Pictures of Northwich

About Northwich

The fortunes of this exceedingly attractive town have for centuries been founded on the production of salt. Northwich sits above Cheshire's vast rock-salt beds, appropriately the town motto, Sal est Vita (Salt is Life) has been worked into its coat of arms, for salt mining in the area goes back to Roman times. Today, it remains the only town in Britain producing salt on a massive scale, and tourists to the town can explore its rich salt heritage at Northwich Salt Museum.

Three waterways dominate this town, these are the Weaver, the Dane and the Trent and Mersey Canal. All offer opportunities for fishing, boating and for enjoying the wildlife of the area.

Northwich is fortunate to have a wealth of black and white timber-frame buildings, some of these go back several centuries and include noted coaching inns. At the centre of the town a four storey gabled building housed the old post office, and the Brunner Public Library was given to the town by Sir John Brunner in 1887, this is a delightful noted timber building which was rebuilt early in the 20th-century following subsidence damage. Winnington Hall has timber framing from the 16th and 17th-centuries, with restoration work of 1780 when the front was rebuilt, there is further restoration work of the early part of the 20th-century.

St.Mary's Church occupies a building from a Cistercian Abbey of 1277, whilst St.Helen's Church dates back to the 15th-century, here you can see glorious windows, walls of glass and an impressive war memorial to the dead of World War I.

Visitors to the town should take the opportunity to explore the town's Water Heritage Trail, along here you will find an Edwardian Pumping Station, this opened in 1913, it is now a Grade II listed building. On show are fully restored pumps and gas powered engines.

There is an excellent shopping centre with a market hall built in 1967 to replace the old Victorian market hall. The present hall has stalls, shops, cafe's and there is a cheerful open air market held during the week.

Northwich sits close to the beautiful Delamere forest, therefore it has many "natural" open spaces these include Marbury Country Park. Recently the town has won an award for the development of its woodland areas.

Of the town's attractions, one of the most popular is Northwich's "Thundersprint" this colourful event is held annually, and regularly attracts enthusiasts numbering 100,000 plus, making Northwich a centre for Classic Motorcycle Sprint Racing.

Northwich has to be one of Cheshire's most attractive town's, as such it makes an ideal place to tarry whilst exploring the sights and sounds of an area steeped in a rich social and industrial heritage. The River Mersey with it famous historic sites is easily accessible from Northwich, so too is the Peak District National Park with its abundance of stunning limestone villages, peaks and Caverns. A little further north lies Manchester which has an amazing range of attractions including its majestic cathedral.