The Three Wiches

Friday, 01 May 2009 14:38

The Three Wiches are not the "hubble, bubble, toil and trouble" ones of Shakespeare's creation. They are the three towns that are the UK's salt centre in the Cheshire Plain: Nantwich, Middlewich and Northwich - all towns we have now visited via the canals.

Northwich is The Salt Town, largely due to the large beds of salt beneath the town and district. It stands at the junction of the River Dane and the River Weaver. Salt has been made there since Roman times.

Salt production was at its peak in the 19th Century and due to the transport system of the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal the industry thrived alongside others: such as shipbuilding, tanneries, breweries and chemical works.

The area had a huge problem and this was particularly evident in Northwich. I am sure it was as dreaded a word as "Swine Fever" or "Concrete Cancer" in its day!

Due to the extraction of salt the ground had a nasty habit of subsiding.
This had a nasty effect on the properties in Northwich

The houses and important buildings were rebuilt using timber frames, allowing them to be jacked up to counteract subsidence. Clever people these Victorians!

The Brunner Library was rebuilt and donated to the town in 1909

The RAOB Hall, once the Constitutional Club, was designed by J Cawley and opened in 1913. It is probably the best preserved example of his timber frame liftable buildings.

Grade II Listed RAOB Hall

The pub chain Weatherspoons seem to make it a habit to "inhabit" old, traditional buildings. I am thinking of the one in Henley, a recently opened one in Devizes and now this one in Northwich:

The old Main Post Office, now appropriately named The Penny Black

Boots has also "adopted" a timber frame building

There are other things to see in Northwich, as well as more timber frame buildings(!) - The Salt Museum, the shopping centre, market, church and castle. We did not explore much more though as we wanted to visit more on the River.

Slightly out of keeping is the Plaza Bingo Hall

This sculpture at the underpass aims to represent all the industries

Our last night in Northwich was quiet and this morning we set off downstream on the River Weaver Navigation

>>> View Next Post		View Previous Post <<<