Did You Know?

During Roman times, Northwich was known as Condate, thought to be a Latinisation of a Brittonic name meaning "Confluence". There are several other sites of the same name, mostly in France; in Northwich's case, it lies at the junction of the rivers Dane and Weaver.

Northwich can be identified through two contemporary Roman documents. The first of these is the Antonine Itinerary, a 3rd-century road map split into 14 sections. Two of these sections, or Itinerary, mention Condate: Route II ("the route from the Wall to the port of Rutupiae") and Route X ("the route from Glannoventa to Mediolanum").

The Romans' interest in the Northwich area is thought to be due to the strategic river crossing and the location of the salt brines. Salt was very important in Roman society; the Roman word salarium, linked employment, salt and soldiers, but the exact link is unclear.

The area around Northwich has been exploited for its salt pans since Roman times, when the settlement was known as Condate. The town has been severely affected by salt mining, and subsidence has historically been a significant problem.

The manor of Northwich belonged to the Earls of Chester until 1237 when the family line died out. Subsequently, It became a royal manor and was given to a noble family to collect tolls in exchange for a set rent.

The first known swimming baths of Northwich was the Verdin Baths, situated on Verdin Park. It was presented by Robert Verdin in commemoration of the Jublilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. It consisted of a 60-by-20-foot (18.3 m × 6.1 m) cast-iron plunge bath and five slipper baths.

The Northwich Union Workhouse opened in 1837 following the Poor Law Amendment of 1834 that standardised the system of poor relief throughout Britain. The building is now the Weaver Hall Museum.

Singer/songwriter Gary Barlow lived here, as did comedian Jennifer Saunders, marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe and television presenter Matthew Kelly. It has also been home to several squad-fulls of top flight footballers.

You know the song with the lyrics ‘If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain?’ Well, it was written by a man born right here in the Castle area. Its official title is Escape (The Pina Colada Song) and was the creation of Rupert Holmes. Released in 1979, it went on to reach number one in the US Billboard Hot 100. It has also been listened to over 280,000,000 times on Spotify.

The most popular type of plastic, Polythene, is today used all over the globe to make bags and food packaging. But did you know it was actually discovered at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI)