Helsby

Helsby is a village and civil parish with a population of approximately 4700 in the borough of Vale Royal which is in the county of Cheshire in the North West of England.

It is situated on the A56 main road between Chester and Runcorn. The neighbouring villages are Dunham-On-The-Hill, Frodsham, Elton and Alvanley. Helsby is a semi-rural village, with many dairy and arable farms, but is also in close proximity to a number of industrial plants around the Mersey estuary including the Shell oil refinery at Stanlow, the Quinn Glass manufacturing plant, the Kemira fertiliser plant on Ince marshes and the chemical manufacturing site (previously ICI chemicals, now Ineos Chlor) and power station at Rocksavage. Although there are now few jobs in Helsby itself, the village is popular with commuters as a residential area, due to its good transport links to the motorway (M56) and rail networks, despite being less attractive than many due to the nearby industrial landscape.

It has recently been proposed that a 95 Kilowatt power station and various recycling plants be sited on a water meadow near Helsby, this is a controversial project. The land is owned by Peel Holdings and the proposal is in its embryonic stage.

1 History
2 Hill
3 Railway
4 Industry
5 Quarry
6 Events
7 Pubs
8 External links

[edit] History

There are traces of Stone Age and Iron Age settlements on the hills around Helsby (Helsby Hill is the site of an Iron Age hill-fort called Woodhouses), but the first known settlers of Helsby were the Vikings in the tenth century AD. In fact the name 'Helsby' is derived from the Viking name Hjallr-by, meaning "the village on the edge".

The village was recorded in the Domesday book (1086) under the Norman name of Hellesbe. The Manor of Helsby was owned by a series of aristocratic landowners, most recently the Marquis of Cholmondeley. The Anglican Church was built in 1870. Helsby also has one of the most successful schools in cheshire: Helsby High School.

In 1968 Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Welsh Defence Movement), a Welsh republican movement, blew up a water pipe in Helsby. The water pipe was carrying water from Lake Vyrnwy to Liverpool.

In recent years a rise in anti social behaviour has led to increased police patrols and calls for a community support officer.

[edit] Hill

Helsby has a wooded sandstone hill (height 123 metres), which is a clear landmark on the Cheshire plain overlooking the Mersey estuary. The woodland on the hill is a National Trust property. It is the site of an ancient British fort. The hill, which has steep cliffs on the northern and western sides which are now popular with climbers, is also a triangulation point, with a concrete pillar trig point at the top.

The hill is often looked on as a bad place for climbing by climbers travelling along the M56 (from which it is clearly visible) on their way to the popular climbing destinations of North Wales. This is mainly due to the large formation of algae on its surface, largely due to the nearby 'Kemira GrowHow' fertiliser plant on the opposite side of the motorway. The hill, however, provides many routes from easy climbs suitable for beginners (some of which do not require ropes), to challenging climbs up to a grade 6c. The cliff is also split into to lateral sections. The main face is easily accessible from the ground. At the top is a large grassy area, followed by an easily accessible 10ft (or thereabouts) cliff to the summit, which is excellent for bouldering. Despite its often slimy appearance, the cliff's sandstone composition means it dries out extremely quickly after rain, and, after several accidents, several large metal spikes are to be found at the top of the main cliff for top-rope climbing that offer extra safety for climbers worried about the sandstone's crumbly nature.

The top of the hill also features an abandoned Royal Observer Corps post, which is to be found some 50ft east of the trig point. The post was abandoned in 1992 and is currently well protected by extensive barbed wire, as it is located in private land in a field used for livestock. Slimmer explorers can slide under the fence at one point, however the post was extensively damaged by fire a few years ago, and the large blast-proof hatch is now permanently open, meaning it is usually flooded, along with large amounts of decaying rubbish and plant matter. Only the foolhardy or those with a chemical warfare suit should brave going down the dangerous and broken metal ladder.

The view from the hill is certainly a far better source of enjoyment. The top is easily accessed by way of the local roads, and the car park of Helsby quarry may be used. To access the summit, climbers proceed up Hill Road South - across the road from the car park - and through a gate and into woodland. Continuing up the path, keeping right, and through a large sandstone cutting, which was the route of a railway in World War II they pass through another gate (and briefly out of National Trust property), turn left back over a stile, follow the path up, over another stile, to gain the summit.

The view is perhaps one of the best in Cheshire, and on a clear day offers commanding views of the Welsh Hills and on exceptionally clear day, Snowdon. The landmarks of Liverpool can clearly be seen beyond the Helsby Marshes, Stanlow oil refinery, Kemira Fertiliser Plant and Manchester Ship Canal. Also on very clear days, visitors can see across Lancashire, past Bolton to Winter Hill, often on mid-mornings (with the sun reflecting off it) visitors may make out the large white section on top of the Winter Hill TV Mast. The view looking back is not as good, but you can normally see over to the Peckforton Hills and Beeston Castle. Binoculars are recommended to fully take advantage of this view.

[edit] Railway

The railway came to Helsby in 1850, with the construction of the line between Chester and Warrington. Helsby railway station has won awards as one of the best kept unmanned stations in the UK, and provides links to Chester, North Wales and Manchester. The signal box at Helsby Junction is one of very few in the UK still operated manually. Due to line maintenance trains will not depart Helsby on the weekend until December.

[edit] Industry

The factory site at the western end of the village has for many years been the main source of employment in the village. Originally built in the 1880s by the Telegraph Manufacturing Company, as the Britannia Telegraph Works, the factory was used to manufacture cables, and was most recently owned by BICC Electronic Cables. It employed up to 5000 people at its peak (from World War II until 1970), but continued to decline following a series of redundancy initiatives started in 1970, and the site eventually closed in 2002. The site is currently being redeveloped for retail, light industrial and residential purposes. The first completed development on the site is Tesco's supermarket, which opened in September 2005.

[edit] Quarry

Sandstone was extracted from a working quarry (Mountskill Quarry) from the early 1800s until the 1920s. Much of the stone was transported by ferry to Liverpool and Birkenhead, where several buildings, including the customs house at Canning dock were built of Helsby stone. The quarry had its own dedicated tramway/ rail link to Ince Pier. After stone production ceased, it was not until the late 1980s that an alternative use was found for the site, and in the intervening decades the derelict site was used as a tip by local residents. The site was acquired by the Borough Council in 1988, and transformed into a woodland park, which was opened in 1990. The park contains a range of trees- including oak, sycamore, rowan, silver birch, willow and beech - some of which were grew naturally during the sites period of dereliction, and some which were planted specifically in preparing the woodland park. The woodland and grassland are inhabited by many animal and bird species. Aside from the wildlife, the geology of the site is one of its main features and it is designated a Regionally Important Geological site. The site features exposed rock walls and a tunnel, which enable Sandstone formations from the Triassic period (280-250 million years ago) to be viewed.

[edit] Events

The Munkyfest music festival was held in Helsby from 2001 to 2004.

[edit] Pubs

The village is home to three pubs, all of which are alongside the A56 road. The 'Horse & Jockey' is nearest to Frodsham, and is currently undergoing a change of ownership. The pub offers cask ales and food. The 'Railway Inn' is under new management, is a friendly, vibrant local pub. The pub offers Greenalls cask ale, one of the few pubs that still do. Food will be available some time in the near future, and the pub frequently is host to live music. The 'Robin Hood' offers food and is owned by Marstons, offering a selction of their ales. They are also host to two darts teams.

[edit] External links

Map sources for Helsby

Ceremonial county of Cheshire
Unitary authorities:	Halton • Warrington
Boroughs/Districts:	City of Chester • Congleton • Crewe and Nantwich • Ellesmere Port and Neston • Macclesfield • Vale Royal
Cities/Towns:	Alderley Edge • Alsager • Bollington • Chester • Congleton • Crewe • Ellesmere Port • Frodsham • Knutsford • Lymm • Macclesfield • Middlewich • Nantwich • Neston • Northwich • Poynton • Runcorn • Sandbach • Warrington • Widnes • Wilmslow • Winsford See also: List of civil parishes in Cheshire