Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway: from Birmingham to Liverpool and ManchesterDrake, James, active 1825
History
Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway: from Birmingham to Liverpool and Manchester
Drake, James, active 1825
Grand Junction Railway Company (Great Britain) -- Guidebooks; Railroad travel -- Great Britain -- Guidebooks
THE pretty village of Moore is not seen from the line. Richly-wooded
country lies on either side the road now, and occasionally peeping
through the trees, the masts of vessels passing on the Mersey may be
observed. The Mersey Viaduct is next traversed. This, though far less
grand in appearance than the Dutton Viaduct, is a fine erection of 200
yards in length, consisting of twelve arches, nine being small, and three
of larger span, beneath which the river Mersey, and the Mersey and Irwell
Canal pass. Shortly after leaving the viaduct the town of Warrington is
seen on the E., and westward lies Penketh, and the small white buildings
at Fiddler’s Ferry.
WARRINGTON STATION.
Distance to Birmingham, 78—Liverpool and Manchester, 19½ miles.
DISTANCES BY ROADS FROM THIS STATION TO THE FOLLOWING PLACES:—
_Places E. of Station_.
Grappenhall 3½ miles.
Lymm 5½ —
Warburton 8 —
Bowdon 11¾ —
ALTRINGHAM 12 —
WARRINGTON forms a pleasing view from the approaching trains.
It contains 19,155 inhabitants, and is by some writers supposed to
have been originally a British town, and on the invasion of the
Romans under Agricola, in 79, to have been converted into a Roman
station. This supposition rests chiefly on the circumstances of
three Roman roads tending hitherwards to a ford over the Mersey; the
vestiges of a castrum and fosse, still discernable; and the discovery
of Roman coins and other relics near the ford. On its occupation by
the Saxons, it obtained the name of _Weringtun_, from _Wæring_, a
fortification, and _tun_, a town. The river was passed by ford till
1496, when Thomas, first Earl of Derby, erected a stone bridge in
compliment to Henry VII., when on his visit to Latham and Knowsley.
In the reign of Henry VIII., Leland, speaking of Warrington, says,
“It is a pavid towne of prety bignes, the paroche chirce is at the
tayle of the towne; it is a better market than Manchestre.” In the
civil wars of 1643, the Royalists of the place betook themselves to
the _church_, which they fortified, but the Parliamentarian battery
dislodged them from their military sanctuary. The town is pleasantly
situated on the Mersey; the streets are chiefly narrow, but contain
some good buildings.
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