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Warrington Leasing

Did You Know?

From Old Billy, the world’s longest-lived horse, to notable scientists, philosophers, organ builders, friars, and more recently actors and radio hosts, there are many famous figures who were born, lived or died in Warrington.

As Britain became industrialised, Warrington embraced the Industrial Revolution becoming a manufacturing town and a centre of steel (particularly wire), textiles, brewing, tanning and chemical industries.

The importance of this industry to the town is reflected in the nickname "The Wire" given to both Warrington's Rugby League and Football clubs. This name was also adopted by the Independent Local Radio station Wire FM.

Warrington was founded by the Romans at an important crossing place on the River Mersey. A new settlement was established by the Saxon Wærings. By the Middle Ages, Warrington had emerged as a market town at the lowest bridging point of the river.

The Golden Gates, made originally for the 1862 Exhibition they were then destined for Queen Victoria's Sandringham home. Frederick Monks, a Warrington City Councillor, saw a golden opportunity to provide a suitably stately entrance to the Town Hall. And arranged for their purchase.

The Wimpy bar was a popular haunt for visitors to the bottom of Bridge Street, especially in the 1960s and 70s. The fast food joint first moved to the UK in the 1950s and the Warrington bar was open in that location until the 1970s.

Warrington was generally regarded to be a Parliamentarian town during the Civil War. Cromwell himself visited the town and lodged in Church Street. And the battle of Winwick, in 1648, was said to be the last major battle of the War.

The first reference to a bridge at Warrington is found in 1285. The origin of the modern town was located in the area around St Elphin's Church, now included in the Church Street Conservation Area, established whilst the main river crossing was via a ford approximately 1 km upriver of the Bridge.

Humphrey Bogart and Bob Hope were among the stars who visited the Burtonwood Airfield to entertain the servicemen at the US Army Air Force’s biggest base outside America.

Warrington was a major centre for glassmaking between 1780 and 1820 with pressed glass being a key speciality. Notable figures included Peter Seaman, Josiah Perrin, Thomas Glazebrook, Thomas Robinson, Edward Boulton and the Cartwright family who operated out of the Bank Quay, Cockhedge and Orford Lane areas.

One of the earliest ‘performances’ of Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII may have occurred in Warrington ! On Sunday 6th May 1632, nine men persuaded a ale house keeper called Gregory Harrison to let them use his loft after purchasing a ‘cann of alle.

In 1848 Warrington became the first town in the United Kingdom to open a rate-supported public library. It was born from a long-established private library that had been operating from the Horsemarket Street premises of the printer William Eyres since 1760.