View source for Northwich

{{Short description|Town in Cheshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name        = {{multiple images|perrow=2|total_width=300px|align=center|border=infobox
|image1= The River Weaver in Northwich - geograph.org.uk - 4802689.jpg |caption1= The [[River Weaver]]
|image2= Witton Street, Northwich - geograph.org.uk - 5541434.jpg |caption2= Witton Street
|image3= Control room, Hayhurst Swingbridge, Northwich - geograph.org.uk - 5159882.jpg |caption3= Hayhurst Swingbridge
|image4= The Salt Museum, Northwich - geograph.org.uk - 1805263.jpg |caption4= The [[Salt Museum, Northwich|Salt Museum]]
|image5= St. Helen Witton parish church - geograph.org.uk - 5966591.jpg |caption5 = [[St Helen Witton Church, Northwich|St Helen Witton Church]]
|image6= High Street, Northwich (2).JPG |caption6= High Street
}}
| official_name           = Northwich
| country                 = England
| region                  = North West England
|population_ref           = 22,726 (Parish, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich parish |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/admin/cheshire_west_and_chester/E04012556__northwich/ |website=City Population |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref><br>{{nowrap|18,640 (Built up area, 2021)<ref name=bua>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
| os_grid_reference        = SJ651733
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.259|-2.518|display=inline,title}}
| post_town                = NORTHWICH
| postcode_area            = CW
| postcode_district        = CW8, CW9
| dial_code                = 01606
| constituency_westminster = [[Mid Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Cheshire]]
| civil_parish              = Northwich
| unitary_england           = [[Cheshire West and Chester]]
| lieutenancy_england       = [[Cheshire]]
| website                   = {{URL|northwichtowncouncil.gov.uk}}
| parts_type               = Villages and suburbs of the town
 | p1                      = [[Anderton, Cheshire|Anderton]]
 | p2                      = [[Belmont, Cheshire|Belmont]] (Ward)
 | p3                      = [[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]]
 | p4                      = [[Broken Cross, Cheshire|Broken Cross]]
 | p5                      = [[Castle, Northwich|Castle]] (Ward)
 | p6                      = [[Davenham]]
 | p7                      = [[Greenbank, Northwich|Greenbank]] (Ward)
 | p8                      = [[Hartford, Cheshire|Hartford]]
 | p9                      = [[Hartfordbeach]]
 | p10                    = [[Leftwich]] (Ward)
 | p11                    = [[Lostock Gralam]]
 | p12                    = [[Lostock Green]]
 | p13                    = [[Mere Heath]]
 | p14                    = [[Moulton, Cheshire|Moulton]]
 | p15                    = [[Rudheath]]
 | p16                    = [[Weaverham]]
 | p17                    = [[Wincham]]
 | p18                    = [[Winnington]] (Ward)
 | p19                    = [[Witton, Northwich|Witton]] (Ward)
}}
'''Northwich''' is a market town and [[civil parish]] in the [[Cheshire West and Chester]] borough of [[Cheshire]], [[England]]. It lies on the [[Cheshire Plain]], at the confluence of the rivers [[River Weaver|Weaver]] and [[River Dane|Dane]], {{convert|18|mi}} east of [[Chester]], {{convert|15|mi}} south of [[Warrington]], {{convert|19|mi}} south of [[Manchester]], {{convert|69|mi}} north of [[Birmingham]], and {{convert|36|mi}} south of [[Liverpool]]. The population of the parish was 22,726 at the [[2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses|2021 census]].

The area around Northwich was exploited for its [[salt pan (evaporation)|salt pan]]s by the [[Roman Britain|Romans]], when the settlement was known as [[History of Northwich|''Condate'']]. The town had been severely affected by salt mining and [[subsidence]] was historically a significant problem. Mine stabilisation work was completed in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N1KBIV4VEfVGlT8oVtX06VM8blv1JK4s/view |title=Northwich Neighbourhood Plan 2017–2030: Referendum Version |publisher=Northwich Town Council/Cheshire West and Chester |page=14 |date=March 2018 |access-date=3 May 2019 }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Northwich}}

===Early history===
During [[Roman Britain|Roman times]], Northwich was known as ''Condate'', thought to be a [[Latinisation of names|Latinisation]] of a [[Common Brittonic|Brittonic]] [[Celtic placenames|name]] meaning "Confluence". There are [[Condate (disambiguation)|several other sites of the same name]]<!--intentional link to DAB page-->, mostly in [[Gaul|France]]; in Northwich's case, it lies at the junction of the rivers Dane and Weaver.<ref name="survey">{{cite book |last1=Shaw |first1=Mike |last2=Clark |first2=Jo |title=Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Northwich Archaeological Assessment |date=2003 |publisher=Cheshire County Council |location=Chester |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-1610-1/dissemination/pdf/HTS_Archaeological_Assessments/Vale_Royal/HTS_Arch_Assess_Northwich.pdf |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>

Northwich can be identified through two contemporary Roman documents. The first of these is the [[Antonine Itinerary]], a 3rd-century road map split into 14 sections. Two of these sections, or Itinerary, mention Condate: Route II ("the route from the [[Hadrian's Wall|Wall]] to the port of [[Rutupiae]]") and Route X ("the route from [[Ravenglass|Glannoventa]] to [[Mediolanum (Whitchurch)|Mediolanum]]").<ref name="roman-britain">{{cite web |url=http://www.roman-britain.co.uk/places/condate/ |website=Roman-Britain.co.uk |title=Northwich (Condate) Roman Fort}}</ref> The second document is the 7th-century ''[[Ravenna Cosmography]]''; it refers to Condate between the entries for [[Salt in Cheshire|Salinae]] (now [[Middlewich]], Cheshire) and [[Ratae Corieltauvorum|Ratae]] (now [[Leicester]], [[Leicestershire]]), at the time the capital of the [[Corieltauvi]] [[list of Celtic tribes|tribe]].<ref name="roman-britain"/>

The Romans' interest in the Northwich area is thought to be due to the strategic river crossing and the location of the [[Salt in Cheshire|salt brines]].<ref name="survey"/> Salt was very important in Roman society;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saltsense.co.uk/history04.htm |title=History: Romans |work=The Salt Manufacturers Association |access-date=3 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920111309/http://www.saltsense.co.uk/history04.htm |archive-date=20 September 2008}}</ref> the Roman word ''salarium'', linked employment, salt and soldiers, but the exact link is unclear. It is also theorised that this is the basis for the modern word ''[[salary]]''. Another theory is that the word ''soldier'' itself comes from the Latin ''sal dare'' (to give salt). There is archaeological evidence of a Roman [[castra|auxiliary fort]] within the area of Northwich, now known as "Castle", dated to AD&nbsp;70.<ref name="survey"/>  This, and other north-western forts, were built as the Romans moved north from their stronghold in Chester.<ref name="survey"/>

The association with salt continues in the [[etymology]] of Northwich. The "wich" (or "wych") suffix applies to other towns in the area: Middlewich, [[Nantwich]] and [[Leftwich]]. This is considered to have been derived from the [[Old Norse language|Norse]], ''wic'' for bay, and is associated with the more traditional method of obtaining salt by evaporating sea water. Therefore, a place for making salt became a ''wych-house''; Northwich was the most northern of the [[-wich town]]s in Cheshire.<ref>{{cite book |title=Words and Places, Or, Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology, and Geography |last=Taylor |first=Isaac |year=1864 |publisher=Macmillan |url=https://archive.org/details/wordsandplaceso00unkngoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/wordsandplaceso00unkngoog/page/n618 578]}}</ref>

===Medieval to early modern===
The existence of Northwich in the early medieval period is shown by its record in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086:<ref>{{cite book |title=A General Introduction to Domesday Book |publisher=G. Eyre & A. Spottiswoode |last=Ellis |first=Henry |pages = 543 |year=1833 |url= https://archive.org/details/ageneralintrodu01commgoog |access-date=2 September 2008}}</ref>

{{quote|In the same Mildestuic hundred, there was a third wich called Norwich [Northwich] and it was at farm for £8.<br />
There were the same laws and customs there as there were in the other wiches and the king and the earl similarly divided the renders.<br />
...&nbsp;All the other customs in these wiches are the same.<br />
This was waste when (Earl) Hugh received it; it is now worth 35s.|Henry Ellis|''A General Introduction to Domesday Book''}}

The [[manorialism|manor]] of Northwich belonged to the [[Earl of Chester|Earls of Chester]] until 1237, when the family line died out. Subsequently, Northwich became a royal manor and was given to a noble family to collect tolls in exchange for a set rent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/cheshire-towns4.html |title=Cheshire Townships, Cities & Major Villages |website=Manchester UK |access-date=2 September 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612144556/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/cheshire-towns4.html |archive-date=12 June 2008}}</ref>

The [[Cheshire archers]] were a body of élite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow, who fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include [[Battle of Agincourt|Agincourt]] and [[Crécy]]; many of these archers hailed from the Northwich Hundred. [[Richard II]] employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the [[Macclesfield Hundred]] and the forest districts of Cheshire.

That salt production continued throughout the centuries and can be seen through [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]]'s description of the town in 1540:<ref>{{cite book |last=Crossley |first=Fred H. |title=Cheshire |year=1949}}</ref>

{{quote|Northwich is a pratie market town but fowle,<br />
and by the Salters houses be great stakes of smaul cloven wood,<br />
to seethe the salt water that thei make white salt of.|cited in Fred H. Crossley|''Cheshire''}}

Between 1642 and 1643, during the [[English Civil War]], Northwich was fortified and garrisoned by [[Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet|Sir William Brereton]] for the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarians]].<ref name="survey"/>

The salt beds beneath Northwich were rediscovered in the 1670s by employees of the local Smith-Barry family.<ref name="WoodlandsHistory">{{cite web |title=History of the Northwich Woodlands |website=Northwich Community Woodlands |url=http://www.northwichwoodlands.org.uk/about/history.shtml |access-date=4 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106210026/http://www.northwichwoodlands.org.uk/about/history.shtml |archive-date=6 January 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Smith-Barrys were looking for coal, but instead discovered [[rock salt]], in the grounds of the family home, [[Marbury Hall, Anderton with Marbury|Marbury Hall]] (since demolished) to the north of Northwich.

===19th century===
[[File:salt museum northwich.jpg|left|thumb|Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse]]

During the 19th century, it became uneconomical to mine for the salt; instead, hot water was pumped through the mines, which dissolved the salt.<ref name="WoodlandsHistory"/> The resultant brine was pumped out, from which the salt was extracted. This technique weakened the mines and led to land [[subsidence]] as they collapsed. Subsidence affected the town and the surrounding landscape.<ref name="WoodlandsHistory"/> For example, collapses in 1880 formed Witton Flash as the River Weaver flowed into a huge hole caused by subsidence.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C8C9D211-8A2F-44AF-93C4-9BBAEB8B6B20/0/Project1.pdf |title=Northwich Woodlands |website=Cheshire County Council |access-date=4 September 2008}}{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Subsidence also allegedly accounts for many old [[timber framing|timber-framed]] houses in the town centre, which were better able to withstand the movement of the ground. Some houses were built on a base of steel girders that could be jacked up to level the house with each change in the underlying ground. The town's historical link with the salt industry is celebrated in its the Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, which is now in the old [[workhouse]].

In 1874, [[John Brunner, 1st Baronet|John Brunner]] and [[Ludwig Mond]] founded [[Brunner Mond]] in Winnington and started manufacturing [[sodium carbonate|soda ash]] using the [[Solvay process|Solvay]] ammonia-soda process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brunnermond.com/about_history.aspx |work=Brunner Mond website |title=History of Brunner Mond |access-date=2 September 2008}}</ref> This process used salt as a main raw material. The chemical industry used the subsided land for the disposal of waste from the manufacture of [[sodium carbonate|soda-ash]]. The waste was transported through a network of cranes and rails to the produce ''limebeds''. This was a dangerous alkaline substance and caused the landscape to be abandoned as unusable.

==Modern development==
[[File:Marbury park.jpg|thumb|right|Marbury Country Park]]
In 1975, [[Marbury Country Park]] was the first area to be reclaimed from dereliction and has become a popular recreational area. In 1987, more land was reclaimed to form Furey Wood and over later years, [[Cheshire County Council]]'s Land Regeneration Unit reclaimed what is now known as Anderton Nature Park, Witton Flash, Dairy House Meadows, Witton Mill Meadows, and Ashton's and Neumann's Flashes. The area now extends to approximately {{convert|323|ha|order=flip}} of public space known as [[Northwich Community Woodlands]].<ref name="WoodlandsHistory"/>

In February 2004, a £28 million programme to stabilise the abandoned salt mines underneath Northwich began.<ref name="stable">{{cite web |title=£28 million funding approved for Northwich salt mines |website=English Partnerships |url=http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerID=11750EEGsFUgTbd7hmO1FbHCnFxrdyY2 |access-date=5 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609234356/http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/page.aspx?pointerid=11750EEGsFUgTbd7hmO1FbHCnFxrdyY2 |archive-date=9 June 2007}}</ref>  The work was funded by the [[English Partnerships]] through its ''Land Stabilisation Programme'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/lsp.htm |website=English Partnerships |title=Land Stabilisation Programme |access-date=4 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917180841/http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/lsp.htm |archive-date=17 September 2008}}</ref> introduced to resolve issues associated with unstable mines around England.

The four mines identified for work were Baron's Quay, Witton Bank, Neumann's and Penny's Lane. These mines were chosen because their subsidence was causing problems for the town centre. The stabilisation plan involved removing millions of litres of brine from the four mines and replacing it with a mixture of [[Pulverised Fuel Ash|pulverised fuel ash]] (PFA), [[cement]] and salt. The project was completed in late 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwichvision.org/intranet/nv.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOCE078A5272A1B9A22802573FE0035F815 |title=Northwich's Salt Mines Have Been Stabilised |website=Northwich Vision |access-date=4 September 2008 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

The old Magistrates Court and Memorial Hall have been demolished and been replaced by ''Memorial Court'', a £12.5 million cultural and leisure centre, which offers a pool, dance studios and a gym.

The £80 million Barons Quay Development, a retail and leisure complex, opened in 2016 and has seen the creation of more than {{convert|300,000|sqft}} of shopping space, together with a large supermarket with a petrol filling station, cinema, restaurants, cafés, new public spaces and car parking. As of January 2023, roughly half of the retail space remains empty.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rivingtonhark.com/projects/barons-quay-northwich/ |title=Baron's Quay |website=Rivington's Hark |access-date=19 Jan 2023}}</ref>

A major fire occurred at the Northwich Outdoor Market on 3 January 2020. The market's remains were quickly demolished and, so far, there are no plans to rebuild it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-50982213 |title=Crews tackle fire at Northwich Outdoor Market |publisher=BBC News |date=3 January 2020 |access-date=6 January 2020}}</ref>

==Governance==
There are two tiers of local government covering Northwich, at [[civil parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: Northwich Town Council and [[Cheshire West and Chester Council]]. The town council is based at 78 Church Road.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich Town Council |url=https://www.northwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/ |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref> Cheshire West and Chester Council also has an area office at the Memorial Court building on Chester Way.<ref>{{cite web |title=Other ways to access Council services |url=https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/contact-us/other-ways-to-access-council-services |website=Cheshire West and Chester Council |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref> For national elections, Northwich is part of the [[Mid Cheshire]] constituency.<ref name=electionmaps>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=24 February 2025}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
At the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday survey]] in 1086, Northwich was in the [[Hundred (country subdivision)|hundred]] of Middlewich. By the 14th century, it had become part of the [[Hundreds of Cheshire|Northwich hundred]]. This probably happened during the reorganisation of the hundreds in the 12th century.<ref name="survey"/> Northwich was described as a [[ancient borough|borough]] in the late 13th century, but it had no [[municipal charter]], and borough status for the town did not endure.<ref name="survey"/>

The town formed part of the [[ancient parish]] of [[Great Budworth]]. The parish was subdivided into numerous [[Township (England)|townships]], including a Northwich township of just {{convert|13|acre|ha}} at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, corresponding to the medieval core of the town.<ref>{{cite book |title=Book of Reference to the Plan of the Parish of Great Budworth |date=1877 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |location=London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Book_of_Reference_to_the_Plan_of_the_Par/P9MHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA16-PP11&printsec=frontcover |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref> The neighbouring townships were Castle Northwich to the south-west, [[Winnington]] to the north-west, and [[Witton cum Twambrooks]] to the east, all of which also formed part of Great Budworth parish. To the south was the township of [[Leftwich]], which formed part of the parish of [[Davenham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet XXXIV |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102341056 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=27 February 2025 |date=1882}}</ref><ref name="Kellys1896">''Kelly's Directory of Cheshire'' (1896), p.409</ref>

[[File:St Helen Witton Church, Northwich (5).JPG|thumb|left|[[St Helen Witton Church, Northwich|St Helen's Church]]]]
[[St Helen Witton Church, Northwich|St Helen's Church]] was built in 14th century at Witton to serve as a [[chapel of ease]] for the southern townships of Great Budworth parish.<ref name=StHelenNHLE>{{NHLE|desc=Church of St Helen|num=1329880|grade=I}}</ref> In 1723, St Helen's was assigned a parochial [[chapelry]] district and given its own clergy, effectively separating it from Great Budworth for most ecclesiastical purposes. The Witton chapelry initially covered the townships of Birches, Castle Northwich, [[Hartford, Cheshire|Hartford]], Hulse, [[Lach Dennis]], [[Lostock Gralam]], Northwich, Winnington, Witton cum Twambrooks, and part of [[Rudheath]].<ref name=Kelly1914>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Cheshire |date=1914 |page=504 |url=https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/235701/rec/3 |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=Youngs/> The chapelry was gradually reduced in area as more churches were built. The ecclesiastical separation from Great Budworth was confirmed in 1900, at which point the chapelry was renamed "St Helen Witton, otherwise Northwich".<ref name=Youngs>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0 86193 127 0 |page=42}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27219|page=4939|date=10 August 1900}}</ref>

From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the [[poor laws]], in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Great Budworth and Davenham, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the townships also became [[civil parish]]es, which therefore diverged from the [[ecclesiastical parish]]es.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref>

During 1863, the Northwich and Witton cum Twambrooks townships were each made [[Local Government Act 1858|local government districts]], administered by separate local boards.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22748|page=3241|date=26 June 1863}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22763|page=4103|date=18 August 1863}}</ref> The two districts were merged into a single Northwich district in 1875, which also took in the whole of the Castle Northwich township and parts of the townships of Hartford, Leftwich and Winnington.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 3) Act 1875 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/38-39/76/pdfs/ukla_18750076_en.pdf |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=27 February 2025 |page=15}}</ref> Such local government districts were reconstituted as [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] under the [[Local Government Act 1894]].<ref name=Kelly1914/> Also in 1894, the parishes within the district were united into a single civil parish of Northwich matching the district.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1895 |page=238 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/gFIwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA238&printsec=frontcover |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Church Road, Northwich (1).JPG|thumb|Former Council House, Church Road: Northwich Urban District Council's headquarters 1913–1974]]
Northwich Urban District Council took over the former Northwich Grammar School buildings (built 1878) on Church Road after the school relocated in 1908.<ref name="survey"/> The building was converted to become the council's offices and meeting place and renamed the Council House, opening in 1913.<ref>{{cite news |title=Northwich Council and the public: Proposed admission to the meetings |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0001975%2F19130124&page=7 |access-date=28 February 2025 |work=Northwich Guardian |date=24 January 1913 |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Jottings |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0001975%2F19130516&page=6 |access-date=28 February 2025 |work=Northwich Guardian |date=16 May 1913 |page=6}}</ref> The urban district was enlarged in 1936 by the addition of parts of Winnington, [[Lostock Gralam]], [[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]], Leftwich and [[Rudheath]]; then again in 1955, when parts of [[Davenham]], Hartford, Rudheath and Whatcroft were added.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich Urban District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10027548 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref> The urban district council was granted a [[coat of arms]] in 1962,  which features the [[Latin]] [[motto]] "Sal est Vita", meaning ''Salt is Life''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich Town Council |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/north_west.html#northwich%20tc |website=Civic Heraldry |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref>

Northwich Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The area became part of the new district (borough after 1988) of [[Vale Royal]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=6 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=6 September 2022}}</ref> A [[successor parish]] called Northwich covering the area of the former urban district was created, with its parish council taking the name Northwich Town Council.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973|year=1973|number=1110|access-date=1 November 2024}}</ref> The former urban district council's coat of arms was transferred to the new town council.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Authorities (Armorial Bearings) Order 1974|year=1974|number=869|access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref>

In 2009, Cheshire West and Chester Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and [[Cheshire County Council]], which were both abolished.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008|year=2008|number=634|access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref>

Between 1885 and 1983, Northwich gave its name to the [[Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Northwich parliamentary constituency]].

==Geography==
[[File:Northwich in vale royal.png|left|thumb|Northwich Town Council, in the former Vale Royal borough]]

Northwich is situated in the Cheshire Plain at co-ordinates h{{coord|53|15|20|N|2|31|20|W|type:city}} (53.255, −2.522). The town lies between {{convert|15|and|35|m|ft|0}} above mean sea level.<ref name="survey"/> The town is surrounded by the following [[civil parishes]], starting due north and proceeding in a clockwise direction: [[Anderton with Marbury]], [[Marston, Cheshire|Marston]], Wincham, [[Lostock Gralam]], [[Rudheath]], [[Davenham]], Hartford, [[Weaverham]] and [[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]].

Two rivers meet in the town centre: the rivers Weaver and Dane. The town is surrounded by undulating [[pasture]]. Subsidence and the collapse of underground saltworks has created [[Flash (lake)|flashes]]<ref>{{cite web |quotation='A pool, a marshy place': also later (1883),'Flash (Cheshire), a subsidence of the surface due to the working of rock salt and pumping of brine.' |title=Flash |publisher=[[OED]]|edition=2nd |date=1989 |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/71130 |access-date=12 February 2012}}</ref> and there are also local [[mere (lake)|meres]]; for example, to the north is [[Budworth Mere]] and to the north-east is [[Pick Mere]].<ref name="survey"/>

{{clear}}

{{Northwich weatherbox}}

==Demographics==
The Northwich urban area is defined in different ways by different authorities.

For [[town planning]] purposes, Cheshire West and Chester Council's Local Plan identifies a 'Northwich settlement area' which also includes [[Anderton with Marbury|Anderton]], [[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]], [[Davenham]], [[Hartford, Cheshire|Hartford]], [[Lostock Gralam]], [[Marston, Cheshire|Lower Marston]], [[Wincham|Lower Wincham]], [[Rudheath]], and [[Weaverham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Plan (Part Two): Land Allocations and Detailed Policies |url=https://consult.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/kse/event/34617 |publisher=Cheshire West and Chester Council |access-date=26 February 2025 |page=46 |date=2019}}</ref>

The Northwich Neighbourhood Plan (2018) records a population figure of 53,391 for the urban area at the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]], derived from combining the populations of the parishes of Northwich, [[Anderton with Marbury]], Barnton, Davenham, Hartford, [[Kingsmead, Cheshire|Kingsmead]], Lostock Gralam, Rudheath, Weaverham and [[Wincham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich Neighbourhood Plan |url=https://www.northwichtowncouncil.gov.uk/northwich-neighbourhood-plan/ |publisher=Northwich Town Council |access-date=26 February 2025 |page=19 |date=2018}}</ref> At the 2021 census, the same group of parishes had a combined population of 58,950.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheshire West and Chester - with parishes |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/admin/E06000050__cheshire_west_and_chester/ |website=City Population |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref>

Following the 2011 census, the [[Office for National Statistics]] (ONS) defined a Northwich built up area with a population of 47,421,<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2011: Usual resident population |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew |website=NOMIS |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=25 February 2025}} (Use the download facility to obtain the data for built up areas and built up areas including subdivisions.)</ref> divided into two built up area subdivisions of Northwich (population 45,471)<ref>{{cite web |title=Northwich Built-up area sub division |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2011_ks/report?compare=E35001340 |website=NOMIS |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref> and Lostock Gralam (population 1,950).<ref>{{cite web |title=Lostock Gralam Built-up area sub division |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2011_ks/report?compare=E35000263 |website=NOMIS |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref>

For the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], the ONS defined a much smaller built up area for Northwich, with a population of 18,640. Areas which had been part of the Northwich built up area in 2011 have been classed as separate built up areas in 2021, including Barnton (population 6,255), Davenham (13,835), and Hartford (6,695). Weaverham, although classed as part of the Northwich settlement or urban area in the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan, was not included in the ONS definitions of the built up area in either 2011 or 2021.<ref name=bua/>

The population of Northwich in 1664 has been estimated as 560;<ref name="survey"/> over the last 200 years, it has been:

{| class="wikitable" style="border:0px;text-align:center;line-height:120%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|+Population of Northwich since 1801<ref>The totals shown are for Northwich township (1801–1871), Northwich Local Board (1881–1891), Northwich Urban District (1901–1971) and Northwich Civil Parish (1981–2001). There were changes to the boundaries of these areas in 1873, 1936 and 1955, which affected the subsequent census figures</ref>
|-
! Year
! 1801
! 1811
! 1821
! 1831
! 1841
! 1851
! 1861
! 1871
! 1881
! 1891
! 1901
! 1911
! 1921
! 1931
! 1951
! 1961
! 1971
! 1981
! 1991
! 2001
! 2011
|- Align="center"
! Population
| 1,338
| 1,382
| 1,490
| 1,481
| 1,368
| 1,377
| 1,190
| 1,244
| 12,256
| 14,914
| 17,611
| 18,151
| 18,381
| 18,732
| 17,489
| 19,592
| 18,136
| 17,098
| 18,316
| 19,259
| 19,924
|-
| colspan="22" style="text-align:center;"|Sources:<ref name="survey"/><ref name="census">{{cite web |title=Parish Headcounts: Northwich CP |website=National Statistics |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do;jsessionid=ac1f930cce66e21ccbb56c24277bcb1957157785a0b.e38Qa3mPbh4Kai0LaxqMbhqSaxyQe6fznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy?a=3&b=792700&c=northwich&d=16&e=15&g=429415&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779&bhcp=1 |access-date=5 December 2006 |archive-date=28 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828233940/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do;jsessionid=ac1f930cce66e21ccbb56c24277bcb1957157785a0b.e38Qa3mPbh4Kai0LaxqMbhqSaxyQe6fznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy?a=3&b=792700&c=northwich&d=16&e=15&g=429415&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779&bhcp=1 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/northwich.html | title=Cheshire Parishes: Northwich |website=Ukbmd.org.uk |access-date=31 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=11127124&c=northwich&d=16&e=62&g=6408923&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1402583768760&enc=1 |title= Key Figures for 2011 Census |access-date=12 June 2014 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152116/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=11127124&c=northwich&d=16&e=62&g=6408923&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1402583768760&enc=1 |url-status= dead}}</ref>
|}
{{clear}}

[[File:northwich population.gif|right|thumb|Northwich population]]

==Economy==
[[File:Northwich - Winnington Works.jpg|thumb|right|The former ICI Winnington Works seen from the Anderton Boat Lift in 1992]]

Northwich has been described by Leland as having a [[market (place)|market]] since at least 1535,<ref name="survey"/> but there is no surviving charter. The town still has a market today, which is earmarked for refurbishment as part of the ''Northwich Vision'' plans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwichvision.org/intranet/nv.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOCDCC9424A591256278025733D003B6EEC | title=Development Areas |website=Northwich Vision |access-date=2 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121003726/http://www.northwichvision.org/intranet/nv.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOCDCC9424A591256278025733D003B6EEC |archive-date=21 November 2008}}</ref>

The town's economy was dominated by the salt industry. However, a list of tolls for goods crossing over Northwich bridge in 1353 shows goods coming into the town, including a wide range of carcasses, fleeces, hides and skins, cloth, fish, alcoholic drinks, dairy products, building materials, household goods, metals and glass, and millstones. This indicates a much wider economic base to medieval Northwich than just the salt trade.<ref name="survey"/> Documentary evidence also exists for a [[gristmill|mill]] from 1332 onwards and there is evidence for more than one mill from 1343.<ref name="survey"/>

Allied to the extraction of salt was a bulk chemical industry, which became concentrated at the three [[Imperial Chemical Industries|ICI]] sites at Winnington, Wallerscote and Lostock. The first industrially practical method for producing [[polythene]] was accidentally discovered at the [[Winnington Laboratory]] in 1933.<ref name="polythene">{{cite web |title=Winnington history in the making |website=This is Cheshire |url=http://archive.thisischeshire.co.uk/2006/8/23/275808.html |access-date=5 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121071050/http://archive.thisischeshire.co.uk/2006/8/23/275808.html |archive-date=21 January 2010}}</ref>

Bakers [[Frank Roberts & Sons]] have been associated with the town since 1887 and continues to be based near the town at Rudheath on the [[A556 road|A556]]. Two of its three main business divisions, Roberts Bakery and The Little Treats Co, are based in Northwich and Aldred's The Bakers is in [[Ilkeston]], [[Derbyshire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.frank-roberts.co.uk/ |title=Welcome to Frank Roberts & Sons Ltd |date=12 February 2018 |website=Frank-roberts.co.uk |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref>

There are many contemporary major employers in nearby Rudheath and [[Hartford, Cheshire#Economics|Hartford]].

Based on the [[United Kingdom 2001 Census|2001 census]], Northwich had 13,928 people aged between 16 and 74. Of these, 8,908 (64.0%) people were categorised as economically active; 4,268 (30.6%) were economically inactive; 455 (3.3%) were unemployed.<ref name="census2">{{cite web |title=Parish Profile – Work and Qualifications: Northwich CP |website=National Statistics |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=792700&c=northwich&d=16&e=15&g=429415&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=783 |access-date=9 January 2007 | archive-date=28 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828234013/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=792700&c=northwich&d=16&e=15&g=429415&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=783 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Landmarks and religious sites==
The parish church is known as [[St Helen Witton Church, Northwich|St. Helen's Witton]]; it is a [[Grade I]] listed building.<ref name=StHelenNHLE/> The church developed initially as a [[chapel of ease]], associated with the parish of [[Great Budworth]], to serve the local community, known as the ''Chapel of Witton''. There is no known date for the creation of this chapel, but it is thought to have existed in the 13th century. None of this building exists in the current church. There is no documentary evidence to indicate the dates of the older parts of the current building; however, stones in the fabric of the porch carry inscriptions attributed to "Ricardus Alkoke Capellanus". This name matches documents concerning land in Northwich and Lostock Gralam dated 1468, but this cannot be used to date the church accurately.<ref>Harries, Michael & Lynch, Colin – ''An Illustrated History of Northwich Parish & Church'', 1981, {{ISBN|0-9507648-0-9}}</ref>

The present St Wilfrid's (Roman Catholic)] church was built in 1866.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stjohnvianney.co.uk/st-wilfrids-church/ |title=St Wilfrid's Church |website=St John Vianney |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref> The current Northwich Methodist Chapel was opened in 1990,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.methodist.org.uk/findachurch/northwich-methodist-outreach-centre/ |title=Northwich Methodist Chapel |website=Methodist.org.uk |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref> but there has been a Methodist presence in the town at least since 1774, when [[John Wesley]] laid the foundation stone of the first chapel in the London Road area.

The Northwich Union Workhouse opened in 1837, following the [[Poor Law]] Amendment of 1834 that standardised the system of poor relief throughout Britain. The building is now the [[Salt Museum, Northwich|Weaver Hall Museum]].

[[File:Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|Town Bridge]]

The [[Dock Road Edwardian Pumping Station]] is a [[Grade II]] listed building originally built by Northwich Urban District Council in 1913. For over 60 years, it was used for pumping sewage from parts of Northwich to the Wallerscote Treatment Works. Before it was built, untreated sewage was discharged directly into the River Weaver, causing widespread pollution.

Two [[swing bridge]]s, Hayhurst Bridge built in 1898 and Town Bridge built in 1899, cross the Weaver at Northwich. The bridges were the first two electrically powered swing bridges in Great Britain<ref>{{cite web |title=Hayhurst Bridge Project Is First Step In Ambitious Vision |work=British Waterways |url=http://www.british-waterways.co.uk/newsroom/archive/hayhurst_project.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070812103850/http://www.british-waterways.co.uk/newsroom/archive/hayhurst_project.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 August 2007 |access-date=1 April 2008}}</ref> and were built on floating [[Pontoon (boat)|pontoons]] to counteract the mine subsidence. They were designed by Colonel [[John Saner]].

The Floatel Northwich was moored on the Weaver near the confluence of the two rivers, but was closed when the owners, [[The Real Hotel Company plc]], went into administration in January 2009;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/4079629.END_FOR_FLOATEL/|title=Floatel |date=28 January 2009 |publisher=Northwich Guardian |access-date=13 June 2009}}</ref> it has since been removed. It was the UK's only floating hotel.

{{clear}}

==Transport==
[[File:Anderton Boat Lift.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Anderton Boat Lift]]

===Water===
The key historical mode of transport was by water. By 1732, the River Weaver was improved from Frodsham Bridge to Winsford Bridge and eventually allowed vessels up to {{convert|160|t|kg}} to travel up to Northwich Bridge.<ref name="survey"/> The [[Trent and Mersey Canal]], opened in 1775, passed to the north of Northwich because of objections from the trustees of the Weaver Navigation. However, the canal passed salt deposits near to the village of Marston and many of the later salt mines were based along its banks including the [[Lion Salt Works]]. The [[Anderton Boat Lift]] was opened in 1875<ref name="boatlift">{{cite web |url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/museums-and-attractions/anderton-boat-lift-and-visitor-centre-cheshire |work=Canal and River Trust |title=Anderton Boat Lift and Visitor Centre, Cheshire |access-date=3 September 2008}}</ref> to connect the canal and river systems. It was fully restored in 2002 and now houses a visitor centre.<ref name="boatlift"/>

===Roads===
The road system around Northwich can be dated back to the Roman times. The [[A556 road|A556]] and [[A559 road|A559]] follow the route of the Roman road that runs from Chester to York.<ref name="survey"/> The A556 diverts away from the route of the Roman road following a new route to the south of the town acting as the town's bypass. The Chester to Manchester road became a [[Turnpike trust|Turnpike]] in 1769.<ref name="survey"/> 

The [[A530 road|A530]], known as King Street, also passes near to the town, and this follows the route of the Roman road that connected Warrington and Middlewich. The old route to Warrington and the north from Middlewich, however, was replaced by a new route through Knutsford, which became a turnpike in 1753.<ref name="survey"/> Northwich is connected to the motorway network to the north of the town via the A559 onto the [[M56 motorway]]; and to the east of the town via the A556 at junction 19 of the [[M6 motorway]].

===Railway===
The railway came to the town in 1863, when the [[Cheshire Midland Railway]] constructed its line from {{rws|Knutsford}}. The [[West Cheshire Railway]] built its line to {{rws|Helsby}} in 1869. Passenger trains from Northwich to {{rws|Chester}}, via {{rws|Delamere}} commenced in 1875. The route through Northwich is now marketed as the [[Mid-Cheshire Line]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cheshire Lines Railway |last=Griffiths |first=R.P. |publisher=Oakwood Press |year=1947}}</ref> 

[[Northwich railway station]], last rebuilt in 1897,<ref name="survey"/> is a stop on the line between Chester, {{rws|Stockport}} and {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}}; [[Northern Trains]] operates a generally hourly service in each direction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern |work=Northern Railway |date=15 December 2024 |access-date=18 February 2025 |url= https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables}}</ref> Other nearby stations are at {{rws|Greenbank}}, also on the Mid-Cheshire line, and {{rws|Hartford}} on the [[West Coast Main Line]].

===Buses===
Bus routes are operated predominately by [[Warrington's Own Buses]] and [[D&G Bus]], linking Northwich with Weaverham, [[Hartford, Cheshire|Hartford]], Crewe, Warrington, Kelsall and Chester.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwich bus services |work=Bus Times |date=2025 |access-date=18 February 2025 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/northwich}}</ref>

Family-run coach company, Walker's Coaches, was based in Anderton, before being taken over by Holmeswood Coaches, which still runs the Northwich depot.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.holmeswoodcoaches.com/about.html |title=Holmeswood Coaches |website=Holmeswoodcoaches.com |access-date=19 February 2025}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Sir john deane college.jpg|thumb|right|Sir John Deane's College]]

Northwich and its surroundings has a number of schools and colleges. [[Sir John Deane's College]] is now a [[sixth form college]], but was originally formed as a grammar school in 1557.<ref>{{cite book | title=A Concise Description of the Endowed Grammar Schools in England and Wales| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GwsJRFnvUIAC&dq=%22Sir+John+Deane%22+-Winthrop&pg=PA129|last=Carlisle |first=Nicholas |year=1818 |pages=129–136 |publisher=Baldwin, Cradock and Joy |location=London}}</ref> The school was originally known as Witton Grammar School and was erected close to [[St. Helen Witton Church, Northwich|Witton Chapel]]. The school moved to its current location, to the south of the town, in 1907–08.<ref name="survey"/> [[The Grange School, Northwich]] is an independent school.

Primary schools include:
* The Grange Junior School
* Witton Church Walk CofE Primary School
* Victoria Road Primary School
* Charles Darwin Community Primary School
* Winnington Park Community Primary and Nursery School
* St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School
* Hartford Manor Primary School
* Hartford County Primary School
* Kingsmead Primary School was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Better Public Building award in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/2005/kingsmead/ |title=Kingsmead primary school, Northwich, Cheshire |publisher=Better Public Building |access-date=4 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218081255/http://betterpublicbuilding.org.uk/finalists/2005/kingsmead/ |archive-date=18 February 2009}}</ref>
* Rosebank School is a school for [[autistic]] children aged 3–11 years.

During the 19th century, many new schools were founded and, by 1850, twelve academies were recorded in the area.<ref name="survey"/> The town is now served by [[County High School Leftwich]], a specialist media arts college, while [[Rudheath Senior Academy]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?gotolayer=SSCA&gotofield=OBJECTID&gotovalue=138&layers=SSCA&hlayer=SSCA&hfield=OBJECTID&hvalue=138 |title=Rudheath High School catchment area |website=Maps.cheshire.gov.uk |access-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406065244/http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?gotolayer=SSCA&gotofield=OBJECTID&gotovalue=138&layers=SSCA&hlayer=SSCA&hfield=OBJECTID&hvalue=138 |archive-date=6 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a specialist performing arts college and [[Hartford Church of England High School]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?gotolayer=SSCA&gotofield=OBJECTID&gotovalue=136&layers=SSCA&hlayer=SSCA&hfield=OBJECTID&hvalue=136 |title=Hartford High School catchment area |website=Maps.cheshire.gov.uk |access-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406065258/http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/cheshirecc.interactivemapping.web.internet/Default.aspx?gotolayer=SSCA&gotofield=OBJECTID&gotovalue=136&layers=SSCA&hlayer=SSCA&hfield=OBJECTID&hvalue=136 |archive-date=6 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> both admit pupils from Northwich. There are also several primary schools in the area. [[St. Nicholas Catholic High School]] is also in the local vicinity and performs well on national exam boards, coming second in the whole of Cheshire.

Mid Cheshire College had its main campus in nearby Hartford, offering [[further education]] courses. The campus closed in 2018<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/challenge-plans-knock-down-75m-16844854 |title=Challenge to plans to knock down £7.5m sports hall which opened just seven years ago |website=www.cheshire-live.co.uk |access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> after it merged with Warrington Collegiate a year earlier to form [[Warrington and Vale Royal College]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.warrington.ac.uk/news_events/2385_warrington_collegiate_and_mid_cheshire_college_have_now_merged_to_become_warrington_vale_royal_college |title=Warrington Collegiate and Mid Cheshire College have now merged to become Warrington & Vale Royal College |date=2 August 2017 |website=Warrington and Vale Royal College |access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref>

In November 2005, as part of the Northwich Vision, a refurbishment of the town's railway station included a centre called ''Zone'' that promotes lifelong learning by offering people the opportunity to access a range of on-line and taught courses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwichvision.org/intranet/nv.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOC9DD7036E56E0C22A802573850041BB89 |website=Northwich Vision |title=Get On Board With Lifelong Learning |access-date=2 September 2008 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

==Culture and community==
The town hosts a number of large annual festivals, including music, river and, of course, the famous Northwich ''Pina Colada'' events.

Since 2021, an annual Piña Colada Festival has taken place in recognition of [[Rupert Holmes]] who was born in the town and wrote "[[Escape (The Piña Colada Song)]]", released in 1979. The festival grew in 2022, with live music, fairground rides and old school street games among other attractions. Local bars, restaurants and cafés offered piña coladas alongside other tropical themed drinks and snacks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwich Pina Colada Festival {{!}} The UK's Official Pina Colada Festival |url=https://pinacoladafest.co.uk/ |access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref>

[[Northwich Memorial Hall]] was opened in 1960, but closed for redevelopment in 2013 to be replaced by the Memorial Court Facility; this opened in 2015. It hosted a range of activities,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.valeroyal.gov.uk/internet/vr.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOC8139283356B1EBAD80256E9900475372 |title=Northwich Memorial Hall |work=Vale Royal Borough Council website |access-date=28 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511063058/http://www2.valeroyal.gov.uk/internet/vr.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOC8139283356B1EBAD80256E9900475372 |archive-date=11 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> including pantomimes, music events and the Purple Cactus Comedy Club.<ref>{{cite book |last=Goodban |first=Dave |url=http://www.midcheshirechronicle.co.uk/mid-cheshire-news/local-mid-cheshire-news/2009/03/10/purple-cactus-comedy-club-makes-a-welcome-return-to-northwich-93570-23107189/ |title=Purple Cactus Comedy Club makes a welcome return to Northwich |date=10 March 2009 |publisher=The Mid Cheshire Chronicle |access-date=4 May 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The [[Harlequin Theatre, Northwich|Harlequin Theatre]] produces six plays each year and is also the home of Northwich Folk Club, which has run continuously since 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwichfolk.co.uk |title=Northwich Folk Club |website=Northwichfolk.co.uk |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref>

The Regal cinema closed in 2007 and was demolished. A cinema in the Barons Quay development opened in 2016.<ref name=McCann>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38329619 |title=Barons Quay: Northwich cinema opens in £80m regeneration scheme |first=Phil |last=McCann |publisher=BBC News |date=15 December 2016 |access-date=16 December 2016}}</ref> [[Northwich Plaza]] also offered a wide range of music gigs and other cultural events.

Local newspaper, the ''Northwich Guardian'', is published by [[Newsquest]]. [[Northwich Radio|Radio Northwich]] is a popular and community-focussed radio station broadcasting out of Barons Quay.

Northwich musicians include [[Steve Hewitt]], drummer with [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]],{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} which provided a song for the soundtrack to the film ''[[Cruel Intentions]]'', and [[Tim Burgess (musician)|Tim Burgess]] from [[The Charlatans (English band)|the Charlatans]], a band once managed by Steve Harrison from the town's former Omega Music record store.

Local horror author Stuart Neild's first novel, ''A Haunted Man'', was set in the salt mines that run underneath Northwich, combining fact with supernatural fiction. Neild's novels featuring Northwich and other [[North West England|North West]] locations. A [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] film and television series was in development.<ref name="neild">{{cite web |title=Once upon a time in the Midlands |work=BBC Website |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/features/2005/03/haunted_man.shtml |access-date=5 December 2006}}</ref>

The town is twinned with [[Dole, Jura|Dole]] in France.<ref>{{cite web |title=Twinning – twin town information |author=Vale Royal Borough Council |website=ValeRoyal.gov.uk |url=http://www2.valeroyal.gov.uk/internet/vr.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOC62DD93F2AF71392980256E99004A9579 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121195204/http://www2.valeroyal.gov.uk/internet/vr.nsf/AllByUniqueIdentifier/DOC62DD93F2AF71392980256E99004A9579 |archive-date=21 November 2008 |access-date=2 September 2008}}</ref>

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North West]] and [[ITV Granada]]. Television signals are received from the [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref> The town is served by both [[BBC Radio Merseyside]] and [[BBC Radio Stoke]]. Other radio stations include [[Capital North West & Wales]], [[Heart North West]], [[Smooth North West]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire]], [[Silk 106.9|Silk Radio]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/news-and-views/incidents/weather-disruptions/radio-stations |title=Radio Stations |website=Cheshire West and Chester Council |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref> and Radio Northwich, a community based local station.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radionorthwich.co.uk/|title=Radio Northwich |website=Radio Northwich |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref> The local newspaper is the ''Northwich Guardian'', which is published on Wednesdays.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/northwich-guardian/ |title=Northwich, Winsford & Middlewich Guardian |date=30 March 2014 |website=British Papers |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref>

==Sport==
Northwich is the home of three [[non-league football]] teams: [[Witton Albion F.C.|Witton Albion]], [[Northwich Victoria F.C.|Northwich Victoria]] and [[1874 Northwich F.C.|1874 Northwich]]. In May 2018, the [[Cheshire FA]] announced plans for a £70m development near Northwich, modelled on [[St George's Park National Football Centre]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44126714 |title=Cheshire FA: Everton Ladies may use proposed £70m hub |first=Simon |last= Stone |work=BBC Sport |date=15 May 2018}}</ref> The facility would include two FIFA-standard pitches with a 1000-seat stadium, [[Artificial turf#Association football|3G pitches]], six grass pitches, full medical facilities and a hotel/spa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshirefa.com/news/2018/may/15/vision-2020 |title=Vision 2020 - Building football for the future in Cheshire |publisher=Cheshire FA |date=15 May 2018}}</ref>

The town has two rugby union sides: [[Northwich RUFC]] and [[Winnington Park]].

The area also boasts several amateur cricket clubs, including Winnington Park CC, Davenham CC, Weaverham CC, Northwich CC and Hartford CC. Northwich also has a successful competitive swimming team, Northwich Swimming Club, first formed in the late 19th century.

Northwich Rowing Club was formed in 1875 in Northwich and continues to row on the River Weaver, producing Olympic and international rowers such as [[Matt Langridge]]. The club has its own boat and clubhouse located by The Crescent and holds three events every year, the Autumn Head in November, the Spring Head in April and the Regatta in May. In 2015, the club was the first rowing club from the north of England to win the Junior Coxed [[Quad scull|Quad Sculls]] at the [[Head of the River Fours]] on the tideway in London. Club crews have also competed in the [[Henley Royal Regatta]], with a crew seeded in 2015 for the first time in the club's history. The club also has a large junior section taking rowers on from age 12.<ref name="NRC">{{cite web |title=Northwich Rowing Club |url=http://www.northwichrowing.co.uk/ |website=Northwich Rowing Club |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>

The Northwich Festival, held at Moss Farm Sports Complex each August includes the UK Strongman-North Competition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukstrongman-north.co.uk |work=UK Strongman North website |title=UK Strongman North |access-date=6 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911135101/http://www.ukstrongman-north.co.uk/ |archive-date=11 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The town also has a long-standing cycling club, Weaver Valley CC. Established in 1962, its members included ex-pro and ITV commentator [[Paul Sherwen]] and domestic rider Alan Kemp. The club competes in road racing, time trials, track racing and off-road. The club promotes three road races, a series of circuit races in June at [[Oulton Park]], the [[Cat and Fiddle Road|Cat and Fiddle]] hill climb, and cyclo-cross in September.<ref>{{cite web |title=Weaver Valley CC |url=http://www.weavervalleycc.org.uk/ |website=Weaver Valley CC |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> Since 1980, the club has promoted the Cheshire Classic women's cycling road race, held every April. Part of [[British Cycling]]'s National Road Race Series, it is the longest running race on the women's national calendar. Previous winners include Dame Sarah Storey, Lucy Garner, Lizzie Armitstead, Nicole Cooke and Mandy Jones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshireclassic.co.uk |work=Cheshire Classic website |title=Cheshire Classic |access-date=5 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121024715/http://www.cheshireclassic.co.uk/ |archive-date=21 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The first known swimming baths in Northwich was the Verdin Baths, situated on Verdin Park, presented by [[Robert Verdin]] in commemoration of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. It consisted of a {{convert|60|x|20|ft|m|adj=on}} cast-iron plunge bath and five slipper baths. Northwich Public Baths was built in 1913 following subsidence at Verdin Park pool. It its doors on 23 January 1991<ref name="Archive-Northwich">{{cite web |title=Verdin Baths, 1887-1911 |url=http://northwichbrinebaths.co.uk/node/7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826134213/http://northwichbrinebaths.co.uk/node/7|url-status=dead |archive-date=26 August 2009 |website=Archive of Northwich Brine Baths |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> to be replaced with Moss Farm leisure complex; this, in turn, was replaced by Memorial Court entertainment and leisure venue in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/11837284.memorial-court-sets-opening-date/ |work=Northwich Guardian |title=Cheshire Classic |date=5 March 2015 |access-date=8 November 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==

===Politics & Public Service ===
[[File:Diana Johnson.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Diana Johnson]], 2012]]
[[File:Peter Gammond.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Peter Gammond]], 2015]]
[[File:Jennifer Saunders 2014.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Jennifer Saunders]], 2014]]
[[File:Tim Burgess (The Charlatans) - Salon Livres et Musique 2014, Deauville (cropped).png|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Tim Burgess (musician)|Tim Burgess]], 2014]]
[[File:Charles James Hughes 1853-1916.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Charles James Hughes (footballer)|Charles James Hughes]], 1907]]
[[File:Mark Roberts 3.png|thumb|upright=0.65|[[Mark Roberts (footballer, born 1983)|Mark Roberts]], 2009]]

* [[Robert Verdin]] (1836 in Witton – 1887) a salt manufacturer, philanthropist and MP for [[Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Northwich]] 1886–1887
* [[William Allen Whitworth]] (1840–1905) was an English mathematician and a priest in the Church of England, schooled at the Sandicroft School in Northwich.<ref>{{Cite DNB12 |wstitle= Whitworth, William Allen |volume= 3 |pages= 655-656 |last= Owen |first= D. J. |author-link= |year=1912|short= 1}}</ref>
* [[Geoffrey Cheshire]] (1886 in Northwich – 1978) an English barrister, scholar and influential writer on law
* [[Philip Holland (politician)|Sir Philip Holland]] (1917 in Northwich – 2011) Conservative MP for [[Acton (UK Parliament constituency)|Acton]] 1959-1964 and for [[Carlton (UK Parliament constituency)|Carlton]] 1966-1983
* [[Arthur Dodd (British Army soldier)|Arthur Dodd]] (1919 in Northwich – 2011) British Army soldier in WWII; a Prisoner of War at [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]]
* [[Paul Dean, Baron Dean of Harptree]] (1924 in Northwich – 2009) MP for [[North Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|North Somerset]] 1964 to 1983
* [[John Greenway (MP)|John Greenway]] (born 1946) MP for [[Ryedale (UK Parliament constituency)|Ryedale]] 1987-2010, was born and educated in the town<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/parliament/0,,-2064,00.html |title=John Greenway biography |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=2 September 2008 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041216113317/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/parliament/0%2C%2C-2064%2C00.html |archive-date=16 December 2004  }}</ref>
* [[Diana Johnson]] (born 1966) MP for [[Kingston upon Hull North (UK Parliament constituency)|Hull North]] since 2005, born and educated in the town
* [[Mary-Ann Ochota]] (born 1981 in Wincham) a British broadcaster and anthropologist specialising in archaeology, social history and adventure factual television

===Creative arts===
* [[Bob Crossley]] (1912 in Northwich – 2010) abstract artist, worked in oil and acrylic; lived in Cornwall from 1959
* [[Percy M. Young]] (1912 in Northwich – 2004) a British musicologist, organist, composer, conductor and teacher
* [[Peter Gammond]] (born 1925 in Winnington - 2019) a British music critic, writer, journalist, musician, poet, and artist.
* [[Robert Westall]] (1929–1993) the children's author lived in the town, Head of Art and Careers at [[Sir John Deane's College|Sir John Deane's Grammar School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/archive/2004/4/14/152175.html/ |work=This is Cheshire |title=Robert Westall: From art tutor to world famous author |access-date=14 March 2008 }}</ref>
* [[Sue Birtwistle]] (born 1945 in Northwich) a producer and writer of television costume drama<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chester.ac.uk/news/2008/mar/6.html |title=Talented trio awarded honorary doctorates |work=University of Chester |date=10 March 2008 |access-date=2 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026030730/http://www.chester.ac.uk/news/2008/mar/6.html |archive-date=26 October 2008 }}</ref>
* [[Rupert Holmes]] (born 1947 in Northwich) composer, songwriter and author, now lives in New York
* [[Malcolm Garrett]] (born 1956 in Northwich) a British graphic designer
* [[Jennifer Saunders]] (born 1958) actress and comedian, attended [[County High School Leftwich|Northwich Girls' Grammar School]]
* [[Jim Tavaré]] (born 1963) an English stand-up comedian, actor, and musician. He attended art school in Northwich.
* [[Moira Buffini]] (born 1965) an English dramatist, director, and actor.
* [[Tim Burgess (artist)|Tim Burgess]] (born 1967) an singer-songwriter and lead singer of the alternative rock band [[The Charlatans (English band)|The Charlatans]]
* [[Steve Hewitt]] (born 1971 in Northwich) an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and  former drummer for the band [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]], 1996–2007
* [[Helsinki Seven]] (formed 2006) an alternative rock band from Northwich,

===Science & Industry===
* [[Peter Drinkwater]] (1750 – 1801) an English cotton manufacturer and merchant. In 1782 he opened his first [[cotton mill]] on the [[River Weaver]] in Northwich
* [[Eaton Hodgkinson]] (1789 in Anderton – 1861) an English [[engineer]], a pioneer of the application of [[mathematics]] to problems of structural design.
* [[Sir Joseph Verdin, 1st Baronet]] (1838 in Witton – 1920) ran a family salt business known as Joseph Verdin & Sons with his brothers, [[Robert Verdin|Robert]] and William, lived at [[Listed buildings in Northwich|The Brockhurst]] in the town.
* [[Ludwig Mond]] (1839–1909) German-born co-founder of [[Brunner Mond]], a soda factory in Winnington
* [[Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet]] (1842–1919) co-founder of chemical firm [[Brunner Mond]] in 1873,  MP for [[Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Northwich]] 1885–1886 and from 1887 to 1910, lived at [[Winnington Hall]]<ref>{{Cite book | last =Koss | first =Stephen E. | author-link =Stephen Koss | title =Sir John Brunner: Radical Plutocrat 1842–1919 | publisher =Cambridge University Press | year =1970 | pages =[https://archive.org/details/sirjohnbrunnerra00koss_0/page/28 28–29] | isbn =0-521-07906-3 | url-access =registration | url =https://archive.org/details/sirjohnbrunnerra00koss_0/page/28 }}</ref>
* [[W. J. Yarwood & Sons#History|William James Yarwood]] (1851–1926) shipbuilder and proprietor of [[W. J. Yarwood & Sons]], a local shipbuilding business on the [[River Weaver]]
* [[Harold Drinkwater]] (1855-1925) physician and botanical artist, born and raised in Northwich
* [[Arron Banks]] (born 1966 in Northwich) a British businessman and political donor.
===Sport===
* [[Charles J. Hughes (footballer)|Charles James Hughes]] (1853 in Northwich –1916), footballer, referee, and co-founder of [[Northwich Victoria F.C.|Northwich Victoria]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Is there an Old Wittonian Society? |url=http://internalarchive.thisischeshire.co.uk/2003/5/7/173195.html |access-date=18 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330224546/http://internalarchive.thisischeshire.co.uk/2003/5/7/173195.html |archive-date=30 March 2012  }}</ref>
* [[George Elmore (footballer)|George Elmore]] (1880 in Witton – 1916 Somme), footballer, played over 200 games
* [[John Boden (footballer)|John Boden]] (1882 in Northwich – 1946), footballer, played over 300 games
* [[Billy Harrison (footballer, born 1886)|Billy Harrison]] (1886 in Wybunbury – 1948), footballer, played 412 games, including 317 for [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]]
* [[Jack Lees (footballer)|Jack Lees]] (1892 in Northwich – 1983), footballer, played 279 games 
* [[Jack Eyres]] (1899 in Lostock Gralam – 1975), footballer, played 257 games
* [[Sid Collins Jr.]] (1912 in Northwich – 1983) golfer
* [[Tom Manley (footballer)|Tom Manley]] (1912 in Northwich – 1988), footballer and manager, played over 300 games
* [[Brian Siddall]] (1930 in Northwich – 2007), footballer, played 202 games 
* [[Zandra Nowell]] (born 1936 in Northwich), alpine skier, competed at the [[1956 Winter Olympics]]
* [[Malcolm Arnold (athletics coach)|Malcolm Arnold]] (born 1940 in Northwich), athletics coach
* [[Dennis Walker (footballer)|Dennis Walker]] (1944 in Northwich - 2003), footballer, played over 220 games
* [[Jim Walker (English footballer)|Jim Walker]] (born 1947 in Northwich), footballer, played over 250 games
* [[Mike Whitlow]] (born 1968 in Northwich), footballer, played 397 games
* [[Michael Oakes]] (born 1973 in Northwich), footballer, played 282 games
* [[Andy Oakes (footballer)|Andy Oakes]] (born 1977 in Northwich), football goalkeeper, played 118 games
* [[Matt Langridge]] (born 1983), team medallist in the men's eight rowing at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]], [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]] & [[2016 Summer Olympics]], grew up locally
* [[Mark Roberts (footballer, born 1983)|Mark Roberts]] (born 1983 in Northwich), footballer, played 575 games
* [[Craig Jones (motorcyclist)|Craig Jones]] (1985–2008), motorcycle racer, grew up locally
* [[Jason Oswell]] (born 1992 in Northwich), footballer, played over 300 games

==Twin towns==
Northwich is [[town twinning|twinned]] with:

* [[Dole, Jura|Dole]], France
* [[Carlow]], Republic of Ireland

==See also==
{{Portal|Cheshire}}
* [[Salt in Cheshire]]
* [[Tata Chemicals Europe]]
* [[Listed buildings in Northwich]]
* [[Winnington Hall]]
* [[Holy Trinity Church, Northwich]]
{{-}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://www.northwichtowncouncil.gov.uk Northwich Town Council]

{{Cheshire, Cheshire West and Chester}}
{{Cheshire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northwich| ]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Towns in Cheshire]]