Latchford, Cheshire

Last updated

Latchford
Christ Church, Latchford - geograph.org.uk - 852672.jpg
Christ Church
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Latchford
Location within Cheshire
Population7,856 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference SJ624871
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town WARRINGTON
Postcode district WA4
Dialling code 01925
Police Cheshire
Fire Cheshire
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cheshire
53°22′48″N2°33′43″W / 53.380°N 2.562°W / 53.380; -2.562

Latchford is a suburb and electoral ward of Warrington, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is around one mile south-east of Warrington town centre and has a total resident population of 7,856. [1]

Contents

Latchford is a predominantly residential area, Latchford lies between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, and broadly consists of 19th-century terraced housing and some open space. The canal is crossed here by a swing bridge, a high-level road bridge and the now disused Latchford railway viaduct.

Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Læccford meaning "boggy-stream ford".[ citation needed ]

History

Latchford was originally a township and chapelry [2] in the ancient parish of Grappenhall, in Cheshire. It was also part of Bucklow Hundred, and was close to the border with Lancashire. [3] [4] [5]

In 1866 Latchford became a separate civil parish, on 30 September 1898 the parish was abolished and merged with Warrington. In 1891 the parish had a population of 6225. [6] Between 1894 and 1974, part of Latchford was placed within the County Borough of Warrington, and the registration county of Lancashire, whilst the rest of Latchford became a civil parish named Latchford Without and was transferred to Lancashire. [3] [5]

With the local government reforms of 1974, as part of the newly formed Cheshire borough of Warrington, Latchford was transferred back to Cheshire. [3]

Latchford Railway Viaduct

Latchford viaduct was opened on 8 July 1893 to carry the London and North Western Railway's Stockport to Warrington line over the Manchester Ship Canal. The wrought iron viaduct, with a span of 250 feet (76 m), weighed more than 1,200 tonnes. The last passengers service ran in 1962, but the line continued to carry freight. It finally closed to all traffic in July 1985, when it was deemed too expensive to make extensive repairs to keep Latchford viaduct operational.

Latchford Locks

Latchford Locks looking east as an ocean liner, with tugs, leaves for the Eastham end of the canal. Smaller lock at centre, and ship berth at right MSC Latchford Locks 1950 edited-2.jpg
Latchford Locks looking east as an ocean liner, with tugs, leaves for the Eastham end of the canal. Smaller lock at centre, and ship berth at right

Latchford was chosen as the location of intermediate locks on the Manchester Ship Canal. These comprise a larger lock for ocean-going vessels and a smaller lock to its south for coasters, tugs and barges. A ship mooring area was provided on the canal's south bank and enabled two large vessels to pass each other at this point. The locks are still used, but less often than before, as hardly any ships now go to the terminal docks at Manchester and Salford.

Geography

Latchford is bounded to the south by the Manchester Ship Canal and Stockton Heath and to the north by the River Mersey and Howley.

Communal facilities

Victoria Park

Victoria Park is an open space beside the Mersey, with a modern sports stadium and a skateboard park. It contains a large Georgian manor house, previously the Old Warps maternity hospital, subsequently converted into flats. Nearby is a narrow Victorian suspension bridge, Howley Bridge, which provides pedestrian access between Howley and Latchford.

Victoria Park is on the site of the Old Warps Estate. In 1897 the local council bought the estate from the owners and converted it into a park to provide an amenity for the local working-class people of the terraced housing of industrial Latchford. To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria the park was named "Victoria Park". The Georgian manor house "Old Warps" still stands and has been converted to a restaurant.

Before work on the Mersey commenced[ clarification needed ], Victoria Park was under[ clarification needed ] the River Mersey, in an area that was considered dangerous by even the most experienced seamen. In 1724 various new weirs were built along the course of the River Mersey due to its often treacherous nature. The course of the Mersey was then altered and the land was converted into the Old Warps Estate. A weir was built and is still monitored 24 hours a day by a "weir man" from a wooden building situated about the weir, which is the tidal limit of the Mersey. The Mersey is so improved now that salmon and trout are often seen, as are herons, kingfishers and cormorants, especially in the wide pool on the river bend below the weir.

Access to Howley is provided by a suspension bridge for pedestrians, recently renovated by Warrington Borough Council.

Victoria Park has a large running track which is the home of Warrington Athletic Club, and has bowling greens, a skate-park and various other leisure facilities. A 5 km run against the clock is organised by the group Parkrun most Saturday mornings. [7] Old Manor Lock marks the northern end of the park.

Victoria Park has also been used for the past 2 years for a new festival called Neighbourhood Weekender, which is an extended, larger version of the Neighbourhood inner-city festival in Manchester, and has taken place on May bank holiday, in 2018 and 2019.

Black Bear Park

Black Bear Canal, now infilled and used as Black Bear Park, once ran from docks on the Manchester Ship Canal near Wilderspool Causeway (to the west of Latchford) to the Mersey at Manor Lock in Howley, providing a shortcut for shipping, avoiding a large river bend and weir.

In 1804, an eight-mile long canal was built between Latchford and Runcorn. It was named the Old Quay Canal. Once the Manchester Ship Canal was dug, in the 1890s, it was shortened to one mile, from Stockton Heath to the River Mersey, at Manor Lock. It was renamed the Black Bear Canal. The Black Bear Canal remained in use for the transport of South American hides to tanneries, until the 1960s, when it fell into disuse.

Warrington Borough Council bought the land. After a local boy drowned in the late 1960s, it was converted in 1981 into a parkland forming a line from Victoria Park and the banks of the River Mersey, through to Stockton Heath. The park also forms a part of the Trans Pennine Trail.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Mersey</span> Major river emptying into Liverpool Bay

The River Mersey is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Ship Canal</span> UK canal linking Manchester to the coast

The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36 mi-long (58 km) inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift vessels about 60 ft (18 m) to the canal's terminus in Manchester. Landmarks along its route include the Barton Swing Aqueduct, the world's only swing aqueduct, and Trafford Park, the world's first planned industrial estate and still the largest in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolston, Cheshire</span> Human settlement in England

Woolston is a settlement and civil parish in the Borough of Warrington in the county of Cheshire, England. Formerly a township called 'Woolston with Martinscroft' within the parish of Warrington, there are two main settlements: Woolston to the west and Martinscroft to the east. Formerly within the historic county of Lancashire, the parish is on the north bank of the River Mersey and takes in Paddington to the south-west. It is bounded by the River Mersey to the south, Bruche and Padgate to the west, Longbarn and Birchwood to the north and Rixton to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Warrington South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Andy Carter, a Conservative Party politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton Heath</span> Human settlement in England

Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburb of Warrington, in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington. It has a total resident population of 6,396.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thelwall</span> Human settlement in England

Thelwall is a suburban village in the civil parish of Grappenhall and Thelwall, in the Warrington district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is close to the Lymm junction of the M6 motorway.

Heaton Norris is a suburb of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is one of the Four Heatons, along with neighbours Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor. Originally within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, part of Heaton Norris was annexed to the County Borough of Stockport in 1835; Heaton Chapel and Heaton Moor followed in 1894 and the remnant in 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runcorn Docks</span> Inland port in Cheshire, England

Runcorn Docks, originally the Bridgewater Docks, is an inland port on the Manchester Ship Canal in the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It is operated by Peel Ports and handles bulk and project cargo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Jubilee Bridge</span> Bridge in northwest England

The Silver Jubilee Bridge crosses the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn Gap between Runcorn and Widnes in Halton, England. It is a through arch bridge with a main arch span of 361 yards. It was opened in 1961 as a replacement for the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge. In 1975–77 the carriageway was widened, after which the bridge was given its official name in honour of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. It carries the A533 road and a cantilevered footway. The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The bridge was closed to vehicles for refurbishment upon the opening of the new Mersey Gateway Bridge, but reopened as a toll bridge in February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warburton, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Warburton is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it lies on the south bank of the River Mersey. The village remains predominantly rural. Altrincham is the nearest town. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 286.

Rixton-with-Glazebrook is a civil parish in the Borough of Warrington, Cheshire, England. Formerly within the historic county of Lancashire, it lies to the east of Warrington and is largely farmland. At the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 1,960. Its main settlements are the villages of Glazebrook and Hollins Green, and Rixton hamlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canals in Cheshire</span>

A large number of canals were built in Cheshire, England, during the early phases of the Industrial Revolution to transport goods and raw materials. This resulted in a significant canal network which is now enjoyed by holiday-makers, anglers, walkers, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington Corporation Tramways</span>

Warrington Corporation Tramways was the owner and operator of an electric tramway system in the early 20th century serving the town of Warrington, at the time a county borough of Lancashire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway</span>

The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway was a railway line that was in operation from 1 November 1853 to 7 July 1985. The railway was created by an act of parliament on 3 July 1851 to build a line between Timperley Junction on the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR), to provide a through route to Manchester, and Warrington Arpley on the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway providing a link with Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mersey and Irwell Navigation</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Mersey and Irwell Navigation was a river navigation in North West England, which provided a navigable route from the Mersey estuary to Salford and Manchester, by improving the course of the River Irwell and the River Mersey. Eight locks were constructed between 1724 and 1734, and the rivers were improved by the construction of new cuts several times subsequently. Use of the navigation declined from the 1870s, and it was ultimately superseded by the Manchester Ship Canal, the construction of which destroyed most of the Irwell section of the navigation and the long cut between Latchford and Runcorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runcorn to Latchford Canal</span> Canal in North West England

The Runcorn to Latchford Canal was a man-made canal that ran from Runcorn, to the Latchford area of Warrington. It connected the Mersey and Irwell Navigation to the River Mersey at Runcorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Warrington</span> Unitary authority area in Cheshire, England

The Borough of Warrington is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The borough is centred around the town of Warrington, and extends out into outlying villages of Lymm and Great Sankey and the town of Birchwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington</span> Town in Cheshire, England

Warrington is an industrial town in the borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and is historically part of Lancashire. It is 19 miles (31 km) east of Liverpool, and 18 miles (29 km) west of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howley Bridge</span> British Bridge spanning River Mersey

The Howley Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge which spans the River Mersey in Warrington, England. It connects Howley in Warrington to Victoria Park in Latchford.

References

  1. ↑ United Kingdom Census 2001. "Latchford (Ward)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "History of Latchford, in Warrington and Cheshire". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 A vision of Britain through time. "A vision of Latchford CP/Ch" . Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  4. ↑ GENUKI. "Latchford" . Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  5. 1 2 GENUKI. "Latchford" . Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Population statistics Latchford CP/Ch through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Warrington Parkrun". Parkrun information. Prkrun Warrington. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.