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Vale Royal Borough Council Vale Royal Borough Council the baggin man Visits The Weaver Valley the baggin man Contents Visits The Weaver Valley Pages 2 Introduction 4 The Weaver 5 Enjoy the Weaver Valley 7 The Weaver Valley 9 The River Weaver 11 A Wildlife Haven 13 The Lion Salt Works 15 More than Salt 17 Middlewich Folk 19 The Cheshire Locks 21 The New Cut 23 Food for Thought 25 A Village Gem 27 Getting Afloat 29 My Favourite View 31 A Lesson in History 33 An Exciting Vision 35 The Missing Link 36 Acknowledgements the baggin man Visits The Weaver Valley Written by John Hulme Watercolours courtesy of Bernice Barrett-Brown 1 the baggin man Introduction Visits The Weaver Valley From John Hulme Welcome to my third Baggin Book – The Baggin Man visits the Weaver Valley. The Weaver Valley Regional Park sits at the Gateway to the North West and is an area that stretches 28 miles down the central spine of Cheshire - from the Mersey, in the north, to Audlem, near the Shropshire border in the south. The Park is much more than the River Weaver. It extends to the non-navigable River Dane and its tributary the River Wheelock. It also includes the important Trent & Mersey and Shropshire Union Canals. Within these boundaries are the key county towns of Northwich, Winsford and Crewe and the historic market towns of Frodsham, Middlewich, Sandbach and Nantwich. The Valley has much to offer its residents and visitors. Walks and cycle rides through its lush countryside, angling, wildlife, history and heritage. Or just simply, peace and tranquillity. This Baggin Book is a collection of anecdotal storylines. Some are from learned colleagues. Some from the many visitors met on the towpath. Amazingly they all carry one message. It is water, heritage and our extraordinary countryside that attracts visitors to the Weaver Valley. Enjoy the Baggin Man. Enjoy the Weaver Valley. 2 Just like the Baggin Man, enjoy the Weaver Valley The Weaver Valley 3 The Weaver From Northwich to Frodsham And Nantwich near Wem The Weaver is a real Cheshire gem. The Peckforton Hills are seen as its birth And as it flows northwards It gathers a girth. Yet a gentle meander Twixt salt pans and meres Removes our anxieties, worries and fears. Alongside its banks thrives another new world Of insects and creatures and wonders unfurled. Flora and fauna unbridled abound, Whilst the silence of peace is a marvellous sound. So visit the river with all of its treasure The history of salt and canals for good measure. Industrial past and ecology live In harmony that only the Weaver can give. Malcolm Roughley 4 the baggin man Enjoy the Weaver Valley Visits The Weaver Valley A personal message from the Mayor of Vale Royal Borough Council Vale Royal Borough Council is very proud to be working alongside our other local partners in the regeneration of the Weaver Valley into an exciting place for people to live, work, invest and visit. As the Mayor of the Borough, I spend much time travelling the Valley meeting both its residents and visitors and I am always surprised by how much impact our waterways had on our area. Looking back, it is amazing how our heritage – in particular salt – has shaped both the Valley and its waterways. Who would have imagined the creation of the Weaver Navigation, and the canals that serve it, would become the tourist destination of the 21st Century? The Weaver Valley is an ideal place to explore unspoilt countryside, discover a rich industrial heritage and experience some of the UK’s most captivating waterways. We have a Grand Vision for the Future and this short book attempts to paint where we are today with our aspirations of tomorrow. Join me now on a trip through the Weaver Valley and please return frequently to see how we are transforming the area for your enjoyment. I am sure you will agree, like our poem says – “The Weaver is a real Cheshire gem”. Welcome to the Weaver Valley - the North West’s emerging tourist destination 5 6 the baggin man The Weaver Valley Visits The Weaver Valley The Baggin Man loves the Weaver Valley – so much, on Many are now joining the emerging Weaver Way – a 74 retirement, he has returned to Vale Royal and home is mile walkway along the Valley linking the six towns and now a pretty cottage overlooking the Trent and Mersey eleven villages between Frodsham in the north and Canal. Audlem in the South. Picture the setting. Bilbo Baggins is moored nestled Those visitors tell me the Weaver Valley is one of “All between two tunnels and only 5 minutes walk away is the Seasons”. meandering River Weaver. With the arrival of spring, the Valley is awash with colour. With a wealth of heritage; countryside many can only Fresh green foliage; spring-flowering trees and woods dream of and waterways that bring calming tranquillity – laden with snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells. it is not surprising that my love of the Weaver Valley is Summer and long warm days brings out the shared by so many visitors and residents alike. holidaymakers. It is amazing how watching colourful Our visitors are not just boaters. They also include boats can be a joy in itself. anglers, nature lovers, cyclists and walkers – with the As the days shorten and summer fades, autumn brings a latter making up the majority. riot of gold, russet and red. This is when the Valley’s The Weaver Valley is a rambler’s paradise and has so woodlands and wetlands are at their best. much to offer those on foot. Then winter sets in and the low sun, frost, and perhaps For the day tripper, you may take a short gentle amble even a blanket of snow, makes our waterways extra along a nicely trimmed towpath or visit one of our special. waterside country parks. Add to these aspects the sound of water and I challenge For the well orientated hiker, you may don your rucksack you to find a better place to visit? and walking boots and trek between our historic towns. Mr Baggins says >> Walking is healthy, free and sociable. It is the best way of exploring the Weaver Valley. 7 8 the baggin man The River Weaver Visits The Weaver Valley The River Weaver has a fascinating history, a lively The Navigation was managed by a committee of present and, with the emergence of the Weaver Valley Trustees, made up of local gentry, and had an Park, a bright future. extraordinary record of investment and innovation. Rising in the Peckforton Hills, the river flows south Until the late 19th century, it was gradually deepened towards Audlem and then turns north over the Cheshire and straightened. Deeper locks were added; bridges Plain, passing through Nantwich, Winsford and were built and the boats got bigger. Northwich. It joins the River Mersey close to Frodsham. As well as serving the local area the navigation was an The success and wealth of the Weaver was built on salt. important route to the Potteries carrying china clay and flint upstream to Winsford and then by packhorse for Originally a shallow tidal stream, the river was only the rest of the journey. navigable from the Mersey to Pickerings. Then, salt was carried down by men and horses to meet the incoming When the Trent and Mersey Canal opened in 1777, this tide. Sailing barges were loaded and departed on the was a major threat to the Weaver but the ingenuity of ebbing tide. the Trustees fought back by building a basin at Anderton with goods being transferred from the canal. First by In 1732, it was made navigable from Frodsham to tramway, then by chutes and finally by the Anderton Winsford under the 1721 Weaver Navigation Act, thus Boat Lift. opening up Winsford and Northwich for business. When the Boat Lift was opened in July 1875, this 50 By the 1750’s the Weaver Valley was lined with salt foot giant lift was the marvel of the time. works using open pans to extract salt from brine. Soon 40 ton barges were carrying salt for export and bringing Now fondly called the Cathedral of the Canals, the in coal from the Lancashire pits via this new and Anderton Boat Lift and its Visitor Centre is one of our splendid navigation. leading tourist attractions, with over 150,000 visitors a year. Mr Baggins says >> The River Weaver is perfect for watching wildlife or simply to sit beside and relax. 9 10 the baggin man A Wildlife Haven Visits The Weaver Valley If the Anderton Boat Lift is the “Cathedral of the Although difficult to imagine, the Park is sitting on Canals”, the Northwich Community Woodlands is its industrial wasteland of the past. 130 years ago half the backdrop. Nature Park was covered in salt works, while Mr Ashton and Capt Neumann’s rock salt mines had each collapsed The Woodlands is an area of countryside, rich in wildlife, to form a flash. flora and fauna, thriving on its industrial past and includes a maze of paths that weaves through historical In 1873, Messrs John Brunner and Ludwig Mond set up landscapes and open parkland. their Solvay Chemical Works – which is still operating across the River Weaver. The Anderton Nature Park is adjacent to the Boat Lift Centre and is an excellent place to get closer to nature. As the salt works declined, the area was used to tip waste from the chemical works. Now, plants and Many who visit the Boat Lift now extend their day by wildflowers have started to colonise this lime-rich waste, visiting the Woodlands or take advantage of the making it a wildlife haven.
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