Middlewich (population 13,000) is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is 19.2 miles (30.9 km) east of the city of Chester, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) east of Winsford, 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of Northwich and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) northwest of Sandbach.
There has been a settlement at Middlewich since at least the time of the Roman occupation. As a wich town, Middlewich is an important centre for the extraction of salt; in earlier years it was also known for its production of Cheshire cheese, silk, and its agriculture. In the present day it is known for its canals, its heritage events and its festivals. The parish church of St. Michael and All Angels, dates back to the 12th century.
Middlewich lies on the confluence of three rivers: the Dane, Croco and Wheelock. Three canals also pass through the town, the Shropshire Union, Trent and Mersey, and the Wardle canal, as well as three major roads, the A533, A54 and A530; Middlewich also has good motorway links to the nearby cities of Manchester and Liverpool. The town's population has doubled since 1970 despite a reduction in the number of manufacturing jobs in salt and textile manufacturing, suggesting that many of the new residents live in Middlewich for reasons other than local employment.
Since 1990 there have been initiatives to increase the volume of tourism into the town, through events such as the annual folk and boat festival, the Roman and Norman festivals, and regular farmers' markets.
The middle of three dairy farms the others being Nantwich and Northwich. Originally wic, wyke or wich was a watery inlet (fjord), but the Danes were dairy farmers and, in time, the name came to mean any dairy farm. Originally, the Roman name had been Salinae (saltworks). In Domesday, it showed simpy as Wich.
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