Cheshire Accommodation:
Alderley Edge
Alsager
Altrincham
Ashton Under Lyne
Audlem
Beeston
Bollington
Bromborough
Broxton
Bruera
Burtonwood
Burwardsley
Cheadle
Cheadle Hulme
Chester
Childer Thornton
Congleton
Cotebrook
Crewe
Cuddington
Daresbury
Disley
Dukinfield
Ellesmere Port
Farndon
Frankby
Frodsham
Hale
Handforth
Higher Burwardsley
Holmes Chapel
Hyde
Kerridge
Knutsford
Little Sutton
Lymm
Macclesfield
Malpas
Middlewich
Nantwich
Northop
Northophall
Northwich
Over Peover
Prestbury
Prestwich
Rossett
Runcorn
Sale
Sandbach
Sandiway
Stockport
Tarporley
Tarvin
Tattenhall
Timperley
Warrington
Wettenhall
Widnes
Wilmslow
Winsford
Wirral

Cheshire

BOOK CHESHIRE HOTELS

Knights beyond the Iron Gates Knights beyond the Iron Gates

Information

County Town: Chester
Population: 966,900
Area: 899 Sq miles 2328 Sq km
Cheshire Jobs
Cheshire Tips Page
County Reviews
Rather interesting Cheshire facts
Cheshire weather
Visitor reports
Your opinion of Cheshire
Famous Dates
Famous People
Food Legends:Cheshire Cheese
Folk Customs:
Antrobus Soulcaking
Bawming the thorn
Knutsford’s Street Sanding
Haunted Britain:
Shade on the Cellar Stairs
The Saucy Spectre
Cultural Britain:
Lore & legend:
Knights beyond the Iron Gates
Natural Britain:
Alderley Edge
Cheshire Plain
River Mersey
The Bridestones
The River Dee
Wirral Peninsula

Events

January
Holly Holy Day
Tatton Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair

February
Chester Fine Art & Antiques Fair
Deer Walk and Light Lunch
Scarecrow Festival

March
Mothers Day
Spirit of Spring Fair
Tatton Garden Society Luncheon & Lecture

April
Bluebell Festival
Craft, Gift & Food Fair
Easter Fun
Heritage Opera
Lambing Weekend Farm
Plant Hunters Fair
Tatton Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair
The Easter Crafts and Country Shopping Fair

May
Arley Country Fair & One Day Horse Trials
Bluebell Festival
BMI - North West Air Ambulance Cycle Challenge
Chester Folk Festival
Craft, Gift & Food Fair
FOMFEST - Friends of Mine Festival
Garden Sculpture Trail
Macclesfield Beer Festival
Plant Hunters Fair
Plant Hunters Fair
Royal May Day Celebration
The Cheshire Classic Car & M/C Show
Thundersprint 2011

June
Arley Garden Festival
Barnaby Festival
Bonsai Weekend
Cheadle Festival
Cheshire County Show
Cholmondeley Pageant of Power
Classic and Performance Car Spectacular
Classic Car Show & Craft Market
Congleton Food & Drink Festival
Medieval Fayre at the Old Hall
The Bawming Ceremony of Appleton Thorn
The Home & Garden Show

July
Aviation and Transport Fair
Blakemere Countryside Fair
BMW Show
Cheshire Mind Body Spirit Event
Cholmondeley Castle Horse Trials
Higher Poynton Summerfest
Lift Off Festival
Live in the Park
Nantwich & South Cheshire Show
Raft Race
RHS Flower Show
Stars and Stripes Classic American Car Show
Summer Music Festival
Tatton Park Biennial
The Annual Classic Sports Car Sunday
The Cheshire Summer Fine Art & Antiques Fair

August
Bands @ The Boot Weekend
Creamfields
Disley & Lyme Horticultural Society Show
Halle Fireworks & Light Spectacular
Helenium National Collection Weekend
Heritage Opera
Just So Festival
Lift Off Festival
Poynton Horticultural & Agricultural Show
Tatton Park Biennial – Exhibition Showcase in the Mansion
Tatton Park Country Show
The Cheshire Classic Car & Motorcycle Show
Vintage, Classic and Sports Car Show
Warrington Art Group Exhibition
Weavers, spinners and dyers weekend exhibition

September
Heritage Open Days
Nantwich Food & Drink Festival
Party at the Proms
Roman Middlewich Festival
Tatton Park Triathlon
The Cheshire Autumn Fine Art & Antiques Fair
VINTAGE ORGAN FAIR RALLY
Warrington Art Group Exhibition

October
Cancer Research All Walk Together
Cheshire Mind Body Spirit Event
Chester Fine Art & Antiques Fair
Craft, Gift & Food Fair
Heritage Opera
Knutsford Literature Festival
National Family Learning Day
NATIONAL QUINCE DAY
North West Food Lovers Festival
Northwest Food Lovers Festival
Oxjam Chester
The Cheshire Crafts and Gifts Fair
The Christmas Gift Fair

November
Bonfire & Firework Display
Chester Christmas Market
Christmas at Capesthorne with Crafts
Christmas Decorations - Willow Weaving
Christmas Lantern Parade
Christmas Shopping Fair
Farm Conker Championship
Tatton Park Antiques and Fine Art Fair
Tattons Christmas Gift Fair
The Powder Bowl Boutique

December
Chester Christmas Market
Christmas Fun at Gulliver’s World
Deer Feed and Trailer Ride
Father Christmas at the Farm
Spirit of Chirstmas
Tattons Christmas Gift Fair

Cheshire - 348 places to stay

Hotels | Bed & Breakfast | Inns | Self Catering | Budget | Holiday Parks | Attractions | Activities | Shops | Sports | Directory

Principal Towns: Chester, Warrington, Knutsford, Stockport, Nantwich, Crewe, Macclesfield

A county in the North West of England Cheshire is mainly flat with a low ridge of sandstone hills leading North from Congleton with another ridge running from Malpas to Frodsham . The county is best known for its numerous small lakes and meres with its woods and parkland. Cheshire is part coastal overlooking the River Mersey which in turn is fed by the Rivers Bollin, Dee and the Weaver. This is a particularly fertile part of the North of England with numerous dairy farms and market gardens from where the local produce is sent to the nearby major cities of Liverpool and Manchester .

Such is the diversity of the industry within the County that coal and ironstone were worked in Macclesfield and Stockport whilst cotton and silk were also produced from mills that were established throughout the County. Shipbuilding along the banks of the River Mersey and salt was mined around Northwich and Nantwich , today there is a Salt Museum in Northwich to honour the economic contribution made by the slat mines.

The Romans had the largest influence in the region with their desire for good communication links and their need to control Wales, this they did with their fortification at Chester . Today along with the City Walls there are constant reminders of the Roman occupation with the remains of the amphitheatre, baths and other archaeological finds. A stroll along the streets of Chester will provide an insight into this former Roman stronghold and yet the City has integrated the old and the modern to such an extent that it is a popular tourist destination for visitors world wide.

After the Romans withdrew from Britain the Scandinavians invaded and despite their fearsome reputation as warriors they soon settled and began farming the land, clearing large areas of woodland to accommodate their needs. By 1030 AD the area settled down to a period of great stability as it was under the guardianship of the grandson of Leofric of Mercia, part of the most powerful and influential family in England at that time.

The next period of Cheshire’s History was less peaceful with the Norman Conquest of 1066 AD. There was widespread confiscation of the lands by William I whole swathes of land were destroyed, villages razed to the ground, crops burnt, livestock slaughtered and people rendered landless, homeless and dispossessed. So total was this devastation that in 1086 the Domesday Survey recorded that most of the land in Cheshire was wasteland. Chester and Macclesfield were devastated however at Chester William rebuilt the castle and strengthened the walls adding further defences and making Chester one of the most heavily fortified cities in Britain at the time. From here William could control not just Chester but the whole of Cheshire and North Wales . Many new castles were built in the region at this time and indeed Beeston Castle today still remains as evidence of this troubled period in Cheshire’s history.

It would then take around two centuries for the area to recover, this is evidenced by the improvements in trade and commerce following the Conquest when many markets were established by Royal Charter throughout the region, in part made possible by new rights and freedoms which had been established by the Magna Carta. Around twenty-three official markets were known to exist in medieval Cheshire, but there were probably twice that number if unofficial markets are included.

This new period of prosperity and trade was again interrupted by the Civil War which again saw Cheshire being torn apart with peasants and aristocrats allying themselves with either the Parliamentarians of the Royalists. Eventually in 1664 England was placed under military rule and Cheshire became the responsibility of the infamous Charles Worsley who had a particular dislike of Royalists.

The 18th Century saw land and district reorganisations take place as industrialisation took place in many of the mill towns. Farm workers simply left and moved to the city abandoning their land which in turn was absorbed by the bigger estates so much so that 98% of the land in Cheshire was owned by 26% of the population at that time. By the 19th Century Cheshire was a wealthy county it is estimated that there are more fine 18th and 19th century country houses in Cheshire than in any other English county.

Today Cheshire benefits from a mix of industrial and rural industries, salt mining, milk and cheese production as well as chemical and soap production. One part of Cheshire remains decidedly industrial with petro chemical works along the banks of the River Mersey, Ince Power Station and you cannot mention Cheshire without briefly mentioning Crewe where its wealth and success was born out of the railway industry and today is home to the Bentley motor car..

Rural Cheshire is today a pleasant and sought after location to live but it offers more than that to the millions of visitors who come every year to appreciate one of the most diverse counties in the United Kingdom where it is home to more millionaires than anywhere else in the country.

If you like this, Share it

Destinations

Recommended Hotels See Map

Hotels bookable online See Map

More Cheshire Hotels

Bed and Breakfast See Map

Pubs & Inns

Self-Catering See Map

Brit Quote:
No man is good enough to be another's master. - William Morris
More Quotes

On this day:
Tolpuddle Martyrs Sentenced - 1834, Argentine Forces land on South Georgia - 1982
More dates from British history

click here to view all the British counties

County Pages