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Warrington – an introduction

Warrington is an industrial and market town with a population of 210,900, an increase of 8,700 on 2011 (Source ONS March 2021). See more detail at the bottom of this page.

Warrington is located on the River Mersey mid-way between Liverpool and Manchester. The first crossing point of the River Mersey west of Manchester was at Latchford, by way of a ford. The name Warrington comes from “werid” meaning ford, “ford town”, the town on the ford. The Saxons called it Walintune – “Town of Welshman in a river bend”.

The Tiger Too building in the centre (above) was originally called the Packet House Inn and served as the ticket office for passengers travelling to Liverpool from this point, but long before the current road layout. In those times other buildings stood between the pub and the river. One such building was the Railway pub, which was later known as the British Workman. A Package Stage is shown on the maps at the turn of the 20th century just east of the bridge. Other pubs associated with waterways or the sea in the area included the Seven Stars (presumable named after the seven stars of the Plough used by ships for navigation), The Higher Seven Stars, the Mermaid and The Ship.

Warrington Town Hall is set in the grounds of Bank Park. It was originally known as Bank Hall and built for industrialist Thomas Patten in 1750 who had a copper smelting works alongside the River Mersey half a mile away.

The house stayed in the family until Thomas Patten’s great-grandson, Colonel John Wilson Patten, later Lord Winmarleigh, put it up for sale. The town council bought it from them in 1872 for £9,000 and paid £13,000 for the 13-acre grounds surrounding it.

The Barley Mow is the oldest building in the town centre. A ‘mow’ is a heap or pile of hay, corn or barley, etc.

The pub has stood on the same spot since 1561.

The passageway at the side used to lead to the old general market. 

Inside the Barley Mow you can view a Jacobean chimney piece with fine carved panelling. In 1964 the premises were leased to Walker Cain Ltd, joining the estate of Tetley Walker Ltd in 1987, then Allied Domecq Inns in 1998 and finally becoming Bass Leisure Retail in 1999.

The pub is located within Golden Square shopping centre.

I didn’t know that about Warrington

The centre of town used to be on Church Street

Warrington became the first paved town in Lancashire in 1321.

The first newspaper in Lancashire, the Warrington Advertiser, was published by Eyre’s Press on Horsemarket Street in 1757.

Warrington experienced an earthquake on 2 April 1750.

Sailcloth for Nelson’s fleet was made here in the 18th century.

The Glaze Brook and the Sankey Brook were formerly the eastern and western boundaries respectively of the ancient Parish of Warrington.

Entertainer George Formby is buried in Warrington cemetery.

Warrington had a castle at Mote Hill, close to the Parish Church.

St James’ Church Sunday School opened in 1779, believed to be the first in the county.

Warrington Wolves (The Wire) have never been out of the top flight since the Rugby League was formed in 1895.

The first Boulton & Watt steam engine used in Lancashire was installed in a Latchford cotton mill in 1787.

The town’s first MP was Edmund G. Hornby (Liberal) in 1832.

The first ever Lancashire county cricket match was played in Warrington in 1864.

Former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott once worked at the Patten Arms hotel as a commis chef.

Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Johnny Weissmuller were stationed in the town during the Second World War.

Charlie Chaplin performed at the Royal Theatre of Varieties on Scotland Road before it became the Futurist then Regent cinema.

There are currently no street names in Warrington beginning with either X or Z (unless you know different!).

Walton Hall, left, was originally the home of the Greenall brewing family.

The mansion is Elizabethan in style, but was actually built in the 1830s, as the family home of Gilbert Greenall and designed by Edmund Sharpe of Lancaster, who later became famous for the Gothic revival in architecture.

Here, the Warrington brewer adopted the lifestyle of a country squire with great success

and earned the title of Lord Daresbury. 

Lewis Carroll is believed to have been one of the early visitors.

The interior is breathtaking. Time has mellowed the oak panelling and elaborate mahogany fireplace in the hall. Stained glass panelled windows light up the impressive collection of Victorian paintings lining the staircase.