Winwick, Cheshire

infobox UK place
country= England
latitude= 53.430623
longitude= -2.597622
official_name= Winwick
map_type= Cheshire
population= 4,366 (2001 Census)
civil_parish= Winwick
unitary_england= Warrington
lieutenancy_england= Cheshire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Warrington North
post_town= Warrington
postcode_district= WA2
postcode_area= WA
dial_code= 01925
os_grid_reference= SJ603928

Winwick is a village and civil parish in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. Until 1 April 1974, Winwick was administered as part of Lancashire with the rest of north Warrington. It is situated about three miles north of Warrington town centre, near Junction 22 of the M6 and Junction 9 of the M62. Winwick also borders Newton-le-Willows and Burtonwood.

According to the 2001 Census, the civil parish had a population of 4,366.citeweb|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=790900&c=Winwick&d=16&e=15&g=388141&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 |title=2001 Census: Winwick|work=Office for National Statistics|accessdate=23 May|accessyear=2007]

History

King Oswald of Northumbria is believed to have been killed in the Winwick area and the parish church, dedicated to him, was reputedly located with guidance from the "Winwick Pig", a carving of which can still be seen on the church wall. Richard Sherlock was the incumbent at Winwick for some thirty years in the seventeenth century, and Thomas Wilson, Bishop of Sodor and Man, spent his early years in the care of Sherlock at Winwick.

Winwick was the site of a battle in the English Civil War in 1649, where Oliver Cromwell defeated a mainly Scottish royalist army.

Winwick today

Although Winwick is next to two motorways, it remains a relatively compact village set in a rural location. The village also includes a council estate and Winwick Park, with houses ranging from £200,000 to £500,000. Winwick previously had a post office and currently has a nail salon, an estate agency, a florist, as well as "Thorougher Goods", a partner store of Bargain Booze. It is also home to a car boot sale site located on green belt land that also occasionally hosts a circus and touring fair.

Winwick Hospital, a large Victorian mental asylum, closed down in 1997. [citeweb|url=http://dmnw26769.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/winwick/history.htm |title=Winwick Hospital Remembered... History|accessdate=4 October|accessyear=2008] A smaller hospital called Hollins Park is currently situated on the site. Hollins Park House is also the headquarters for the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust.

Several celebrities are known to live in Winwick such as Kerry Katona and several Wigan Athletic Players such as Emile Heskey. Another claim to Winwick's fame is that the Captain of the RMS "Titanic", Edward Smith, married Sarah Eleanor Pennington on 13 January 1887 at St. Oswald's Church.

References

ee also

*St Oswald's Church, Winwick

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/kera2000_uk/winwick.html "Winwick Pig"]
* [http://parksideactiongroup.org.uk/ Parkside Action Group]
* [http://www.yourcarbootsale.co.uk/ Winwick car boot sale]
* [http://www.winwickremembered.org.uk/ Winwick Hospital]