Cheshire is a county in the North West of England, bordering Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough in Wales to the west. Cheshire's county town is the City of Chester (79,645); the largest town is Warrington (210,014). Other major towns include Crewe (75,000), Runcorn (61,789), Widnes (61,464), Ellesmere Port (55,715), Macclesfield (52,044), Winsford (33,700), Northwich (19,924) and Wilmslow (24,497).
Merseyside is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral and the city of Liverpool. Merseyside, which was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, takes its name from the River Mersey.
Chester is a walled cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales. With a population of 79,645 in 2011, it is the most populous settlement of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 329,608 in 2011, and serves as the unitary authority's administrative headquarters. Chester is the second-largest settlement in Cheshire after Warrington. Chester is also the historic county town of the ceremonial county of Cheshire.
Ellesmere Port is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester local authority area of Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Chester, 12 miles (19 km) south of Birkenhead, 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Runcorn and 11 miles (18 km) south of Liverpool. The town had a population of 55,715 in 2011. Ellesmere Port also forms part of the wider Birkenhead urban area, which had a population of 325,264.
Neston is a town and civil parish in the borough of Cheshire West and Chester, in the part of the Wirral Peninsula that remains in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Parkgate is located to the north west and the villages of Little Neston and Ness to the south of the town. At the 2001 census the population of Neston ward was recorded as 3,521, increasing to 4,329 at the 2011 census. The town and civil parish also includes Little Neston; Parkgate; and Riverside wards; along with part of Burton and Ness ward, and had a population of 15,162 in 2001, increasing to 15,221 in 2011.
The Chester Canal was an English canal linking the south Cheshire town of Nantwich with the River Dee at Chester. It was intended to link Chester to Middlewich, with a branch to Nantwich, but the Trent and Mersey Canal were unco-operative about a junction at Middlewich, and so the route to Nantwich was opened in 1779. There were also difficulties negotiating with the River Dee Company, and with no possibility of through traffic, the canal was uneconomic. Part of it was closed in 1787, when Beeston staircase locks collapsed, and there was no money to fund repairs. When the Ellesmere Canal was proposed in 1790, the company saw it as a ray of hope, and somehow managed to keep the struggling canal open. The Ellesmere Canal provided a link to the River Mersey at Ellesmere Port from 1797, and the fortunes of the Chester Canal began to improve.
Bromborough is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically in the county of Cheshire, it is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south east of Bebington and to the north of Eastham.
The National Waterways Museum (NWM) is in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England, at the northern end of the Shropshire Union Canal where it meets the Manchester Ship Canal. The museum's collections and archives focus on the Britain's navigable inland waterways, including its rivers and canals, and include canal boats, traditional clothing, painted canal decorative ware and tools. It is one of several museums and attractions operated by the Canal & River Trust, the successor to The Waterways Trust.
Elton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated approximately 13 km (8.1 mi) to the northeast of Chester, between Helsby and Ellesmere Port, near to the River Mersey. Its proximity to the Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal have contributed to its industrial character. The village is on the north-western edge of the Cheshire Plain, approximately 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from Stanlow Refinery.
Helsby railway station serves the village of Helsby in Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II listed building.
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.Waverton is a very rural area with lots of fields and farms
Hooton is a suburban village on the Wirral Peninsula, within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was once a separate village but was incorporated into Ellesmere Port as the town expanded outwards during the twentieth century.
Little Sutton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Located between Childer Thornton and Great Sutton, it is a suburb of the town of Ellesmere Port.
Childer Thornton is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the unitary authority Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was once a separate village but has since been incorporated into Ellesmere Port. Childer Thornton is on the A41 trunk road, between Hooton and Little Sutton.
Ledsham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish includes parts of the hamlets of Badger's Rake and Two Mills. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north of the city of Chester and 6 km (3.7 mi) to the west of Ellesmere Port.
Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of 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 and 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.
Backford Cross is a suburban locality of Ellesmere Port, within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire, England. It is located at the southern end of the Wirral Peninsula around the A41/A5117 road junction. Great Sutton is approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) to the north and the village of Backford, near Chester, is about 2.2 km (1.4 mi) to the south.
Newtown is an area of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.
Hapsford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Dunham-on-the-Hill and Hapsford, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the A5117 road, with Helsby to the east and the village of Elton, near Ellesmere Port, to the north west. Junction 14 of the M56 motorway and Chester services motorway service station are sited nearby.
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.
