87-628: Tintwistle Rural District was a local government district in north east Cheshire , England from 1894 to 1974. It was created a rural district by the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Ashton-under-Lyne rural sanitary district which was in Cheshire. It consisted of the civil parishes of: Hattersley and Matley formed an exclave of the district. They were abolished in 1936 and their area transferred to
174-584: A great variety of smaller industries concentrated around Wrexham . The main impact on the river of these industries is their thirst for a dependable good quality water supply. Previously the wings for the Airbus A380 , which were made at Airbus's manufacturing factory in Broughton , were taken downriver by barge to the Port of Mostyn because they were too large to be shipped in an Airbus Beluga . However,
261-585: A recreation area with a bandstand, benches and boat cruises, being crossed by four bridges. The first is the Queen's Park Suspension Bridge , which forms the only exclusively pedestrian footway across the river in Chester. The second is the Old Dee Bridge , a road bridge and by far the oldest bridge in Chester, being built in about 1387 on the site of a series of wooden predecessors which dated originally from
348-705: Is 113 km (70 miles) and it is largely located in Wales . The stretch between Aldford and Chester is within England, and two other sections form the border between the two countries. The river rises on Dduallt in Snowdonia and flows east through Bala Lake , Corwen , and Llangollen . It turns north near Overton-on-Dee and forms part of the England–Wales border before fully entering England north-east of Wrexham. It flows through Chester then re-enters Wales;
435-467: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cheshire Cheshire ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ ʃ ər , - ɪər / CHESH -ər, -eer ) is a ceremonial county in North West England . It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shropshire to the south; to the west it
522-575: Is a history of interaction between Cheshire and North Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became the principal part of Flintshire . Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as English Maelor (Maelor Saesneg) when it was transferred to North Wales. For this and other reasons, the Welsh language name for Cheshire, Swydd Gaerlleon ,
609-421: Is almost entirely Triassic sandstone , outcrops of which have long been quarried, notably at Runcorn , providing the distinctive red stone for Liverpool Cathedral and Chester Cathedral . The eastern half of the county is Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits which were mined for hundreds of years around Winsford . Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to
696-552: Is at Connah's Quay . The Flintshire Bridge is a fixed cable-stayed bridge which opened in 1999. Between the second and third road bridges is Hawarden railway bridge at Shotton, originally constructed as a swing bridge but now never opened. It carries the Bidston to Wrexham Central Borderlands Line over the river. Hawarden Bridge station serves the Deeside Industrial Park, Deeside Power Station and
783-653: Is at Ellesmere Port. The oil refinery has operated since 1924 and has a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year. Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry , and remains a major railway junction. The Crewe railway works , built in 1840, employed 20,000 people at its peak, although the workforce is now less than 1,000. Crewe is also the home of Bentley cars. Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants for Jaguar and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port. The county also has an aircraft industry, with
870-529: Is bordered by the Welsh counties of Flintshire and Wrexham , and has a short coastline on the Dee Estuary . Warrington is the largest settlement, and the city of Chester is the county town . The county has an area of 905 square miles (2,344 km ) and had a population of 1,095,500 at the 2021 census . After Warrington (211,227), the largest settlements are Chester and Crewe . The south and east of
957-622: Is common. Cheshire West has a fairly large proportion of residents who work in Liverpool and Manchester, while the town of Northwich and area of Cheshire East falls more within Manchester's sphere of influence. All four local education authorities in Cheshire operate only comprehensive state school systems. When Altrincham , Sale and Bebington were moved from Cheshire to Trafford and Merseyside in 1974, they took some former Cheshire selective schools. There are two universities based in
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#17327731726551044-755: Is crossed by the Cefn Mawr Viaduct , built in 1848 by Thomas Brassey and carrying the Shrewsbury to Chester railway line over the Dee. Beyond this point the river forms the boundary between Wrexham County Borough in Wales and Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. Passing Chirk and the confluence with the River Ceiriog , the river begins to trace gentle meanders on the level ground at
1131-472: Is famous for the production of Cheshire cheese , salt and silk. The county has seen a number of inventions and firsts in its history. A mainly rural county, Cheshire has a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based on the dairy trade, and cattle are the predominant livestock. Land use given to agriculture has fluctuated somewhat, and in 2005 totalled 1558 km over 4,609 holdings. Based on holdings by EC farm type in 2005, 8.51 km
1218-588: Is joined by the River Clywedog . At this point the border between Wrexham and Cheshire West and Chester follows the course of the river. It passes the Cheshire village of Crewe by Farndon , before cutting between Holt in Wales and Farndon in England beneath the 14th-century, Grade I listed Farndon Bridge . One of the major tributaries of the Dee, the River Alyn ( Afon Alun ), crosses
1305-536: Is known as Deeside and contains several heavy industries. From here the Dee passes beneath three road bridges. The first two are adjacent to each other at Queensferry . They are a 1960s fixed-arch bridge carrying the A494 Queensferry to Dolgellau trunk road and its predecessor the Jubilee Bridge , which is a rolling bascule bridge completed in 1926. The third crossing, and the most recent,
1392-509: Is paddleable year-round (thanks to the Dee Regulation Scheme). Canoeing used to be allowed on about twelve weekends per year, and tens of thousands of canoeists descended on Llangollen for recreational paddling (several Dee tours were held every winter), slalom competitions, and wild water races . In 2003, negotiations with the angling associations owning fishing rights on the Dee broke down. The anglers wanted to restrict
1479-628: Is part of Liverpool City Region combined authority , which also includes the five metropolitan boroughs of Merseyside . A referendum for a further local government reform connected with an elected regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned. As part of the local government restructuring in April 2009, Cheshire County Council and the Cheshire districts were abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester . The existing unitary authorities of Halton and Warrington were not affected by
1566-731: Is sometimes used. After the Norman conquest of 1066 by William I , dissent and resistance continued for many years after the invasion. In 1069 local resistance in Cheshire was finally put down using draconian measures as part of the Harrying of the North . The ferocity of the campaign against the English populace was enough to end all future resistance. Examples were made of major landowners such as Earl Edwin of Mercia , their properties confiscated and redistributed amongst Norman barons. The earldom
1653-749: The BAE Systems facility at Woodford Aerodrome , part of BAE System's Military Air Solutions division. The facility designed and constructed Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan bombers and the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod . On the Cheshire border with Flintshire is the Broughton aircraft factory, more recently associated with Airbus . Tourism in Cheshire from within the UK and overseas continues to perform strongly. Over 8 million nights of accommodation (both UK and overseas) and over 2.8 million visits to Cheshire were recorded during 2003. At
1740-649: The Brythonic dēvā : "River of the Goddess" or " Holy River ". The river is personified as the war and fate goddess Aerfen . The river name inspired the name of Roman fortress Deva Victrix . It is the only river in the UK to be subject to a Water Protection Zone along its whole length down to Chester weir. The total catchment area of the River Dee down to Chester Weir is 1,816.8 km (701.5 sq mi). The estimated average annual rainfall over
1827-616: The Carboniferous Limestone from Mynydd Helygain (a.k.a. Halkyn Mountain) and runs down through the Loggerheads area before making its confluence north of Holt. Throughout the length of the Alyn there are numerous swallow holes and caverns and during the summer months long stretches of the river bed run dry. These caves include Ogof Hesp Alyn and Ogof Hen Ffynhonnau . A significant part of this lost flow reemerges in
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#17327731726551914-497: The Chester Raft Race is held on the Dee in aid of charity. The Deva (Chester) Triathlon uses the Dee for the swim leg of the race. The rowing clubs on the Dee are Royal Chester Rowing Club (hosting also Chester University Rowing Club) and Grosvenor Rowing Club . King's School Rowing Club and Queens Park High School are school-dedicated rowing clubs. All these share the slightly meandering Chester/lower reach above
2001-670: The Church of England Diocese of Chester follows most closely the pre-1974 county boundary of Cheshire, so it includes all of Wirral , Stockport , and the Cheshire panhandle that included Tintwistle Rural District council area. In terms of Roman Catholic church administration, most of Cheshire falls into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury . Cheshire has a diverse economy with significant sectors including agriculture, automotive, bio-technology, chemical, financial services, food and drink, ICT, and tourism. The county
2088-654: The Duke of Westminster . The river then continues past the village of Eccleston and beneath the A55 North Wales Expressway, tracing northwards past the Roman Eaton Road to the Chester suburbs of Huntington and Handbridge before reaching the centre of Chester. In the city centre the river passes and around the Earl's Eye(s) meadow at Queen's Park . In this vicinity, the riverside is used as
2175-550: The Llangollen Railway following the river on its route between Llangollen and Corwen . At Berwyn the river passes over the manmade Horseshoe Falls , before picking up speed on a downhill gradient past the Chain Bridge Hotel and its historic pedestrian bridge. First built in 1814, and later refurbished by Henry Robertson in 1870, it was considered a marvel of early suspension bridge design. In 1928
2262-616: The Milwr Tunnel , a manmade tunnel, entering the west bank of the Dee estuary and carrying 12 million imperial gallons per day (600 L/s). This tunnel was originally constructed to drain metal mines in Halkyn Mountain. Once the main River Dee approaches the Cheshire border and the Carboniferous Coal Measures , it turns sharply northwards before meandering up to Chester . This long stretch of
2349-683: The Municipal Borough of Hyde , the Municipal Borough of Dukinfield , Longdendale Urban District and the Municipal Borough of Stalybridge . In 1974 the district was abolished. At that time, much of north east Cheshire became part of Greater Manchester . Instead of becoming part of that county, or forming an exclave of Cheshire, Tintwistle became part of the High Peak district of Derbyshire . 53°28′18″N 1°58′18″W / 53.47170°N 1.97180°W / 53.47170; -1.97180 This Derbyshire location article
2436-684: The North Wales Coast railway line , before leaving Chester. This was the scene of one of the first serious railway accidents in the country, the Dee bridge disaster . West of Chester, the river flows along an artificial channel excavated between 1732 and 1736. The work was planned and undertaken by engineers from the Netherlands and paid for by local merchants and Chester Corporation. It was an attempt to improve navigation for shipping and reduce silting. Chester's trade had declined steadily since
2523-499: The estuary . Land reclamation in this area continued until 1916. The river's natural course can still be determined by following the bank and low bluffs that mark the western edge of the Wirral Peninsula. The manmade channel, which runs in a straight line for 8 km (5 miles), passes into Wales and Flintshire at Saltney . On the west shore is Hawarden Airport and the large Airbus factory at Broughton . This region
2610-706: The " Matterhorn of Cheshire" thanks to its distinctive steep profile. Cheshire contains portions of two green belt areas surrounding the large conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester (North Cheshire Green Belt, part of the North West Green Belt) and Stoke-on-Trent (South Cheshire Green Belt, part of the Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt), these were first drawn up from the 1950s. Contained primarily within Cheshire East and Chester West & Chester, with small portions along
2697-507: The 2011 Census. The population for 2021 is forecast to be 708,000. In 2001, the population density of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester was 32 people per km , lower than the North West average of 42 people/km and the England and Wales average of 38 people/km . Ellesmere Port and Neston had a greater urban density than the rest of the county with 92 people/km . In 2001, ethnic white groups accounted for 98% (662,794) of
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2784-538: The Bottlemen member Van McCann, Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts , Stephen Hough , John Mayall , The Charlatans member Tim Burgess , and Nigel Stonier . River Dee, Wales The River Dee ( Welsh : Afon Dyfrdwy , Latin : Deva Fluvius ) is a river flowing through North Wales , and through Cheshire , England, in Great Britain . The length of the main section from Bala to Chester
2871-548: The Roman period. Above the Old Dee Bridge is Chester Weir , which was built by Hugh Lupus to supply power to his corn mills. Throughout the centuries the weir has been used to power corn, fulling , needle, snuff and flint mills. The same weir was used as part of a hydroelectric scheme in 1911 with the help of a small generator building which is still visible today, used as a pumping station for water since 1951. However
2958-682: The Vale of Edeyrnion, shadowed by the B4401 Bala to Cynwyd road. Leaving Gwynedd and entering Denbighshire the Dee flows beneath other historic bridges at Llandrillo and Cynwyd before arriving at the town of Corwen . From here the river passes the Iron Age hillfort of Caer Drewyn and enters the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB . Through its forested valley the course takes it through Carrog , Glyndyfrdwy and Llantysilio , with
3045-928: The Wirral side. South of Bagillt and Parkgate the Dee Estuary forms the boundary between the local authority areas of Flintshire and Cheshire West and Chester . Northwards it forms the boundary with the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside , North West England . The estuary continues to widen until finally entering the Irish Sea and Liverpool Bay between the northernmost point of mainland Wales, Point of Ayr at Talacre , Flintshire and Hilbre Point, near Hoylake and West Kirby in Wirral , Merseyside . Hilbre Island , part of Wirral, straddles
3132-531: The area by the presence of coal mines and later by the deep deposits of Carboniferous clays used to make bricks and tiles . The coal industry in particular gave rise to a number of chemical industries some of which survive to this day and which both take water from the river and discharge their cleaned up effluent back into the river. Industries in the valley include commercial chemicals manufacture, wood chip and MDF fabrication, cocoa milling, fibreglass manufacture, waste disposal (in old clay pits ) and
3219-470: The barons of Kinderton, Halton, Malbank, Mold, Shipbrook, Dunham-Massey, and the honour of Chester itself. Feudal baronies or baronies by tenure were granted by the Earl as forms of feudal land tenure within the palatinate in a similar way to which the king granted English feudal baronies within England proper. An example is the barony of Halton. One of Hugh d'Avranche's barons has been identified as Robert Nicholls, Baron of Halton and Montebourg. In 1182,
3306-558: The beginning of the Cheshire Plain . The course continues past Erbistock on the Welsh side, and the 5th-century earthwork of Wat's Dyke on the English, before passing wholly into Wales at Overton bridge. A couple more miles downstream is Bangor-on-Dee , known for its racecourse and its bridge . Until 1974 this area was part of an exclave of historic Flintshire known as English Maelor ( Welsh : Maelor Saesneg ). The Dee continues to meander past Worthenbury where it
3393-752: The borders of the Halton and Warrington districts, towns and cities such as Chester, Macclesfield, Alsager, Congleton, Northwich, Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Warrington, Poynton, Disley, Neston, Wilmslow, Runcorn, and Widnes are either surrounded wholly, partially enveloped by, or on the fringes of the belts. The North Cheshire Green Belt is contiguous with the Peak District Park boundary inside Cheshire. The ceremonial county borders Merseyside , Greater Manchester , Derbyshire , Staffordshire and Shropshire in England along with Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales, arranged by compass directions as shown in
3480-469: The catchment area is 640 mm (25 in), yielding an average flow of 37 m /s . The larger reservoirs in the catchment area are: The River Dee has its source on the slopes of Dduallt above Llanuwchllyn in the mountains of Snowdonia in Meirionydd , Gwynedd , Wales. Between its source and Bala Lake the river is known by its Welsh name, Afon Dyfrdwy . Legend tells that the waters of
3567-693: The change. Cheshire has no county-wide elected local council, but it does have a Lord Lieutenant under the Lieutenancies Act 1997 and a High Sheriff under the Sheriffs Act 1887 . Local government functions apart from the Police and Fire/Rescue services are carried out by four smaller unitary authorities: Cheshire East , Cheshire West and Chester , Halton , and Warrington . All four unitary authority areas have borough status . Policing and fire and rescue services are still provided across
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3654-559: The county are primarily rural, while the north is more densely populated and includes the settlements of Runcorn , Widnes , and Ellesmere Port . For local government purposes Cheshire comprises four unitary authority areas: Cheshire East , Cheshire West and Chester , Halton , and Warrington . The county historically included all of the Wirral Peninsula and parts of southern Greater Manchester and northern Derbyshire, but excluded Widnes and Warrington. The landscape of
3741-410: The county as a whole. The Cheshire Fire Authority consist of members of the four councils, while governance of Cheshire Constabulary is performed by the elected Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner . Winsford is a major administrative hub for Cheshire with the Police and Fire & Rescue Headquarters based in the town as well as a majority of Cheshire West and Chester Council. It was also home to
3828-659: The county is dominated by the Cheshire Plain , an area of relatively flat land divided by the Mid-Cheshire Ridge . To the west, Cheshire contains the south of the Wirral Peninsula, and to the east the landscape rises to the Pennines , where the county contains part of the Peak District . The River Mersey runs through the north of Cheshire before broadening into its wide estuary; the River Dee forms part of
3915-732: The county's border with Wales, then fully enters England and flows through the city of Chester before re-entering Wales upstream of its estuary. Red Triassic sandstone forms the bedrock of much of the county, and was used in the construction of many of its buildings. The culture of Cheshire has impacted global pop culture by producing actors such as Daniel Craig , Tim Curry , and Pete Postlethwaite ; athletes such as Shauna Coxsey , Tyson Fury , and Paula Radcliffe ; authors such as Lewis Carroll ; comedians such as John Bishop and Ben Miller ; and musicians such as Gary Barlow , Ian Curtis , and Harry Styles . Most places are involved in agriculture and chemistry, leading to Cheshire's reputation for
4002-492: The county, the University of Chester and the Chester campus of The University of Law . The Crewe campus of Manchester Metropolitan University was scheduled to close in 2019. Cheshire has produced musicians such as Joy Division members Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris , One Direction member Harry Styles , the members of The 1975 , Take That member Gary Barlow , The Cult member Ian Astbury , Catfish and
4089-417: The distinction on Richard's fall in 1399. Through the Local Government Act 1972 , which came into effect on 1 April 1974, some areas in the north became part of the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside . Stockport (previously a county borough), Altrincham , Hyde , Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the north-east became part of Greater Manchester. Much of the Wirral Peninsula in
4176-407: The dredging of the river for the barge may be responsible for a weakening of the tidal bore . There are a number of direct water abstractions upstream of Chester by three water companies and by the canal. The size of the abstraction is very large compared to the summer flow and the flow in the river is very highly regulated through the use of reservoirs to store water in the winter and release it in
4263-568: The earldom forfeit and gave the title to Hugh d'Avranches (nicknamed Hugh Lupus, or "wolf"). Because of Cheshire's strategic location on the Welsh Marches , the Earl had complete autonomous powers to rule on behalf of the king in the county palatine. Cheshire in the Domesday Book (1086) is recorded as a much larger county than it is today. It included two hundreds , Atiscross and Exestan, that later became part of North Wales . At
4350-463: The end of the 17th century as sediment had prevented larger craft reaching the city, spelling the end for the Port of Chester. After four years' work, the river was diverted from its meandering natural course which passed Blacon , Saughall , Shotwick Castle , Burton and Parkgate and up the west shore of Wirral . Instead, the new canalised section followed the coast along northeast Wales. During this time, Sealand and Shotton were reclaimed from
4437-432: The energy and water sector and there was also a significant reduction in the manufacturing sector. The largest growth during this period was in the other services and distribution, hotels and retail sectors. Cheshire is considered to be an affluent county. However, towns such as Crewe and Winsford have significant deprivation. The county's proximity to the cities of Manchester and Liverpool means counter urbanisation
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#17327731726554524-424: The final section is canalised and discharges to the Irish Sea via an estuary 23 km (14 miles) long. The River Dee was the traditional boundary of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in Wales for centuries, possibly since its founding in the 5th century. It was recorded in the 13th century (in mainstream Middle English orthography , lacking the letters v and w) as flumen Dubr Duiu ; the name appears to derive from
4611-404: The first water pumping station here was set up in 1600 by John Tyrer who pumped water to a square tower built on the city's Bridgegate. It was destroyed in the Civil War but an octagonal tower built in 1690 for the same purpose lasted until the gate was replaced with an arch in the mid-18th century. On this weir is a fish pass and fish counting station to monitor the numbers of salmon ascending
4698-411: The former Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council. Devolution talks for the county are scheduled for Autumn 2024. From 1 April 1974 the area under the control of the county council was divided into eight local government districts; Chester , Congleton , Crewe and Nantwich , Ellesmere Port and Neston , Halton , Macclesfield , Vale Royal and Warrington . Halton (which includes
4785-407: The historic county of Cheshire was Black Hill (582 m (1,909 ft)) near Crowden in the Cheshire Panhandle, a long eastern projection of the county which formerly stretched along the northern side of Longdendale and on the border with the West Riding of Yorkshire . Black Hill is now the highest point in the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire . Within the current ceremonial county and
4872-537: The huge expanses of mud which are exposed between tides and the extensive saltmarsh developed on both sides but principally on the right bank north and south of Neston. The estuary owes its origins to the scouring of a broad channel through the Triassic sandstones and Carboniferous mudstones by glacial ice during successive ice ages to form an iceway . The channel continues inland south of Chester but its higher reaches have long since been infilled with sand, gravel and mud. The process of infilling by mud continues to
4959-468: The judicial review it lost in October 2007. The appeal was dismissed on 4 March 2008. A plain of glacial till and other glacio-fluvial sediments extends across much of Cheshire, separating the hills of North Wales and the Pennines . Known as the Cheshire Plain , it was formed following the retreat of a Quaternary ice sheet which left the area dotted with kettle holes , those which hold water being referred to as meres . The bedrock of this region
5046-425: The land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire , resolving any uncertainty about the county in which the land "Inter Ripam et Mersam" was. Over the years, the ten hundreds consolidated and changed names to leave just seven—Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral. In 1397 the county had lands in the march of Wales added to its territory, and
5133-416: The mouth of the estuary at this point. The waters of the Dee then converge with those of the River Mersey and Ribble , producing a notable drop in salinity and increase in sediment which can be tracked a considerable distance along the Sefton and Lancashire coasts. The estuary is hugely important for birdlife and has been designated both as an SSSI and as a Ramsar site accordingly. Its value lies in
5220-638: The north-west, including the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey, joined Merseyside as the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral . At the same time the Tintwistle Rural District was transferred to Derbyshire . The area of south Lancashire not included within either the Merseyside or Greater Manchester counties, including Widnes and the county borough of Warrington , was added to the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire. Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 1998, but remain part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes and also for fire and policing. Halton
5307-452: The numbers of paddlers on the river when paddling was allowed but the Welsh Canoe Association wanted to renew the previous agreement. In November 2004, a protest about the lack of access on the Dee, and to rivers across England and Wales, was held in Llangollen. Following the failure of the access agreement, the Welsh Canoeing Association advises canoeists to use their own judgement about using the river, which in practice means many canoeists use
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#17327731726555394-440: The oldest course in the country. This used to be the site of Chester's Roman harbour until, aided by the building of the weir, the River Dee silted up to become the size it is today. The only curiously remaining reminder of this site's maritime past is a stone cross which stands in the middle of the Roodee which exhibits the marks of water ripples. To the end of the Roodee the river is crossed by Chester's fourth bridge which carries
5481-521: The original bridge was destroyed by severe flooding and was rebuilt in its current form from original parts in 1929. The course of the river then takes it through Llangollen and under its 16th-century, Grade I listed bridge . The bridge is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument and considered one of the Seven Wonders of Wales . On leaving Llangollen the river continues east, to the south of the Carboniferous Limestone exposures of Eglwyseg Rocks ( Welsh : Creigiau Eglwyseg ) and Trevor Rocks. Overlooking
5568-413: The population, and 10,994 (2%) in ethnic groups other than white. Of the 2% in non-white ethnic groups: In the 2001 Census, 81% of the population (542,413) identified themselves as Christian; 124,677 (19%) did not identify with any religion or did not answer the question; 5,665 (1%) identified themselves as belonging to other major world religions; and 1,033 belonged to other religions. The boundary of
5655-438: The present day as the rapid growth of the saltmarsh in the last century testifies, pushing the high tide line further out into the estuary. Large parts of the catchment are devoted to agriculture and there a number of abstractions made from the river for summer irrigation. The volumes involved are not however significant. From Chirk downstream, the river valley has supported a wide range of industries that were initially drawn to
5742-410: The production of chemicals, Cheshire cheese , salt, and silk. Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded as Legeceasterscir in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , meaning "the shire of the city of legions". Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920. In the Domesday Book , Chester
5829-413: The proposal to split two-tier Cheshire into two would proceed. Cheshire County Council leader Paul Findlow, who attempted High Court legal action against the proposal, claimed that splitting Cheshire would only disrupt excellent services while increasing living costs for all. On 31 January 2008 The Standard , Cheshire and district's newspaper, announced that the legal action had been dropped. Members against
5916-523: The proposal were advised that they may be unable to persuade the court that the decision of Hazel Blears was "manifestly absurd". The Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority covers the area formerly occupied by the City of Chester and the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal; Cheshire East now covers the area formerly occupied by the boroughs of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, and Macclesfield. The changes were implemented on 1 April 2009. Congleton Borough Council pursued an appeal against
6003-422: The river at will from the numerous access points along its banks. Canoeing is permitted on one 100 m long rapid, 1 km upstream of Llangollen. Wildwater and slalom races are still held at Serpent's Tail rapid upstream of Llangollen. A major tributary of the Dee, the River Tryweryn , supports a wide range of water sports and hosts the Canolfan Tryweryn - the national white water centre for Wales. Each July
6090-411: The river drops in height by only a few feet. The rich adjoining farmland has many remnants of abandoned coal workings and deep clay pits used to make bricks and tiles . A number of these pits are now being used as landfill sites for domestic and commercial waste. Approaching Churton and Aldford , the river crosses entirely into England, and passes the grand country house of Eaton Hall , seat of
6177-403: The river here is the medieval Castell Dinas Brân , a ruined fortress abandoned by John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey in 1282. The river then enters Wrexham County Borough , passing south of Trevor and under Thomas Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct , of 1805, which carries the Llangollen Canal 120 feet (37 m) overhead. Less than a mile east of the aqueduct at Cefn Mawr , the river
6264-652: The river pass through Bala Lake and emerge undiluted and unmixed at the outflow. On leaving Bala the river meets its confluence with Afon Tryweryn and passes through the Bala sluice gates, part of the Dee Regulation System protecting communities further downstream from severe flooding. Skirting the village of Llanfor , the path of the river takes it past Llandderfel and under the Grade II listed Pont Fawr bridge. The river trends generally northeast through
6351-599: The river, and also a weirgate for navigating the weir at spring tides. A little further downstream stands the Grosvenor Bridge (designed by architect Thomas Harrison of Chester), which was opened in 1833 to ease congestion on the Old Dee Bridge. This bridge was opened by Princess Victoria five years before she became Queen. The other side of the Grosvenor Bridge is the Roodee , Chester's race course and
6438-472: The start of 2003, there were 22,020 VAT-registered enterprises in Cheshire, an increase of 7% since 1998, many in the business services (31.9%) and wholesale/retail (21.7%) sectors. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of businesses grew in four sectors: public administration and other services (6.0%), hotels and restaurants (5.1%), construction (1.7%), and business services (1.0%). The county saw the largest proportional reduction between 2001 and 2002 in employment in
6525-559: The summer. The whole system is managed as the Dee Regulation Scheme . Below Chester water is also abstracted as cooling water by the gas-fired power station at Connah's Quay . Process and cooling water is also abstracted for the paper mill and power station at Shotton . The Dee used to be a popular whitewater kayaking and touring river (particularly the grade III/IV whitewater section upstream of Llangollen). It stays high after rain for longer than most British rivers and
6612-598: The table. below. Cheshire also forms part of the North West England region. In July 2022, beavers bred in Cheshire for the first time in 400 years, following a reintroduction scheme. Based on the Census of 2001, the overall population of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester is 673,781, of which 51.3% of the population were male and 48.7% were female. Of those aged between 0–14 years, 51.5% were male and 48.4% were female; and of those aged over 75 years, 62.9% were female and 37.1% were male. This increased to 699,735 at
6699-528: The time of the Domesday Book, it also included as part of Duddestan Hundred the area of land later known as English Maelor (which used to be a detached part of Flintshire ) in Wales. The area between the Mersey and Ribble (referred to in the Domesday Book as "Inter Ripam et Mersam") formed part of the returns for Cheshire. Although this has been interpreted to mean that at that time south Lancashire
6786-607: The towns of Runcorn and Widnes ) and Warrington became unitary authorities in 1998. The remaining districts and the county were abolished as part of local government restructuring on 1 April 2009. The Halton and Warrington boroughs were not affected by the 2009 restructuring. On 25 July 2007, the Secretary of State Hazel Blears announced she was 'minded' to split Cheshire into two new unitary authorities, Cheshire West and Chester , and Cheshire East . She confirmed she had not changed her mind on 19 December 2007 and therefore
6873-488: The unitary authority of Cheshire East the highest point is Shining Tor on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border between Macclesfield and Buxton , at 559 metres (1,834 ft) above sea level. After Shining Tor, the next highest point in Cheshire is Shutlingsloe , at 506 metres (1,660 ft) above sea level. Shutlingsloe lies just to the south of Macclesfield Forest and is sometimes humorously referred to as
6960-427: The weir. The river has been famed as a mixed fishery with salmon and trout fishing, mostly in the upper waters and a good coarse fishery in the lower reaches. A major pollution incident in the middle reaches in the late 1990s did extensive damage to the fishery from which it is now largely recovered. Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the preserved county of Clwyd , along
7047-614: The west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge . A 55-kilometre (34 mi) footpath, the Sandstone Trail , follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch passing Delamere Forest , Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts. The western fringes of the Peak District - the southernmost extent of the Pennine range - form the eastern part of the county. The highest point (county top) in
7134-469: The works at Dee Marsh. A footbridge replaced the passenger ferry at Saltney in the 1970s. Beyond Connah's Quay the river opens out into the Dee Estuary , forming the northeasternmost section of the North Wales coast and the western coast of the Wirral . Towns along the coast include Flint , Holywell and Mostyn on the Welsh side and Neston , Parkgate, Heswall , West Kirby and Hoylake on
7221-638: Was allocated to dairy farming, with another 11.78 km allocated to cattle and sheep. The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded in Roman times, with the mining of salt in Winsford, Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area by British Salt . The salt mining has led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, with Brunner Mond based in the town. Other chemical companies, including Ineos (formerly ICI ), have plants at Runcorn . The Essar Refinery (formerly Shell Stanlow Refinery )
7308-504: Was part of Cheshire, more exhaustive research indicates that the boundary between Cheshire and what was to become Lancashire remained the River Mersey . With minor variations in spelling across sources, the complete list of hundreds of Cheshire at this time are: Atiscross, Bochelau, Chester, Dudestan, Exestan, Hamestan, Middlewich, Riseton, Roelau, Tunendune, Warmundestrou and Wilaveston. There were 8 feudal baronies in Chester,
7395-451: Was promoted to the rank of principality. This was because of the support the men of the county had given to King Richard II, in particular by his standing armed force of about 500 men called the "Cheshire Guard". As a result, the King's title was changed to "King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Chester". No other English county has been honoured in this way, although it lost
7482-413: Was recorded as having the name Cestrescir (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time. Through the next few centuries a series of changes that occurred in the English language, which have included simplifications and elision , has resulted in the name Cheshire. Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became modern Wales , there
7569-468: Was sufficiently independent from the kingdom of England that the 13th-century Magna Carta did not apply to the shire of Chester , so the earl wrote up his own Chester Charter at the petition of his barons. William I made Cheshire a county palatine and gave Gerbod the Fleming the new title of Earl of Chester . When Gerbod returned to Normandy in about 1070, the king used his absence to declare
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