Warrington
Warrington is a town in north-west England, located on the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal. Parts of the town north of the Mersey are in Lancashire, and those south of it are in Cheshire. It is noted for the manufacture of soap and has a vodka distillery. The town is 16 miles east of Liverpool and a similar distance west of Manchester.
An ancient crossing point of the Mersey, there was a Roman settlement at the modern suburb of Wilderspool in the 1st and 2nd centuries. In 1968, Warrington was designated a 'new town' and, despite a decline in local heavy industry, the growth of the town in the 1970s and 1980s saw an increase in light industry, retail, distribution and technology.
The M6 motorway, the longest motorway in England, has junctions with the other major motorways M56 and M62 in the vicinity of Warrington, and is a major junction for traffic between the North of England and North Wales. The Warrington post town also includes other settlements including the Lancashire towns of Birchwood and Golborne, and many villages such as Appleton and Grappenhall in Cheshire.
History
The town was first mentioned by name in 1086 in the Domesday Book, which came 20 years after the Norman conquest. It was mentioned as Walintune, a village near the ford over the Mersey at Latchford and Howley.[1] Warrington had a recorded settlement of 8 households at the time of the Domesday Book, placing it within the smallest 40% of settlements in England at the time. The settlement's Domesday entry noted the presence of a church at Warrington.[2]
In 1277, the market at Warrington was granted a Royal Charter.
Notable Warringtonians
Arts
- George Formby (1904-1961) - actor, singer-songwriter and comedian, lived in Warrington for many years
- Tim Curry (born 1946) - actor and singer, native of nearby Grappenhall, notable appeared in Rock Horror Picture Show (1975)
- Kerry Katona (born 1980) - television personality and Atomic Kitten singer
Politics
- Peter Brimelow (born 1947) - British-born American anti-immigration activist