Cheshire (English Cheshire, archaic name - Chester County) is a county in northwestern England. The capital is Chester, although the largest city is Warrington. It is bordered to the east by the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, to the south by the ceremonial county of Shropshire, to the west by Wales, and to the north by the ceremonial counties of Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The area of ​​ceremonial Cheshire is 2,344 square kilometers, the population is 106 thousand people. The county is rural for the most part, with many small towns and villages supporting the agricultural industry. Here the famous Cheshire cheese, salt, chemicals are produced, and silk fabrics are woven.

The Cornovians, who had inhabited the area that would become Cheshire since the Iron Age, were one of several Celtic tribes who succumbed to the Roman conquest of Britain and joined the conquerors. In the year 60 AD. e. To protect silver and lead deposits in the Welsh county of Flintshire, adjacent to Cheshire, the Roman fort of Deva (today's Chester) was founded. Deva was the largest Roman fortified settlement in Britain. In 71 AD e., after several battles against the Brigante tribe, the Romans began a full-scale occupation of the future Cheshire. Then Chester became the most important defensive fortification, resisting the invasions of local tribes, and turned into a major military and commercial center. The proximity of the salt fields also increased the importance of the towns of Condate (Northwich) and Saling (Middlewich), which were the largest settlements in Cheshire after Chester. At the same time, a road network was built - the so-called “salt roads”, along which this mineral was transported. By 80 AD e. Cheshire was heavily Romanized and was quite calm. Lead was smelted in the town of Runcorn, and pottery was produced in Wilderspool, but the indigenous inhabitants of these places were not very interested in industry - the Britons preferred to engage in agriculture, and therefore the county retained its “village” appearance. In the 5th century AD e. The Romans withdrew from Britain and Cheshire was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons. “Northern people” settled in the territory of the future county and began to cultivate local fields and clear forests, although until the 7th century Cheshire was controlled by Britons from Gwynedd and Powys, until their defeat at Chester. By the middle of the 7th century, Christianity spread throughout the future county, and at the same time the first churches were erected - one of the oldest was built in the city of Eccleston near Chester. In the 6th century AD e. The Angles founded the kingdom of Mercia, which included the territories of Cheshire. In a certain way, Cheshire served as the border between the Vikings in the north and east and the Welsh in the west - at least two ramparts were built to protect against them - the famous Offa's rampart, dug by Offa of Mercia in the 760-770s AD. BC, and the earlier, and less well-known, Wall of Uata, built before 655 AD. e. In addition to raids from Wales, the region suffered from constant Viking attacks in the 8th century. They invaded from already conquered Ireland...

- (Cheshire) county in Great Britain. Population 902.3 thousand people. (1974). Administrative center of Chester. The main industries are chemistry, non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering. Dairy farming predominates in agriculture... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Or Chester (Cheshire, abbreviated Ches, sometimes called by the name of the main city of Chester) is a county in western England, bordering Wallis and the Irish Sea. 2659 sq. km. 814555 people. 4/5 of the entire surface forms a plain (height 60 m); By… … Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Cheshire- (Cheshire)Cheshire, county in the N.W. center. England; pl. 2333 sq. km, 937,300 people. (1991); adm. center Chester. Divided into 8 districts. Table ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

Cheshire (county, New Hampshire) Cheshire Cheshire County Country USA Status district Included in the state of New Hampshire Administrative ... Wikipedia

Cheshire: Cheshire, Maxine (born 1930) American journalist. Cheshire is a historical and ceremonial county in the west of England. Part of the North West England region. Cheshire County in New Hampshire, USA ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Cheshire (meanings). Cheshire County Cheshire County Country USA Status District Included in the state of New Ham ... Wikipedia

Maxine Cheshire (born April 5, 1930, Harlan, Kentucky) is an American journalist. In 1951, after the death of her father, she got a job as a reporter for the News Sentinel newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since 1954 she worked in the newspaper... ... Wikipedia

Maxine Cheshire (born April 5, 1930, Harlan, Kentucky) is an American journalist. In 1951, after the death of her father, she got a job as a reporter for the News Sentinel newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee. Since 1954 she worked for the Washington newspaper... Wikipedia

On the map of England, Cheshire East is a unitary unit in the east of the ceremonial county of Cheshire. The main city of the unitary unit of Sandbach (population 17 thousand people). The largest city is Crewe (67 thousand people) ... Wikipedia

On the map of England, Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary unit in the west of the ceremonial county of Cheshire. The main city of the unitary unit is Chester (population 77 thousand people). Contents... Wikipedia

Books

• Key Moments in Art, Cheshire Lee. Key Moments in Art introduces the reader to fifty turning points in the history of Western art from the Renaissance to the present day. Brief and fascinating chapters of the book...
• Key Moments in Art, Cheshire L. Key Moments in Art introduces the reader to fifty turning points in the history of Western art from the Renaissance to the present day. Brief and fascinating chapters of the book...

Many fans of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland know about Cheshire. In this book, the Cheshire Cat is considered an iconic character. And although such a breed does not actually exist in the world of cats, Lewis Carroll, who was born in the Cheshire village of Daresbury, named the cat in keeping with his native area.

Cheshire County is famous not only for Carroll's heroes, but also for its rich history. The current state of Cheshire is in no way inferior to the previous one, because it is in this county of England, according to statistics, that the largest number of millionaires live.

County history

This area of ​​England was originally inhabited by Cornovia. Present-day Chester, the capital of Cheshire, was founded as the Roman fort of Deva to protect nearby silver and lead deposits.

The Romans made Chester one of the most important defensive fortifications to fight neighboring tribes. Not only was the location of the county of interest, but also the numerous salt deposits found in antiquity. In those days, Cheshire was a fairly quiet area, where most of the population was interested exclusively in agriculture.

When the Romans left England, the territory of Cheshire began to be attacked by Vikings. After the founding of the Kingdom of Mercia by the Angles, Cheshire became the border dividing the Vikings in the east and north and the Welsh in the west. In those days - from the 5th to the 9th centuries - Cheshire constantly became the target of attack either from the Vikings, then from Wales, or from the Danish kingdom of Jorvik. Then, for a short period before the Norman conquest, peace reigned in this territory.

When William began his conquest in 1066, the population of the northern lands, including Cheshire, continued to fight for freedom for quite a long time, for which they were punished. Many villages and towns were simply razed to the ground, and the lands of Cheshire became the poorest areas in England. William the Conqueror subsequently made Chester the most defended settlement by building a castle, rebuilding the city wall, and leaving the area under the control of one of his close barons. Only by the beginning of the 17th century did racial confrontations between the Normans and Saxons cease.

The county of Cheshire was gradually revived, more and more trading towns appeared, fairs were held, the first merchants and local nobility began to operate, which had special influence in political and legal matters. Peasants abandoned their lands and went to the industrial cities of Manchester and Lancashire, and rich estates appeared on their former possessions.

Economy

The whole of Cheshire can be roughly divided into industrial and agricultural areas. Industry is developing in the towns of Runcorn, Middlewich, and Northwich, where salt is mined and chemicals are produced. The automotive industry is developed here - the headquarters and factories of many automobile companies are located.

The British aerospace and defense company carries out its production in the county. In Cheshire, they are developing biotechnologies, and there is an oil refinery in the city of Ellesmere Port. Although the county is located relatively far from the financial center - London, the financial sector is also developed here.

Most of the county is occupied by so-called rural areas.. Potatoes are grown here, milk is obtained, and Cheshire cheese, famous throughout England, is produced. Tourism as an area of ​​the economy is also developed quite well; moreover, travelers are attracted not by individual attractions, but by the entire county as a whole, where quiet villages and large cities are combined.

Local Attractions

Any town or village in Cheshire can attract tourists - almost every place has its own interesting features. These include city museums, historical sites, art galleries, architectural structures, and preserved castles (Chomley, Halton, Beeston, Chester Castle, etc.), of which there are many throughout England. Since these places are represented mainly by rural open spaces, there is always the opportunity to visit local farms, nature reserves, parks and estates.

Chester Zoo is very famous. The town of Macclesfield is famous for its Silk Museum. One of the brightest attractions of Cheshire is the Cold War Museum, which is located in an old bunker. It features a collection of declassified nuclear weapons, as well as a unique attraction that simulates a nuclear explosion.

Among the religious sites, the Cathedral in Chester, St. Mary's Church in Nantwich, All Saints' Church in Daresbury, the Parish Church in Warrington, etc. stand out.

By the way, in the church in the village of Daresbury there is also a center dedicated to Lewis Carroll, where you can see stained glass windows and drawings dedicated to stories about the girl Alice, and also visit the place where the famous writer was born.

True, not even the foundation remains of his house, and the writer’s personal belongings have not been preserved - there is no museum here as such, but many historical documents have been collected and a lot of information about Carroll’s life is presented. You should definitely visit the local gift shop, where you can buy memorabilia based on the magical story of Alice.

Events that take place in Cheshire also attract the attention of tourists. In addition to traditional world and national festivals and parades, there is a unique earthworm fishing championship..

People from many cities and even other countries come together to lure as many worms out of the ground as possible. In this case, traditionally it is impossible to use a shovel or other tool to help get an invertebrate. The rules in this matter are strict. It is necessary to exclusively “charm” the worms by playing the pipe, singing songs or, as a last resort, creating certain vibrations with a pitchfork stuck into the ground.

Bunker Hack Green is located in the UK, in England, in the county of Cheshire. During World War II, the bunker housed a radar station. The station served for 25 years and was closed in the 1960s as obsolete. The bunker was abandoned until 1976, when it was converted for use by local authorities in case of a nuclear attack. It had an underground communications system, a power plant, food and water supplies for 135 people. The bunker remained in this form until 1992, then the Cold War Museum was opened in it.

In the exhibition of this museum you can see declassified nuclear weapons, a real early detection system for ballistic missiles. In a separate room there is a rare attraction - a nuclear explosion simulator. There is also entertainment for children.

Caratacus stone

The Caratacus Stone has been officially considered a historical monument of England since 1925, although history says that it was “born” back in the 6th century AD. It was first recorded in 1219. Caratacus, in whose honor the monument stone of the same name was erected, was the leader of the British Celts who fought against the Roman invaders. According to legend, the Queen of the Brigantes betrayed Caratacus, he was captured, but pardoned by Emperor Claudius.

Another legend says that treasures are hidden under the Caratacus stone. One day, people who wanted to dig up a treasure were all crushed by a stone. Since then, no one dares to repeat the act of the dead treasure hunters, because inevitable death awaits each of them.

The stone monument, with the inscription “CARATACI NEPVS” engraved on it, is located a few kilometers southwest of Winsford, a beautiful English town in Cheshire. In order for the Caratacus stone to be exposed to the destructive effects of the environment as little as possible, a small “shelter” was built especially for it in 1906 - four stone columns covered with a gable roof.

What sights of Cheshire did you like? Next to the photo there are icons, by clicking on which you can rate a particular place.

Jodrell Bank Observatory

Jodrell Bank Observatory is located in Cheshire, but is a scientific department of the University of Manchester. The enormous Lovell radio telescope, built in 1957, dominates the surrounding area and is visible for many kilometers.

Sir Bernard Lovell is considered to be the founding father of the observatory. During the Second World War, he led the radar technology development team, for which he was later awarded the Order of the British Empire. After the war he returned to the University of Manchester and began planning the creation of an observatory.

The Lovell Telescope is now the third largest steerable telescope in the world. Its antenna size is 76 meters. With the help of a radio telescope, research is carried out on many issues of modern astrophysics and cosmology. In 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of the observatory was solemnly celebrated. Despite its venerable age, it still plays a key role in testing all kinds of physical theories, including Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Understanding the importance of the observatory for England, this scientific site was included in the Olympic torch route of the London Olympic Games.

Tatton Park is considered one of the most beautiful English parks. It combines both regular park compositions and almost virgin territories where deer and rare bird species live freely.

Tatton Park surrounds the mansion of the same name and is its wonderful continuation and addition. The park was planned by Humphrey Repton for the Egerton family back in 1791. Today, anyone can plunge into the tranquil atmosphere of a magnificent Japanese garden with its bridges, stones and elegantly modest plants, or visit the rose garden, where a riot of colors and a mixture of aromas will dizzy you. Little visitors adore the beech labyrinth, where wandering is not scary, but on the contrary, very interesting. The greenhouse welcomes lovers of tropical plants - its collection of ferns is one of the best in England. The estate is famous for its Deer Park, created by royal decree back in 1290. Today it is inhabited by fallow deer and red deer, which can be observed throughout the year.

In the summer, Tatton Park hosts a traditional plant and garden design exhibition. Here you can see new varieties of flowers, appreciate fresh ideas in designing flower beds, creating hedges and swimming pools. The best garden designers in England are ready to surprise, share their experiences, and give valuable advice. Entrance to the exhibition is paid. The rest of the time the park is open to the public.

The most popular attractions in Cheshire with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Cheshire on our website.