , Croxton, Kinderton-cum-Hulme, Middlewich, Minshull Vernon (near Crewe ), Moresbarrow-cum-Parme, Newton, Occleston, Ravenscroft, Sproston, Stublach, Sutton, Wimboldsley, and Weaver, (now Winsford). The total population of the parish was 4,755. Middlewich in (now Cats Bar); White Bear and White Horse. Middlewich in 1887 "Middlewich, town, par., and township, Cheshire, 5½ miles SE. of North wich and 166 NW. of London by rail - par., 13,110 ac., pop. 5205; township, 37 ac., pop. 1325; town, 238 ac., pop. 3379; P.O., T.O., 1 Bank, 1 newspaper. Middlewich was held by the Earl of Mercia under Edward the Confessor. The town has an antique appearance. The trade is chiefly in salt, obtained from brine springs in the neighbourhood; there are small silk and fustian factories, and considerable quantities of fruit and vegetables are raised in the vicinity for the Liverpool and Manchester markets." ( 7 ) From the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition "Middlewich, an urband district in the Northwich parlimentary division of Cheshire, England, 166m N.W. of London , on the London & North Western railway. Pop. (1901) 4669. It lies in open country near the river Dane, having water communications by the Trent and Mersey canal, and a branch giving access to the Shropshire Union canal. The church of St Michael and All Angels is of various periods and contains numerous Monuments . In the streets not a few old buildings remain, making for picturesqueness, and a number of the fine Timbered Houses in which Cheshire abounds are seen in the immediate neighbourhood. Middlewich shares in the salt industry common to several towns, such as Northwich and Winsford, in this part of the country; there are also chemical works and a manufacture of Condensed Milk ." The post war years The period between the First and Second World Wars and following the Second World war saw extensive housebuilding within the town, with significant new houses being built in the King Street area to the north, Cledford to the south and the Nantwich Road/St. Annes Road region to the West. The 1970's 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 area of Wheelock Street. during the building of this bypass the Talbot public house on the town bridge was demolished, along with shops opposite the Boar's Head, and adjacent to St Michael and All Angels. This bypass successfully eased the flow of traffic away from the main shopping street, but the confluence of three major roads remains a bottleneck, which will be eased by a proposed eastern bypass . Since the early 1980's 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, and near to the Norman Baron 's moated Manor House at Kinderton Manor. In common with many local towns, for example Holmes Chapel , Northwich and Winsford people are attracted to the area because of good road links via the M6 and the relatively low price and availability of suitable building land. Middlewich , and since there are no large Supermarkets in the town, it has failed in becoming a shopping destination for residents of other towns. The town today Sports and entertainment Middlewich has had a town football club since at least 1902 , with the current club Middlewich Town being formed in 1998 . Middlewich also has a Cricket club on Croxton Lane {Link without Title} . Since 1990 there has been an annual Folk And Boat Festival , which is now highly regarded on the folk circuit {Link without Title} . There have also been a number of ad-hoc events, including the Middlewich Roman Festival in {Link without Title} . It is not surprising that Middlewich should host the folk and boat festival, given the number of well connected canals which run through the town - originally to transport salt from the town. A branch of the within easy reach, and direct roads to Crewe , Nantwich , Northwich , Winsford and Sandbach . Apart from the Trent and Mersey and Shropshire Union canals, local attractions include the town church of St. Michaels and All Angels. Within the local area are the Jodrell Bank radio telescope and the Salt Museum in nearby Northwich . There are a number of shops on the shopping street of Wheelock Street, and on Lewin Street going out towards Sandbach . There is a Somerfields supermarket behind Wheelock Street, and also a Lidl supermarket near to the Cemetery on Chester Road. Facilities Miscellaneous
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Famous people connected to Middlewich
Politics Further reading # ''Memories of Middlewich'', Mary Barry # ''Roman Middlewich: A Story of Roman and Briton in Mid-Cheshire''. T.J. Strickland, Graham Sumner, 2001 # ''Middlewich, 900-1900'', A L Earl, 1990 # ''Middlewich, 1900-1950'', A.L. Earl, 1994 # ''Middlewich (Images of England Series)'', B J Curzon, P Hurley # ''Picturesque Cheshire, Chester & the Welsh Border'', T.A. Coward, 1903 # ''Gazetteer of the British Isles'', John Bartholomew. 1887 Links
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