UK Travel Guide - Cheshire

Cheshire

All You Need to Know About Cheshire, UK

In North West Britain, there is county Cheshire. The city of Chester is the county town and the location of the county council is also there. Cheshire's largest town, both in region and population is Warrington. Some other major towns are also here like Widnes, Congleton, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Northwich, and Wilmslow. The county share its borders with Derbyshire to the east, Wrexham in Wales and Flintshire to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south.

This county is spread in an area of 905 sq miles (2,344 square kilometers) and population is around 993,200. Mostly it is a rural County with various number of small and big cities, towns and villages that are based on an agricultural industry. Historically it is famous for manufacturing of Cheshire cheese, bulk chemicals, salt, and the weaving of silk.

During the Anglo Saxon Chronicles, Cheshire s name was derived from a prior name for Chester and firstly it was as Legeceasterscir. The meaning of this name was the shire of the city of legions. First registered in 980CE, but it is presumed that the county s creator Edward the Elder roundabout 920CE. According to Domesday Book, Chester used to have the name Cestrescir, (Chestershire). It was also derived from the name for Chester that was in use at that time. A series of changes that occurred and along came the name.

In the Local Government Act 1972, which was effected on 1 April 1974, some areas in the northwest later became a part of the metropolitan counties of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Stockport (traditionally a county borough), Dukinfield, Stalybridge, and Hyde in the north east became parts of Greater Manchester.

Many geographical changes occurred and finally on 1 April 1998 Halton and Warrington became governing administrations, which were independent of Cheshire County Council, but still remained a part of Cheshire for celebrating functions, as well as policing and fire.
A referendum was passed for a further reforms in local government that was connected with a democratically elected regional assembly for 2004, but was shelved . The Cuckoo flower was chosen as the County flower by the conservation charity Plantlife in 2002.

There are many historical sites to be seen by their visitors. If you want to see prehistoric burial grounds which will be found at The Bridestones, near Congleton (Neolithic) and Robin Hood s Tump, is near Alpraham (Bronze Age). Some remains of Iron Age hill forts will be found on sandstone ridges at various locations in Cheshire eg Woodhouse Hillfort at Frodsham and Maiden Castle on Bickerton Hill, Helsby Hillfort.

Perhaps the first historical building works in Cheshire is certainly done by Romans on fortress and walls of Chester. They still exist above ground and were constructed from purple grey sandstone.

The exclusive local red sandstones were used for many ecclesiastical and important buildings all across the county, eg, the medieval Chester Cathedral, Beeston Castle and many parish churches. This sandstone was used to construct Helsby Station, Helsby (1849) On some occasions industrial and residential buildings were also made of this stone.

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