Warrington

Warrington (/ˈwɒrɪŋtən/) is an industrial town in Cheshire, England. The town is the main settlement of the Borough of Warrington and sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was historically part of Lancashire. It is 16 miles (26 km) east of Liverpool and the same distance west of Manchester.

The population in 2021 was recorded as 174,970 for the built-up area and 210,900 for the wider borough,^[1][2] the latter being more than double that of 1968 when it became a new town. Warrington is the largest town in the ceremonial county of Cheshire.

Warrington was founded by the Romans at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. A new settlement was established by the Saxon Wærings.^[3] By the Middle Ages, Warrington had emerged as a market town at the lowest bridging point of the river. A local tradition of textile and tool production dates from this time.^[4]

The expansion and urbanisation of Warrington coincided with the Industrial Revolution, particularly after the Mersey was made navigable in the 18th century. The West Coast Main Line runs north to south through the town, and the Liverpool to Manchester railway (the Cheshire Lines route) west to east. The Manchester Ship Canal cuts through the south of the borough (west to east). The M6, M56 and M62 motorways form a partial box around the town and are all accessible through Warrington.

The modern Borough of Warrington was formed in 1974 with the amalgamation of the former County Borough of Warrington, part of the Golborne Urban District, the Lymm Urban District, part of the Runcorn Rural District, the Warrington Rural District and part of the Whiston Rural District.