Newtown, Chester

Last updated

Newtown
Canal near Newton2.jpg
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Newtown
Location within Cheshire
OS grid reference SJ408826
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town CHESTER
Postcode district CH1
Dialling code 01244
Police Cheshire
Fire Cheshire
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cheshire
53°12′00″N2°53′00″W / 53.2°N 2.883333°W / 53.2; -2.883333

Newtown is an area of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.

Contents

History

1899 Ordnance Survey map of N.E. Chester showing Newtown. The Cathedral grounds of St. Werburgh can be seen to bottom left of the map. The Phoenix Tower (The King Charles Tower) forms part of the Roman Walls of Chester. Bbstreet.jpg
1899 Ordnance Survey map of N.E. Chester showing Newtown. The Cathedral grounds of St. Werburgh can be seen to bottom left of the map. The Phoenix Tower (The King Charles Tower) forms part of the Roman Walls of Chester.

Newtown is an area of north-east Chester, just outside the city walls and to the east of Chester Cathedral and the Phoenix Tower. The main layout of streets originated in the late 1790s because of the location by the cattle market and along the Shropshire Union Canal.

Newtown, together with Boughton and Hoole, provided most of the workers to Chester during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century, leading to substantial wealth for the city.

Newtown's growth and importance to the Chester economy was driven from about 1793 by its location in the canal network, and from the 1840s by its location in the railway network, close to the two Chester railway stations: Chester General and Chester Northgate. The area supported a thriving community of artisans and working-class families who lived mainly in "two-up-two-down" terraced housing with no bathroom and an outside toilet. The last canal-side flour mill closed in the late 1950s. [1]

Because of its location in the canal and railway networks, Newtown in Chester, along with Liverpool and Manchester, became a hub of northern English commerce. The canal was the 'motorway' of its day and narrowboats carried produce and supplies to and from North Wales (coal, slate, gypsum and lead ore). Finished lead (for roofing, water pipes and sewerage), produced in the huge leadworks in Egerton Street Newtown, was exported all over the country. Grain from the Cheshire farmlands was processed in the large mills and granaries on the banks of the canal at Newtown and Boughton; and salt (for preserving food such as fish and meat) came from Northwich.

Present day

Newtownsaints tower blocks Flats.JPG
Newtownsaints tower blocks

The two large estates, run by Chester & District Housing Trust, referred to as 'The Saints' Area' and 'Francis Street Flats', are a mixture of sheltered accommodation and normal family occupancy. [2] The 'saints' area has three large 1960s-built tower blocks (St Annes, St Oswalds and St Georges), along with many low-rise houses and maisonettes. On the opposite side of Hoole Way there are a further three tower blocks, namely, Heygarth Heights, Thackery Towers and Rowlands Heights, all built in the 1970s. These properties were built on an area which used to contain the old 'back-to-back' terraced houses; housing workers from the two railway stations, the Royal Mail depot and the old Chester Cattle Market.

Hoole Way virtually dissects the 'old' Newtown in half, and runs almost exactly along the route of what was Back Brook Street. There are still some surviving buildings which used to form part of the bottom end of the street (the top end being the Cattle Market end) - notably, number 24 Back Brook Street. In addition, the backs of the old vegetable and butchers shops can still be seen.

Picture above shows Chester City Cathedral and Chester Town Hall, as seen from the Newtown tower blocks in Francis Street. Chestercathedral.jpeg
Picture above shows Chester City Cathedral and Chester Town Hall, as seen from the Newtown tower blocks in Francis Street.

Brook Street is a local shopping area with shops, pubs and restaurants. The street used to be the main route into Chester from the north, leading to the railway station and Francis Street, another area of Newtown. Francis Street has three further 1970's-built high-rise tower blocks and more Chester & District Housing Trust social housing along with private housing. The Newtown area also contains a small 'arts' cinema.

Governance

City of Chester and West Cheshire shown as 1 on this map of Cheshire New Cheshire Ceremonial Numbered.png
City of Chester and West Cheshire shown as 1 on this map of Cheshire

Newtown forms part of an unparished area within the city of Chester. Administratively, the area is part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. Cheshire West and Chester came into force in April 2009, when the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act was enacted, [3] and replaced the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and Chester District. The equivalent unitary authority in the other half of the county is called Cheshire East. The decision to create the Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007 following a consultation period, in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected. [4]

The area is within the City of Chester parliamentary constituency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire</span> County of England

Cheshire 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 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.

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

Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the England-Wales border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011, it is the most populous settlement of Cheshire West and Chester and serves as its administrative headquarters. It is also the historic county town of Cheshire and the second-largest settlement in Cheshire after Warrington.

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

Tattenhall is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Tattenhall and District, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Chester, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the 2001 census, the population was recorded as 1,986, increasing to 2,079 by the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester (district)</span>

Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of Cheshire, England from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a city and a borough, and the local authority was called Chester City Council.

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

Blacon is a council estate on the outskirts of Chester, England. It was once one of the largest council housing estates in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Chester (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1918

The City of Chester is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2 December 2022 by Samantha Dixon of the Labour Party. She was elected in the by-election held following the resignation of Chris Matheson MP on 21 October 2022.

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

Guilden Sutton is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies approximately 3 miles (5 km) to the east of Chester and is south of the village of Mickle Trafford. The community consists of a church, a primary school, a post office, a pub, a village hall and several local businesses.

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

Cuddington is a civil parish and rural village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 4 miles west of Northwich and 13 miles east of Chester.

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

Waverton is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of Chester High Cross, 19 miles (31 km) south of Liverpool and 33 miles (53 km) south west of Manchester. It is almost continuous with the village of Rowton to the north west and that in turn is almost continuous with Christleton. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 1,587.

Boughton is a neighbourhood to the east of Chester city centre, part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located atop the steep banks of the River Dee as it turns the meadows bend for the last time around the 'Earls Eye' before flowing into Chester.

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

Hoole is a suburb in the east of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The area is contiguous with Newton to the north and Vicars Cross to the south. The A41 road marks the suburb's eastern boundary, with the separate Hoole Village approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) away.

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

Vicars Cross is a large residential suburb constituting the to the civil parish of Great Boughton; situated on the east side of Chester. It is located in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, United Kingdom. At the 2011 Census the area contained a population of about 8,984.

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

Great Boughton is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the villages of Boughton Heath and Vicars Cross. It had a population of 2,627 according to the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire West and Chester</span> Borough in England

Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It superseded the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Vale Royal and the City of Chester; its council assumed the functions and responsibilities of the former Cheshire County Council within its area. The remainder of ceremonial Cheshire is composed of Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington. Cheshire West and Chester has three key urban areas: Chester, Ellesmere Port and Northwich/Winsford.

Newton is a suburb in the north-east of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Including the locale of Plas Newton, the area is contiguous with Upton to the north and Hoole to the south. The electoral ward involved had a population taken at the 2011 census of 9,556.

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

Cholmondeston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 5 miles (8 km) to the northwest of Nantwich. Nearby villages include Aston juxta Mondrum, Barbridge, Calveley and Wettenhall. The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal and the Crewe–Chester railway line run through the civil parish. The area is predominantly rural, with a total population of around 150 in 2001, increasing to 175 at the 2011 Census.

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

Wardle is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies on the Shropshire Union Canal, north west of Barbridge Junction, and is 4 miles to the north west of Nantwich, and the parish also includes part of the small settlement of Wardle Bank. The total population is around 250. RAF Calveley was a flight-training station during the Second World War, and the Mark III radio telescope stood on the airfield site in 1966–96. The modern civil parish includes Wardle Industrial Estate and is otherwise largely agricultural. Nearby villages include Barbridge, Calveley and Haughton.

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

Hoole Village is a village and former civil parish near Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Mickle Trafford and District, part of it also went to Guilden Sutton. The parish contained the southern end of the M53 motorway where it becomes the A55 road and is crossed by the A56 road. This junction is known as Hoole Island Junction. Also in the village is Hoole Hall, which is now a hotel.

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

Croughton is a hamlet and civil parish on the outskirts and 3.5 miles (5.7 km) north of the city of Chester, and part of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. The Shropshire Union Canal runs through Croughton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster, Ellesmere Port</span> Human settlement in England

Westminster is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It is a ward of the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester. Located to the north of the town centre, Westminster consists of largely early 20th century terraced housing towards the Manchester Ship Canal and post-war properties further inland. The Joseph Groome Towers are three thirteen-storey tower blocks built as public housing in the 1960s.

References

  1. "Newtonsaints website". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  2. Chester Housing
  3. "Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill" . Retrieved 9 August 2007.
  4. "County split into two authorities". BBC News. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2007.