Warrington

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Warrington
Image:EnglandWarrington.png
Shown within England
Geography
Status Borough, Unitary Authority (1998)[1]
Ceremonial county Cheshire
Historic county Lancashire
(some parts from Cheshire)
Region North West England
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Area
- Total		 Ranked 196th

180.64 km²
Admin HQ Warrington
ISO 3166-2 GB-WAR
ONS code 00EU
OS grid reference SJ6088
Coordinates 53°23N 2°35W
NUTS 3 UKD21
Demographics
Population:
Total (2006 est.)
Density		 Ranked 73rd
194,000
1074 / km²
Ethnicity
(2001 census)		 97.9% White
Politics
New Warrington Borough Council Logo
Warrington Borough Council
http://www.warrington.gov.uk/
Leadership Leader & Cabinet
Control Liberal Democrat / Conservative

Warrington is a large town and borough in Cheshire, England. It sits beside the West Coast Mainline, the M6, M56 and M62 motorways, upon the River Mersey and alongside the Manchester Ship Canal. Its population has more than doubled since it was designated a new town in 1968.

Historically a part of Lancashire, and today governed by a Unitary Authority, the population of the Warrington borough, including its 18 civil parishes, is 191,084 (2001 Census). 158,195 of these live in the Warrington Urban Area, defined by the ONS, and of these, 80,661 live in the core area.

People born (or living) in Warrington are known as Warringtonians.[2]

Contents

The Borough of Warrington is bordered by Halton, Vale Royal, and Macclesfield boroughs in the Ceremonial County of Cheshire and by the metropolitan boroughs of Trafford, Salford, Wigan and St. Helens.

Neighbouring Districts and Boroughs
North-West:
St. Helens		 North:
Wigan		 North-East:
Salford
West:
Halton		 Borough of Warrington East:
Salford
South-West:
Halton		 South:
Vale Royal		 South-East:
Trafford, Macclesfield

The Borough of Warrington is subdivided into 18 civil parishes and various suburbs of the central town of Warrington, which is an unparished area:

Appleton, Birchwood, Burtonwood and Westbrook, Croft, Cuerdley, Culcheth and Glazebury, Grappenhall and Thelwall, Great Sankey, Hatton, Lymm, Penketh, Poulton-with-Fearnhead, Rixton-with-Glazebrook, Stockton Heath, Stretton, Walton, Winwick, Woolston

Appleton Thorn, Bewsey, Blackbrook, Bruche, Cinnamon Brow, Cobbs, Dallam, Fairfield, Gemini, Gorse Covert, Grange, Hermitage Green, Hollins Green, Howley, Hulme, Kenyon, Lane End, Latchford, Little Town, Locking Stumps, Martinscroft, Omega, Orford, Paddington, Padgate, Risley, Sankey Bridges, Statham, Thelwall, Westbrook, Westy, Wilderspool, Woolston, Wright's Green

Weather averages for Warrington, United Kingdom
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 42 (6) 42 (6) 48 (9) 53 (12) 59 (15) 64 (18) 66 (19) 66 (19) 60 (16) 55 (13) 48 (9) 44 (7) 53 (9)
Average low °F (°C) 33 (1) 32 (0) 35 (2) 37 (3) 42 (6) 48 (9) 51 (11) 51 (11) 48 (9) 42 (6) 39 (4) 35 (2) 41 (5)
Precipitation inch (cm) 3.8 (9.5) 2.6 (6.7) 2.3 (5.9) 2.3 (5.9) 2.6 (6.7) 3.2 (8.2) 4.1 (10.4) 3.5 (8.8) 3.9 (9.9) 3.9 (9.9) 3.7 (9.3) 4.2 (10.6) 40 (101.8)
Source: Weatherbase[3] April 2007

Warrington has been a major crossing point on the River Mersey since ancient times and there was a Roman settlement at Wilderspool. The River Mersey split the modern-day town between the Celts and Roman Empire. [4] In medieval times Warrington's importance was as a bridging point on the River Mersey, and it was a fulcrum in the English Civil War. The armies of Oliver Cromwell and the Earl of Derby both stayed near the old town centre (the parish church area). Popular legend has it that Cromwell lodged in the building which survives on Church Street as The Cottage Restaurant, though it is likely that the actual place was nearby, possibly next door. The Marquis of Granby public house bears a plaque stating that the Earl of Derby 'had his quarters near this site'. Dents in the walls of the parish church are rumoured to have been caused by the cannons used in the Civil War.

Warrington was a centre of steel (particularly wire), textiles, brewing, tanning and chemical industries.[5]

Heavy industry declined in the 1970s and 1980s but the growth of the new town around Warrington led to a great increase in employment in light industry, distribution and technology. Travel-to-work patterns are unusual, with many residents working outside the borough and many employees living elsewhere.

Main article: Warrington bomb attacks

On 20 March 1993, the IRA exploded two bombs in Warrington town centre. The blasts killed two children: three year old Jonathan Ball died instantly, and twelve year old Tim Parry died five days later in hospital. Their deaths provoked widespread condemnation of the organisation responsible. The blast followed a bomb attack a few weeks earlier on a gas storage plant in Warrington.

Tim Parry's father founded The Peace Centre (formerly the Tim Parry Jonathan Ball Peace Centre) as part of a campaign to reconcile communities in conflict. The centre opened on the seventh anniversary of the bombing in 2000.

Warrington is notable in political history for being the first place to field a candidate for the then newly-formed SDP-Liberal Alliance; former Home Secretary Roy Jenkins stood for Parliament in 1981 but lost to Labour candidate Doug Hoyle by a small number of votes.

However, many people, particularly Americans, will remember Warrington best as the location of Burtonwood RAF base, one of (if not the) largest RAF bases in England and the largest US Air Force base outside the United States. During World War II, Burtonwood was visited by major celebrities like Humphrey Bogart and Bob Hope who arrived to entertain the GIs. The base was closed in 1993.

There was a further RAF training camp at Padgate, a Royal Naval air base at Stretton and an army base at the Peninsula Barracks in O'Leary Street, now used by the Territorial Army.

Historically part of Lancashire, Warrington was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1847 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Warrington acquired county borough status on reaching a population of 50,000 in 1900. Between then and 1974, Warrington formed the County Borough of Warrington. As part of proposed local government reforms in England, in 1969 the Redcliffe-Maud Report suggested merging Warrington with either the Merseyside or Greater Manchester metropolitan counties. Lobbying by the borough council prevented this. Because Warrington would have been non-contiguous with Lancashire, under the local government reforms of 1974, Warrington, incorporating Lymm Urban District and part of Runcorn Rural District from Cheshire, and part of Warrington Rural District, was made a borough within Cheshire County Council.

On April 1, 1998 Warrington became an independent unitary authority, though it is still served by Cheshire Police and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, and forms part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes. The current borders of Warrington Borough cover the former County Borough of Warrington, Lymm Urban District, Warrington Rural District and part of Golborne Urban District, part of Runcorn Rural District and part of Whiston Rural District.

Warrington has applied unsuccessfully for city status, the most recent attempt being after the opening of the Peace Centre as a "City for Peace".

The political makeup of the borough council is as follows:

  • 6 Labour Wards: Birchwood, Burtonwood and Winwick, Latchford East, Orford, Poplars & Hulme, and Rixton & Woolston.
  • 9 Liberal Democrat Wards: Appleton, Grappenhall and Thelwall, Sankey North, Sankey South, Hatton/Stretton & Walton, Latchford West, Poulton North, Stockton Heath & Westbrook.
  • 1 Conservative ward: Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft
  • 6 "split" wards: Bewsey and Whitecross (2 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat), Fairfield & Howley (2 Labour, 1 independent), Lymm (2 Liberal Democrat, 1 Conservative), Penketh & Cuerdley (1 Conservative, 2 Labour), Poulton South (1 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat), and Whittle Hall (2 Liberal Democrat, 1 Labour)

At Westminster, Warrington is represented by two Labour Party MPs. Helen Jones representents Warrington North, and Helen Southworth represents Warrington South.

Based on ONS statistics

Warrington has a total population of 191,080, of which 49.1% are male and 50.9% are female. The average age of the population is 38.06 years, which is slightly below the regional and national averages. In the borough, the majority of people are of white ethnicity (97.9%). The key minorities are mixed race (0.6%), black ethnicity (0.2%), and Asian origin (0.8%), other racial origins account for 0.5% of the population.

As at the 2001 census (the last available data), the borough of Warrington had 80,593 households. Of this 80,593 households, 76% are owner occupied, 17.6% are rented from the council, 4.8% are rented from other sources and 1.6% of houses have residents who live rent free. Warrington has a population density of 10.7 residents per hectare, and 31.9% of residents describe the borough is a comfortably well off area, 4.3% of households are deemed overcrowded. Of the total population, 5.8% of residents are on some form of benefits.

At 2005, the borough of Warrington had 63.6% employment, with only 2.9% of all economically active people unemployed. 2.3% of the population are students in full-time higher education. 31.1% of the total population are economically inactive (due to retirement, ill health, or full-time carer status). According to borough statistics, of the population (in the Borough of Warrington in 2005). 26.9% are unqualified (either due to leaving school early or failing the end of school examinations). 46.4% have level 1 or 2 qualifications (level 1 being 1+ GCSE (A*-G)or "O" Level or equivalent, level 2 being 5+ GCSEs (grades A-C), 1+'A' levels/ AS levels (A-E) or equivalent). 19.7% have received level 3+ qualifications (meaning 2+ A-levels (A-E), 4+ AS-levels (A-E) or equivalent minimum).

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Halton and Warrington at current basic prices published (pp.240-253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional Gross Value Added[6] Agriculture[7] Industry[8] Services[9]
1995 3,636 14 1,361 2,261
2000 4,768 10 1,433 3,324
2003 5,774 18 1,399 4,356

In spite of its proximity to significant retail areas in Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and the out-of-town Trafford Centre, Warrington continues to have one of the larger shopping centres in North West England. Despite this competition, Warrington has seen an increase in its customer trade, due in part to the modernisation of the town centre. It has a shopping mall (Golden Square) first opened in 1974, which has been extended to include a Debenhams store, and a new bus station. The old Cockhedge Textile Mill was demolished and replaced by another shopping mall. The main shopping streets are Buttermarket Street, Horsemarket Street, Sankey Street and Bridge Street. Where these four streets intersect at Market Gate, there is an award-winning redevelopment with a large fountain and "guardians" (known locally as "the skittles") designed by Howard Ben Tré. The town also has a large indoor market, and several other small shopping malls, such as Hatters Row. In the surrounding modern suburbs, there are several shopping areas, from small groups of shops to malls such as Birchwood Mall. IKEA chose Warrington as the location for their first store when they came to the UK, which is located next to the large out-of-town shopping area of Gemini, which has a large Marks and Spencer (the biggest outside London) , Toys "R" Us, and Next outlets.

Warrington after the coming of the railway, 1851
Warrington after the coming of the railway, 1851
Main article: Transport in Warrington

The town has two main railway stations: Bank Quay on the London to Glasgow and Chester - Warrington - Newton-le-Willows - Manchester lines, and Central on the Liverpool - Widnes - Manchester line and the Transpennine route. Bank Quay is much altered, but Central (built 1873) is of some architectural merit, featuring polychromatic brickwork. Both main railway stations have suffered from years of underinvestment but have undergone some refurbishment. There are also railway stations in the suburbs at Padgate, Sankey and Birchwood.

The town lies close to the M62, M6 and M56 motorways and midway between Liverpool and Manchester airports.

Warrington Borough Transport, one of the few municipal bus companies to survive in public ownership, runs most bus services within the town. First Group and Arriva Northwestern provide bus links to surrounding towns and cities such as Manchester, the Trafford Centre, Liverpool, St Helens, Runcorn, Widnes and Chester. A new real-time passenger information system has been installed. A new bus station known as Warrington Interchange opened in 2006 at the Golden Square Shopping Centre.

The River Mersey runs through the heart of the town dividing it in two. There are only two main thoroughfares crossing the Mersey in Warrington: at Bridge Foot and at the Kingsway Bridge. The Manchester Ship Canal runs through the south of the town; three swing bridges and a high-level cantilever bridge provide crossing points, and another high-level crossing is planned downstream nearer to Runcorn. Although shipping movements on the ship canal are far less frequent than in years past, they can cause severe delay to local road traffic. The picturesque Bridgewater Canal runs through the borough from the scenic village of Lymm to Walton Hall and Gardens, a local park/leisure area.

Warrington has a concert hall (the Parr Hall), an arts centre (the Pyramid), a museum, an art gallery, and various public libraries throughout the borough. Warrington Central Library was the first rate-supported library in the UK. The Victorian swimming baths closed in July 2003. There is a cinema at Westbrook, and another is being considered as part of a town centre redevelopment. There are several parks (see also Parks in Warrington) and designated nature reserves at Woolston Eyes, Risley Moss, Rixton Claypits, and Paddington Meadows. There is also ten-pin bowling located at Winwick Quay, and indoor paintball. An indoor karting centre is located near to Bank Quay. A Laser Quest arena and a snooker club can also be found in Warrington, both located close to the town centre. Gulliver's Theme Park is located in Old Hall.

A number of festivals, carnivals, and walking days are held annually in the Warrington area. Warrington Walking Day - originally a Sunday School festival - is held on the closest Friday to the last day of June, and the town centre is closed to traffic as churches walk together through the streets.[10]

Other festivals, besides the many walking days, include:

Warrington also has many musical groups, including Warrington Male Voice Choir and the North Cheshire Wind Orchestra.

The town's premier sports team is the Warrington Wolves[1] Rugby League club, nicknamed "The Wire" because of Warrington's history of wire making. The club moved in 2003 to the Halliwell Jones Stadium, leaving its home for over a century, Wilderspool. Football is represented by Warrington Town FC[2] at Cantilever Park, next to the Manchester Ship Canal. Warrington Athletic Club are based at Victoria Park, where a new eight-lane synthetic track was built in 1998, after the original track was destroyed in a fire the previous year. Warrington Wasps are the representative Basketball team for the 12 Secondary Schools in Warrington.[3]

Speedway racing, then known as Dirt Track racing was staged in Warrington in the pioneer era from 1928 to 1930. The track entered a team in the 1929 English Dirt Track League and the 1930 Northern league. Efforts to revive the venue in 1947 failed to materialise.

Sir Thomas Boteler High School
Sir Thomas Boteler High School

Warrington is home to two colleges: Priestley Sixth Form and Community College, and Warrington Collegiate. The University of Chester has a campus at Padgate that was formerly part of Warrington Collegiate. Most of the high schools have their own post-16 provision (sixth-form).

There are high schools throughout the borough. They are located in: Birchwood, Culcheth, Appleton (known as Bridgewater High School Warrington), two in Latchford (Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School and Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic High School), Sankey, Lymm, Padgate, Penketh, Westbrook (St. Gregory's Roman Catholic High School), Orford (William Beamont High School), and Woolston[11]. There are also 74 primary schools in the borough, all of which feed into at least one of the above.[12].

Warrington town hall and gates
Warrington town hall and gates

Sites of interest in Warrington include:

  • The Town Hall (and its golden gates), formerly a private residence, Bank Hall (built 1750). [13]
  • The Academy, a dissenters' institute where Joseph Priestley taught and which is now, after being moved from its original location, the offices of a local newspaper.
  • "Cromwell's Cottage" (17th century), which Oliver Cromwell is said to have visited.
  • The 14th century Parish Church of St Elphin, largely a Victorian rebuild with a 281-foot spire, the sixth largest in the UK.
  • St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, Grade I listed medieval church.
  • St Oswald's Church, Winwick, Grade I listed medieval church.
  • Holy Trinity Church, 1758, Grade II* listed Georgian church at Market Gate.
  • St Ann's Church, 1869, Grade II* church designed by John Douglas, now a rock climbing centre.
  • The row of late Victorian terracotta shops on Bridge Street.[14]
  • The Woolworth's Building in Sankey Street (at least the upper storeys).
  • The Art Deco style Mr Smith's nightclub which was originally a large cinema.
  • The industrial modernist Unilever Soapworks.
  • The Cheshire Lines railway warehouse, now redeveloped as apartments.
  • The Warrington Transporter Bridge, a listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[15].
  • The Barley Mow, established in 1561, the oldest pub in Warrington.
  • The Parr Hall, home to one of the few remaining Cavaillé-Coll organs.
  • Fiddlers Ferry Power Station
  • Bewsey Old Hall, a rebuilt medieval manor.
  • IKEA store which is located near the Gemini retail park. The first of the IKEA chain to be built in the UK. [16]

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

  1. ^ Warrington Borough Council. Retrieval Date: 16 August, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Gary Jenkins (Senior Communications Officer, Warrington Borough Council). "Tribute to famous Warringtonian Joseph Priestley". Warrington Borough Council Smartnews. NB: In addition to verifying the notability of J Priestley, this reference demonstrates the use of the term Warringtonian.
  3. ^ Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Penketh, Warrington, UK (English). Weatherbase (2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
  4. ^ .Hinchcliffe J & Williams J H, ROMAN WARRINGTON: Excavations at Wilderspool 1966 - 9 & 1976,Brigantia Monograph No 2, Manchester University 1992
  5. ^ Rylands, Rylands of Warrington, 1805-1955: The Story of Rylands Brothers Limited, Harley Publishing, 1956
  6. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  7. ^ includes energy and construction
  8. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
  9. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  10. ^ Forrest David, Warrington Walking Day: A Brief History
  11. ^ from Warrington Borough Council's Community Information Resource
  12. ^ Count from Warrington Borough Council's community Information resource
  13. ^ Town Hall Guide. Warrington Borough Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  14. ^ [http://www.warrington.gov.uk/Images/6_Bridge_St_tcm31-3124.pdf Bridge Street Conservation Area]. Warrington Borough Council (2000). Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  15. ^ English Heritage
  16. ^ Ikea: The History. The Guardian (2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
  17. ^ George Duckworth player profile. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  18. ^ Neil Fairbrother player profile. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.

v • d • e
The Borough of Warrington, Cheshire
Principal Settlements Warrington
Civil Parishes Appleton • Birchwood • Burtonwood and Westbrook • Croft • Cuerdley • Culcheth and Glazebury • Grappenhall and Thelwall • Great Sankey • Hatton • Lymm • Penketh • Poulton-with-Fearnhead • Rixton-with-Glazebrook • Stockton Heath • Stretton • Walton • Winwick • Woolston
Unparished Areas Warrington
v • d • e
Ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire Portal
Unitary authorities Halton • Warrington
Boroughs or districts Chester • Congleton • Crewe and Nantwich • Ellesmere Port and Neston • Macclesfield • Vale Royal
Cities and towns Alsager • Bollington • Birchwood • Chester • Congleton • Crewe • Ellesmere Port • Frodsham • Knutsford • Macclesfield • Middlewich • Nantwich • Neston • Northwich • Runcorn • Sandbach • Warrington • Widnes • Wilmslow • Winsford
See also: List of civil parishes in Cheshire
v • d • e
Flag of England Districts of North West England

Allerdale • Barrow-in-Furness • Blackburn with Darwen • Blackpool • Bolton • Burnley • Bury • Carlisle • Chester • Chorley • Congleton • Copeland • Crewe and Nantwich • Eden • Ellesmere Port and Neston • Fylde • Halton • Hyndburn • Knowsley • Lancaster • Liverpool • Macclesfield • Manchester • Oldham • Pendle • Preston • Ribble Valley • Rochdale • Rossendale • St Helens • Salford • Sefton • South Lakeland • South Ribble • Stockport • Tameside • Trafford • Vale Royal • Warrington • West Lancashire • Wigan • Wirral • Wyre
Counties with multiple districts: Cheshire • Cumbria • Greater Manchester • Lancashire • Merseyside

Coordinates: 53.38732° N 2.60288° W

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrington"
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