Before Local
Government reorganisation in 1974, Cheshire included many more
districts and townships than it does today. Many smaller urban
and Municipal Boroughs were combined or disappeared altogether.
Others were lost to the newly created Greater Metropolitan County
of Manchester - these included Marple, Hazel Grove, Bredbury,
Romily, Cheadle and Gatley, all of which were incorporated into
the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport (previously a County Borough).
Hyde, Denton and Stalybridge were incorporated into newly created
Tameside. Altrincham, Sale, Bowden and Hale were similarly absorbed
into Trafford. Disley was taken out of Cheshire completely and
became part of the High Peak district of Derbyshire.
Pre-1974
Cheshire. © John Moss 2003.
Apart from
those which were lost to the County, the actual number of Boroughs
was also reduced, as shown in the map below.
Post-1974 Map
of the County of Cheshire and its Boroughs. © John Moss 2003
Cheshire has
developed two distinctively different characters - the industrial
and the rural. The River Weaver, Northwich and Middlewich have
become known for their salt mining, chemicals and soap production,
while much of the rest is distinctly agricultural with rolling
fields of cattle producing Cheshire milk and cheese as well as
potatoes.
Eastham,
Ellesmere Port and Runcorn are decidedly industrialised with Ince
Power Stations and Petrochemical production facilities at Carrington
and Partington dominating the landscape - these facilities were
encouraged by the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal that runs
along the northern edge of the county from Manchester to Liverpool.
Crewe developed intensive railway locomotive engineering (over
2000 locomotives were built there).
Birkenhead
on the Wirral saw Camel Laird Shipbuilding dominating Birkenhead
on the Wirral Peninsula (now no longer part of Cheshire County,
having been moved into Merseyside).
Rural Cheshire
is today a most pleasant and a much sought after place to live.
It is reckoned that more millionaires live in the county than
in any other in the United Kingdom.
