Information AboutMiddlewich |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MIDDLEWICH | |
| middlewich | |
| towns in cheshire | |
| civil parishes in congleton, cheshiremiddlewich | |
| towns in cheshire | |
| civil parishes in congleton, cheshire | |
| towns in cheshire | |
Middlewich is a Market Town within the Congleton Borough of Cheshire , England . It is east of the city of Chester , and northwest of Sandbach , and has a total resident population of 13,101. There has been a settlement at Middlewich since at least the time of the Roman Occupation . As a Wich Town , Middlewich is an important location for the manufacture of Salt . The parish church for Middlewich is St. Michael And All Angels , which dates back to the 12th century. In addition to the manufacture of salt, Middlewich has also been known for Cheshire Cheese . In the present day it is known for its canals and the Folk And Boat Festival . 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. In common with other towns within mid-Cheshire, the good Motorway and road links have seen a large influx of people in the last thirty years, doubling the population of Middlewich since 1970. Over the same period there has been a removal of manufacturing jobs in salt and textile manufacture, demonstrating that many residents of the town no longer work locally but live there because of other factors. During the last twenty years there have been moves to increase the volume of Tourism into the town, through events such as the annual Folk And Boat Festival , the Roman and Norman festivals, farmers markets and so on. GOVERNANCE Civic history At the time of the Domesday survey Middlewich was in the Hundred of Middlewich but later it became part of the Northwich hundred, although a small part of the then large parish of Middlewich extended into the hundred of Eddisbury.1234 At the time of the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition Middlewich was an Urban District , created following the Local Government Act 1894 .5 In 1974, as part of the Local Government Act 1972 , Middlewich Urban District was abolished and its territory passed into the borough of Congleton .6 Political representation Currently there are three layers of local government with responsibility for Middlewich, the GEOGRAPHY Middlewich lies on the confluence of three rivers, the Dane , Croco and Wheelock , and lies approximately 2½ miles from junction 18 of the M6 Motorway . The town sits on the main westward traffic route 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 Bridgewater Canal at Preston Brook (which gave access to the River Mersey at Runcorn ) to the River Trent in Derbyshire . The town sits 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 Glacier s. Middlewich lies on Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits.8 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 view is more urban. 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 Roman salt workings. The climate is generally Temperate with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean average temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom as is the average amount of sunshine. Met. Office:Average annual mean temperature. Accessed 15 April 2007 Met. Office:Average annual sunshine. Accessed 15 April 2007 The average annual rainfall is slightly below the average for the UK. Met. Office:Average annual rainfall. Accessed 15 April 2007 There are few days when snow is lying on the ground, although there are a some days of air frost. Met. Office:Days of snow lying. Accessed 15 April 2007 Met. Office:Days of air frost. Accessed 15 April 2007 HISTORY See Also: History of Middlewich See Also: History of salt in Middlewich In the Domesday Book Middlewich is spelt “Mildestvich”, and the termination “wic,” or “wyc,” in Anglo-Saxon refers to a camp or station. It is also supposed that "Wich" or "Wych" refers to a Salt Town , with Middlewich being the middle town between Northwich and Nantwich.9 In Whittaker's ''History of Manchester'' it is asserted that the Cornovii took Kinderton as their capital, however this is unlikely. It is probable that the Cornovii did inhabit Kinderton for its salt making potential.10 11 The town was founded by the Romans as ''Salinae'' on account of the Salt deposits around it, as it was one of their major sites of salt production. Middlewich lies across the King Street fault, which follows King Street and then continues roughly following Brooks Lane.12 During this time the Romans built a Fort at Harbutts Field (),1314 and recent excavations to the south of the fort have found evidence of further Roman activity 15 16 including a well and part of a preserved Roman Road . A further excavation in 2004 in Buckley's Field17 has found further evidence of Roman occupation. A Roman Road , King Street runs between Middlewich and nearby Northwich . The Romans named Middlewich after saltworkings. Salt manufacture has remained the principal industry for the past 2,000 years and its presence has shaped the town's history and geography. Before the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the area which is now known as Middlewich is thought to have had one Brine pit, between the River Croco and the current Lewin Street.18 In the Domesday Book the area is described as being ''wasted'', having been cleared by King William around 1070 as an "act of rage against his rebellious barons".19 |
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