{{infobox england county | name

Cheshire | image | motto | map | status Ceremonial county | origin Historic | region North West England | arearank Ranked 25th | area_km2 2343 | adminarearank | adminarea_km2 | adminhq Chester | iso GB-CHS | ons 13 | nuts3 UKD22 | poprank Ranked | popestdate | pop | density_km2 | ethnicity 98.3% White, 1.7% Other. | council ''no county council'' | mps *Graham Evans (C) Helen Jones (L) Andrew Miller (L) Stephen O'Brien (C) George Osborne (C) Stephen Mosley (C) David Mowat (C) Edward Timpson (C) Derek Twigg (L) Fiona Bruce (C) David Rutley (C) | subdivmap | subdivs #Cheshire West and Chester (Unitary) #Cheshire East (Unitary) #Warrington (Unitary) #Halton (Unitary) }}

Cheshire ( or ; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester) is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow. The county is bordered by Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south, and Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales to the west.

Cheshire's area is and its population is just over a million. Apart from the large towns along the River Mersey and the historic city of Chester, it is mostly rural, with a number of small towns and villages that support an agricultural industry. It is historically famous as a former principality and for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt, bulk chemicals, and woven silk.

History

Toponymy

Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded as ''Legeceasterscir'' in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, meaning ''the shire of the city of legions''. Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created by Edward the Elder around 920. In the Domesday Book, Chester was recorded as having the name ''Cestrescir'' (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time. A series of changes that occurred as English itself changed, together with some simplifications and elision, resulted in the name Cheshire, as it occurs today.

Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became Wales, there is a history of interaction between Cheshire and Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two complete Hundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became entirely part of Wales. Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known as Maelor Saesneg when it was transferred to Wales. For this and other reasons, the Welsh name for Cheshire (''Swydd Gaerlleon'') is sometimes used within Wales and by Welsh speakers.

Administrative history

After the Norman conquest of 1066 by William I, dissent and resistance continued for many years after the invasion. In Cheshire in 1069 local resistance was finally overcome, and draconian measures were taken to impress the native Saxons with the futility of future resistance. Earl Edwin of Mercia along with other major landowners were made examples of, their properties confiscated and redistributed amongst Norman barons. King William created one of his barons, Hugh d'Avranches (nicknamed Hugh Lupus, or 'wolf') as Earl of Chester, ruling virtually autonomously in William's name and with his full authority, and Cheshire was thereby declared a County Palatine.

Cheshire in the ''Domesday Book'' (1086) was recorded as a larger county than it is today. It included two hundreds, Atiscross and Exestan, that later became part of Wales. At the time of the ''Domesday Book'', it also included as part of Duddestan Hundred the area of land later known as Maelor Saesneg (which used to be a detached part of Flintshire) in Wales. The area between the Mersey and Ribble (referred to in the Domesday Book as "Inter Ripam et Mersam") formed part of the returns for Cheshire. Although this has been interpreted to mean that at that time south Lancashire was part of Cheshire, more exhaustive research indicates that the boundary between Cheshire and what was to become Lancashire remained the River Mersey. With minor variations in spelling across sources, the complete list of hundreds of Cheshire at this time are: Atiscross, Bochelau, Chester, Dudestan, Exestan, Hamestan, Middlewich, Riseton, Roelau, Tunendune, Warmundestrou and Wilaveston.

In 1182 the land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire, thus resolving any uncertainty about the county in which the land "Inter Ripam et Mersam" was. Over the years, the ten hundreds consolidated and changed names to leave just seven—Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral.

In 1397 the county had lands in the march of Wales added to its territory, and was promoted to the rank of principality. This was because of the support the men of the county had given to King Richard II, in particular by his standing armed force of about 500 men called the "Cheshire Guard". As a result the King's title was changed to "King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Chester". No other English county has been honoured in this way, although it lost the distinction on Richard's fall in 1399.

Through the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, some areas in the north-west became part of the metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Stockport (previously a county borough), Hyde, Dukinfield and Stalybridge in the north-east became part of Greater Manchester. Much of the Wirral Peninsula in the north-west, including the county boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey, joined Merseyside. At the same time the Tintwistle Rural District was transferred to Derbyshire. The area of Lancashire south of the Merseyside/Greater Manchester area, including Widnes and the county borough of Warrington, was added to the new non-metropolitan county of Cheshire.

Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire County Council on 1 April 1998, but remain part of Cheshire for ceremonial purposes and also for fire and policing.

A referendum for a further local government reform connected with an elected regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned – see Northern England referendum, 2004.

As part of the local government restructuring in April 2009, Cheshire County Council and the Cheshire districts were abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities, Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. The existing unitary authorities of Halton and Warrington were not affected by the change.

As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the cuckooflower as the county flower.

Buildings and structures

Prehistoric burial grounds have been discovered at The Bridestones, near Congleton (Neolithic) and Robin Hood's Tump, near Alpraham (Bronze Age). The remains of Iron Age hill forts are found on sandstone ridges at several locations in Cheshire. Examples include Maiden Castle on Bickerton Hill, Helsby Hillfort and Woodhouse Hillfort at Frodsham. The Roman fortress and walls of Chester, perhaps the earliest building works in Cheshire remaining above ground, are constructed from purple-grey sandstone.

The distinctive local red sandstone has been used for many monumental and ecclesiastical buildings throughout the county: for example, the medieval Beeston Castle, Chester Cathedral and numerous parish churches. Occasional residential and industrial buildings, such as Helsby Station, Helsby (1849), are also in this sandstone.

Many surviving buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries are timbered, particularly in the southern part of the county. Notable examples include the moated manor house Little Moreton Hall, dating from around 1450, and many commercial and residential buildings in Chester, Nantwich and surrounding villages.

Early brick buildings include Peover Hall near Macclesfield (1585), Tattenhall Hall (pre-1622), and Pied Bull Hotel in Chester (17th century). From the 18th century, orange, red or brown brick became the predominant building material used in Cheshire, although earlier buildings are often faced or dressed with stone. Examples from the Victorian period onwards often employ distinctive brick detailing, such as brick patterning and ornate chimney stacks and gables. Notable examples include Arley Hall near Northwich, Willington Hall near Chester (both by Nantwich architect George Latham) and Overleigh Lodge, Chester. From the Victorian era, brick buildings often incorporate timberwork in a mock Tudor style, and this hybrid style has been used in some modern residential developments in the county. Industrial buildings, such as the Macclesfield silk mills (for example, Waters Green New Mill), are also usually in brick.

Physical geography

Cheshire covers a boulder clay plain separating the hills of North Wales and the Peak District of Derbyshire (the area is also known as the Cheshire Gap). This was formed following the retreat of ice age glaciers which left the area dotted with kettle holes, locally referred to as meres. The bedrock of this region is almost entirely Triassic sandstone, outcrops of which have long been quarried, notably at Runcorn, providing the distinctive red stone for Liverpool Cathedral and Chester Cathedral.

The eastern half of the county is Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits which were mined for hundreds of years around Northwich. Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to the west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge. A footpath, the Sandstone Trail, follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch passing Delamere Forest, Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts.

Demography

Population

Based on the Census of 2001, the overall population of Cheshire is 673,781, of which 51.3% of the population were male and 48.7% were female. Of those aged between 0–14 years, 51.5% were male and 48.4% were female; and of those aged over 75 years, 62.9% were female and 37.1% were male.

The population density of Cheshire is 32 people per km², lower than the North West average of 42 people/km² and the England and Wales average of 38 people/km². Ellesmere Port and Neston has a greater urban density than the rest of the county with 92 people/km².

The population for 2021 is forecast to be 708,000.

Ethnicity

Ethnic white groups accounted for 98% (662,794) of the population with 10,994 (2%) in ethnic groups other than white.

Of the 2% in non-white ethnic groups:

3,717 (34%) belonged to mixed ethnic groups

3,336 (30%) were Asian or Asian British

1,076 (10%) were Black or Black British

1,826 (17%) were of Chinese ethnic groups

1,039 (9%) were of other ethnic groups.

Population change

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! colspan="8" style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Population totals for Cheshire |- ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Year ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Population ! style="background:#fff; color:#fff;"| ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Year ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Population ! style="background:#fff; color:#fff;"| ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Year ! style="background:#9cc; color:navy;"|Population |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1801 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 124,570 | style="background:#fff; color:#fff;" rowspan="7"| ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1871 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 277,123 | style="background:#fff; color:#fff;" rowspan="7"| ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1941 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 431,335 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1811 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 141,672 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1881 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 303,315 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1951 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 471,438 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1821 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 167,730 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1891 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 324,494 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1961 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 533,642 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1831 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 191,965 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1901 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 343,557 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1971 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 605,918 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1841 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 206,063 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1911 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 364,179 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1981 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 632,630 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1851 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 224,739 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1921 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 379,157 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1991 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 656,050 |- ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1861 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 250,931 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 1931 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 395,717 ! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 2001 | style="background:#fff; color:#black;"| 673,777 |- | colspan="8" style="background:#fff; font-size:90%;"|Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Cheshire''Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.'' |}

Politics and administration

Current

File:Cheshire unitary labell.png|300px|thumb|The ceremonial county showing the four unitary authorities. Click on the map for more information poly 132 343 74 237 19 152 25 129 215 134 231 120 255 121 298 172 293 195 263 221 221 222 179 257 152 293 175 350 Cheshire West and Chester poly 168 293 241 241 285 239 325 225 382 264 383 272 316 308 312 348 225 368 Cheshire East poly 333 175 269 130 267 103 300 82 357 102 480 90 491 189 410 239 Cheshire East poly 313 228 334 183 419 219 354 293 Cheshire East poly 131 105 166 58 182 73 182 94 201 99 207 91 218 105 210 129 183 127 161 121 131 107 Halton poly 188 75 192 30 266 9 296 73 267 82 251 107 234 112 Warrington desc none

Cheshire is a ceremonial county. This means that although there is no county-wide elected local authority, Cheshire has a Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff for ceremonial purposes under the Lieutenancies Act 1997.

Local government functions apart from the Police and Fire/Rescue services are carried out by four smaller unitary authorities: Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and Warrington.

Policing and fire and rescue services are still provided across the County as a whole, but by unelected bodies. The Cheshire Police Authority and Cheshire Fire Authority consist of members of the four councils.

Transition from the previous (1974) arrangement

From 1 April 1974 the area under the control of the county council was divided into eight local government districts; Chester, Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Halton, Macclesfield, Vale Royal and Warrington. Halton (which includes the towns of Runcorn and Widnes) and Warrington became unitary authorities in 1998. The remaining districts and the county were abolished as part of local government restructuring on 1 April 2009. The Halton and Warrington boroughs were not affected by the 2009 restructuring.

On 25 July 2007, the Secretary of State Hazel Blears announced she was 'minded' to split Cheshire into two new unitary authorities, Cheshire West and Chester, and Cheshire East. She confirmed she had not changed her mind on 19 December 2007 and therefore the proposal to split two-tier Cheshire into two would proceed.

Cheshire County Council leader Paul Findlow, who attempted High Court legal action against the proposal, claimed that splitting Cheshire would only disrupt excellent services while increasing living costs for all. A widespread sentiment that this decision was taken by the European Union long ago has often been portrayed via angered letters from Cheshire residents to local papers. On 31 January 2008 ''The Standard'', Cheshire & district newspaper, announced that the legal action had been dropped. Members against the proposal were advised that they may be unable to persuade the court that the decision of Hazel Blears was "manifestly absurd".

The Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority covers the area formerly occupied by the City of Chester and the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal; Cheshire East now covers the area formerly occupied by the boroughs of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, and Macclesfield. The changes were implemented on 1 April 2009.

Congleton Borough Council pursued an appeal against the judicial review it lost in October 2007. The appeal was dismissed on 4 March 2008.

Borders

The ceremonial county borders Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire in England along with Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales, arranged by compass directions as shown in the table. below. Cheshire also forms part of the North West England region.

{| style="margin:auto;" |- ! Neighbouring Authorities to the Ceremonial County |}

Religion

In the 2001 Census, 81% of the population (542,413) identified themselves as Christian; 124,677 (19%) did not identify with any religion or did not answer the question; 5,665 (1%) identified themselves as belonging to other major world religions; and 1,033 belonged to other religions.

The boundary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester follows most closely the pre-1974 county boundary of Cheshire, so it includes all of Wirral, Stockport, and the Cheshire panhandle that included Tintwistle Rural District council area. In terms of Roman Catholic church administration, most of Cheshire falls into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury.

Economy and industry

Cheshire has a diverse economy with significant sectors including agriculture, automotive, bio-technology, chemical, financial services, food and drink, ICT, and tourism. The county is famous for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt and silk.

A mainly rural county, Cheshire has a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based on the dairy trade, and cattle are the predominant livestock. Land use given to agriculture has fluctuated somewhat, and in 2005 totalled 1558 km² over 4,609 holdings. Based on holdings by EC farm type in 2005, 8.51 km² was allocated to dairy farming, with another 11.78 km² allocated to cattle and sheep.

The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded in Roman times, with the mining of salt in Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area by British Salt. The salt mining has led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, with Brunner Mond based in the town. Other chemical companies, including Ineos (formerly ICI), have plants at Runcorn. The Shell Stanlow Refinery is at Ellesmere Port. The oil refinery has operated since 1924 and has a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year.

Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry, and remains a major railway junction. The Crewe railway works, built in 1840, employed 20,000 people at its peak, although the workforce is now less than 1,000. Crewe is also the home of Bentley cars. Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants for Jaguar and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port. The county also has an aircraft industry, with the BAE Systems facility at Woodford Aerodrome, part of BAE System's Military Air Solutions division. The facility designed and constructed Avro Lancaster and Avro Vulcan bombers and the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod. On the Cheshire border with Flintshire is the Broughton aircraft factory, more recently associated with Airbus.

Tourism in Cheshire from within the UK and overseas continues to perform strongly. Over 8 million nights of accommodation (both UK and overseas) and over 2.8 million visits to Cheshire were recorded during 2003.

At the start of 2003, there were 22,020 VAT-registered enterprises in Cheshire, an increase of 7% since 1998, many in the business services (31.9%) and wholesale/retail (21.7%) sectors. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of businesses grew in four sectors: public administration and other services (6.0%), hotels and restaurants (5.1%), construction (1.7%), and business services (1.0%). The county saw the largest proportional reduction between 2001 and 2002 in employment in the energy and Water sector and there was also a significant reduction in the manufacturing sector. The largest growth during this period was in the other services and distribution, hotels and retail sectors.

Cheshire is considered to be an affluent county. Due to Cheshire's proximity to the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, counter urbanisation is common. Cheshire West has a fairly large proportion of residents who work in Liverpool, while Cheshire East falls within Manchester's sphere of influence.

Education

''See also: List of schools in Cheshire East; List of schools in Cheshire West and Chester; List of schools in Halton; List of schools in Warrington

All four local education authorities in Cheshire operate only comprehensive state school systems. When Altrincham and Sale were moved from Cheshire to Trafford in 1974, they took some former Cheshire selective schools. Today, there are two universities based in the county, the University of Chester and the Crewe campus of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Culture, media and sport

Cheshire has two league football teams, namely Crewe Alexandra and Macclesfield Town who both play in League Two. Chester City was also a League Two team until they were relegated to the Conference National in April 2009 and later dissolved. A new club, Chester F.C. was formed in 2010 and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Cheshire also is represented in the highest level basketball league in the UK, the BBL, by the Cheshire Jets, formerly Chester Jets.

Warrington Wolves are the premier Rugby League team in Cheshire and play in the Super League. Widnes Vikings are currently in National League One. There are also numerous junior clubs in the county, including Chester Gladiators.

Cheshire County Cricket Club is one of the minor county cricket clubs.

The county has also been home to many notable sportsmen and athletes, including footballers Dean Ashton, Djibril Cissé, Peter Crouch, Seth Johnson, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney. Other local athletes have included cricketer Ian Botham, marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain Olympic oarsman Matthew Langridge, Shirley Strong, and mountaineer George Mallory, who died in 1924 on Mount Everest.

Each May, Europe's largest motorcycle event, the Thundersprint, is held in Northwich.

The county has produced several notable musicians, including popular artists John Mayall (John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers), Ian Astbury (The Cult), Tim Burgess (Charlatans) and Ian Curtis (Joy Division). Concert pianist Stephen Hough, singer Thea Gilmore and her producer husband Nigel Stonier also reside in Cheshire. The county has also been home to several writers, including Hall Caine (1853–1931), popular romantic novelist and playwright; Alan Garner; Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, whose novel ''Cranford'' features her home town of Knutsford; and most famously Lewis Carroll, born and raised in Daresbury, hence the Cheshire cat. Artists from the county include ceramic artist Emma Bossons and sculptor and photographer Andy Goldsworthy. Actors from Cheshire include Daniel Craig, the 6th James Bond; Dame Wendy Hiller; and Lewis McGibbon, best known for his role in ''Millions''.

Local radio stations in the county include Dee 106.3, Heart and Gold for Chester and West Cheshire, Silk FM for the east of the county, Signal 1 for the south, Wire FM for Warrington, Wish FM, which covers Widnes, and community station Cheshire FM, which covers central Cheshire. The BBC covers the west with BBC Radio Merseyside, the north and east with BBC Radio Manchester and the south with BBC Radio Stoke. There were plans to launch BBC Radio Cheshire, but those were shelved in 2007 after a lower than expected BBC licence fee settlement.

Settlements and communications

Settlements

The county is home to some of the most affluent areas of Northern England, including Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Prestbury, Tarporley and Knutsford, named in 2006 as the most expensive place to buy a house in the north of England. The former Cheshire town of Altrincham was in second place. The area is sometimes referred to as The Golden Triangle on account of the area in and around the above mentioned towns and villages.

The cities and towns in Cheshire are:

! Ceremonial county	! District	! Centre of administration	! Other Towns or Cities
	Cheshire East (unitary)	Sandbach	Alsager, Bollington, Crewe, Congleton, Knutsford, Macclesfield, Middlewich, Nantwich, Wilmslow
Cheshire West and Chester (unitary)	Chester
	Widnes	Runcorn
Warrington (unitary)	Warrington	Lymm

Some settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the counties of Derbyshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester:

Derbyshire	Greater Manchester	[[Altrincham">Crowden, Derbyshire
Greater Manchester	Bramhall, Bredbury, [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester">Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Dukinfield, Gatley, Hazel Grove, Hyde, Marple, Romiley, Sale, Stalybridge, Stockport, Wythenshawe
Merseyside	Bebington, Birkenhead, Heswall, Hoylake, Wallasey, West Kirby

Transport

Rail and road

The main railway line through the county is the West Coast Main Line. Many trains call at Crewe (in the south of the county) and Warrington Bank Quay (in the north of the county) en route to London and Scotland, as well as Runcorn on the Liverpool branch of the WCML.

The major interchanges are:

Crewe (the biggest station in Cheshire) for trains to London Euston and Scotland (via the WCML), Wales, The Midlands (Birmingham, Stoke and Derby) as well as suburban services to Manchester, Chester and Liverpool.

Warrington stations (Central and Bank Quay) for suburban services to Manchester, Chester and Liverpool and regional express services to North Wales, London, Scotland, Yorkshire, the East Coast and the East Midlands

Chester for urban services (via Merseyrail) to Liverpool Central, suburban services to Manchester, Warrington and rural Cheshire and express services to Llandudno, Holyhead, Birmingham, the West Midlands, London and Cardiff

In the east of Cheshire, Macclesfield station is served by Virgin Trains and CrossCountry, on the Manchester-London line. Services from Manchester to the south coast frequently stop at Macclesfield.

Cheshire has of roads, including of the M6, M62, M53 and M56 motorways, with 23 interchanges and four service areas. The M6 motorway at the Thelwall Viaduct carries 140,000 vehicles every 24 hours.

Waterways

File:Cheshire Ring Schematic.png|thumb|right|250px|Schematic of the Cheshire Ring

circle 501 199 67 Manchester circle 281 256 118 Bridgewater Canal circle 487 30 98 Rochdale Canal circle 672 79 90 Ashton Canal circle 311 660 156 Trent and Mersey Canal circle 861 650 178 Macclesfield Canal circle 733 303 110 Peak Forest Canal circle 930 390 90 Marple circle 612 911 139 Stoke on Trent rect 718 158 955 188 Ashton-under-Lyne rect 197 373 420 415 Preston Brook

desc none

The Cheshire canal system includes several canals originally used to transport the county's industrial products (mostly chemicals). Nowadays they are mainly used for tourist traffic. The Cheshire Ring is formed from the Rochdale, Ashton, Peak Forest, Macclesfield, Trent and Mersey and Bridgewater canals.

The Manchester Ship Canal is a wide, stretch of water opened in 1894. It consists of the rivers Irwell and Mersey made navigable to Manchester for seagoing ships leaving the Mersey estuary. The canal passes through the north of the county via Runcorn and Warrington.

See also

Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire

High Sheriff of Cheshire

Notes and references

Notes

Bibliography

Crosby, A. (1996). ''A History of Cheshire.'' ''(The Darwen County History Series.)'' Chichester, UK: Phillimore & Co ISBN 0-85033-932-4.

Harris, B. E., and Thacker, A. T. (1987). ''The Victoria History of the County of Chester. (Volume 1: Physique, Prehistory, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Domesday).'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-722761-9.

Morgan, P. (Ed.) (1978). ''Domesday Book. Volume 26: Cheshire''. Chichester, Sussex: Phillmore and Company Limited. ISBN 0-85033-140-4.

Phillips, A. D. M., and Phillips, C. B. (Eds.) (2002). ''A New Historical Atlas of Cheshire.'' Chester, UK: Cheshire County Council and Cheshire Community Council Publications Trust. ISBN 0-904532-46-1.

Sylvester, D. (1980). ''A History of Cheshire, (The Darwen County History Series.)'' (Second Edition, original publication date, 1971). London and Chichester, UK: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. ISBN 0-85033-384-9.

Further reading

Beck, J. (1969). ''Tudor Cheshire. (Volume 7 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Bu'Lock, J. D. (1972). ''Pre-Conquest Cheshire 383–1066. (Volume 3 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Dore, R.N. (1966). ''The Civil Wars in Cheshire. (Volume 8 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Driver, J. T. (1971). ''Cheshire in the Later Middle Ages 1399–1540. (Volume 6 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Harris, B. E. (1979). '''The Victoria History of the County of Chester. (Volume 2).'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-722749-X.

Harris, B. E. (1980). '''The Victoria History of the County of Chester. (Volume 3).'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-722754-6.

Hewitt, H. J. (1967). ''Cheshire Under the Three Edwards. (Volume 5 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Higham, N. J. (1993). ''The Origins of Cheshire.'' Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-3160-5.

Hodson, J. H. (1978). ''Cheshire, 1660–1780: Restoration to Industrial Revolution. (Volume 9 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council. ISBN 0-903119-11-0.

Husain, B. M. C. (1973). ''Cheshire Under the Norman Earls 1066–1237. (Volume 4 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Morgan, V., and Morgan, P. (2004). ''Prehistoric Cheshire.'' Ashbourne, Derbyshire:Landmark Publishing Company. ISBN 1-84306-140-6.

Scard, G. (1981). ''Squire and Tenant: Rural Life in Cheshire 1760–1900. (Volume 10 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council. ISBN 0-903119-13-7.

Scholes, R. (2000). ''The Towns and Villages of Britain: Cheshire.'' Wilmslow, Cheshire: Sigma Press. ISBN 1-85058-637-3.

Sylvester. D., and Nulty, G. (1958). ''The Historical Atlas of Cheshire.'' (Third Edition) Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Thompson, F. H. (1965). ''Roman Cheshire. (Volume 2 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Tigwell, R. E. (1985). ''Cheshire in the Twentieth Century. (Volume 11 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Varley, W. J. (1964). ''Cheshire Before the Romans. (Volume 1 of Cheshire Community Council Series: A History of Cheshire).'' Series Editor: J. J. Bagley. Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council.

Youngs, F. A. (1991). ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. (Volume 1: Northern England).'' London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-86193-127-0.

External links

Cheshire Lieutenancy

Office of National Statistics – 2001 Bicentenary – Cheshire

Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire

rECOrd (Local Biological Records Centre for Cheshire)

Discovercheshire website - council maintained recreational routes and country parks

Cheshire Market Towns - council maintained guide to Cheshire's Market Towns

Category:English unitary authorities created in 2009 Category:Unitary authorities of England Category:Former non-metropolitan counties Category:North West England Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the United Kingdom

af:Cheshire ang:Ceasterscīr ar:تشيشير ast:Cheshire zh-min-nan:Cheshire br:Cheshire ca:Cheshire cs:Cheshire cy:Swydd Gaer da:Cheshire de:Cheshire et:Cheshire es:Cheshire eo:Cheshire eu:Cheshire fr:Cheshire (comté) gl:Cheshire hi:चेशायर id:Cheshire is:Cheshire it:Cheshire he:צ'שייר kw:Cheshire lv:Češīra lb:Cheshire lt:Češyras mr:चेशायर nl:Cheshire (graafschap) ja:チェシャー no:Cheshire nn:Cheshire pl:Cheshire pt:Cheshire ro:Cheshire ru:Чешир simple:Cheshire sk:Cheshire (grófstvo) fi:Cheshire sv:Cheshire th:เชชเชอร์ uk:Чешир ug:Chéshir vo:Cheshire zh:柴郡

:''For the non-alcoholic drink recipe, see Blaster Bates (drink)'' Blaster Bates was the name used by Derek Macintosh Bates (5 February 1923 – 1 September 2006), an English explosives and demolition expert and raconteur, who was born in Crewe. He made a series of sound recordings from the 1960s to 1980s, recounting bizarre and funny experiences from his long career, and tales of his hobbies of motorcycling, hunting and shooting. He was much in demand as an after-dinner speaker. His tales feature coarse language and their content is equally strong stuff: once, for instance, he was hired to clear out a farm's septic tank using explosives, an episode Bates described as "The Shower of Shit Over Cheshire".

Bates served with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War as a Handley Page Halifax bomber pilot, and then learned his explosives skills as a bomb disposal specialist. After the war he returned to his previous employer Rolls Royce, hoping to resume his old job, but was told "We're cutting down, you know". Bates then started his own demolition business, drawing on his wartime expertise. He later noted that it was a good decision, as "over the years I've managed to do all right while they've [Rolls Royce] gone steadily bust".

He was known for carrying sticks of explosive in his pockets, even producing them while giving testimony in trials, to the horror of the court. Most high explosives are harmless unless used with a detonator, but this is not generally understood.

In August 2006 Bates was admitted to hospital suffering from congestive heart failure, and on 1 September 2006 he died after a long battle with diabetes. He was buried at St Mary's church in Sandbach town centre.

Recordings

Currently available CD re-releases in the UK.

''Laughter with a Bang'' +bonus tracks from 1001 Gelignites (CD BBCD01) (2003) Label: Topic Records

''TNT for Two'' +bonus tracks from Hunting and Shooting stories (CD BBSV17) (2003) Label : Big Ben / Tangent

''Watch out for the bits'' +bonus tracks from Gelly Babe (CD BVBSV16) (2002) Label : Big Ben

''Blastermind'' +bonus tracks from Lift off (CD BBSV18) (2007) Label: Big Ben / Tangent

Original LP & Cassette Releases Label - Big Ben

Vol1 Laughter with a bang BB00.01/BBMC1 Mono 1967

Vol2 1001 Gelignites BB00.03/BBMC3 Mono 1968

Vol3 TNT for Two BB00.05/BBMC5 Mono 1969

Vol4 Watch out for the bits BB00.07/BBMC7 Mono 1971

Vol5 Lift-off BB00.09/BBMC9 Stereo 1973

Vol6 Gelly Babe BB00.11/BBMC11 Stereo 1975

Vol7 Blastermind BB00.13/BBMC13 Stereo 1980

Vol8 Hunting and Shooting stories BB00.15/BBMC15 Stereo 1984

Video

''Stand Well Back'' (VHS Video, PAL format, UK only) - live on stage

Other known recordings

Dunlop footwear Promo, extracts from Lift-off on Flexi-disk, given away at stand 36, Harrogate 1978.

Blast it, (Cassette only) compilation.

Blaster Bates with Redditch Controls, Marston Paxman and Norgren at the Stratford Hilton.

:Recorded March 1977 and given away as Christmas gift to Imperial Metal Industries staff and customers (Label - Tangent).

Bootlegs

Blaster Bates at Huntingdon hall 4 October 2003.

Book

BBC TV Appearances or Contributions

24 Hours 08-March-1966 LCA7927J.

:Nelson's Pillar in Dublin blown up, after the top was blown off by the IRA. Reporter Alan Whicker. Compilation on demolition.

It takes all sorts 13-03-1967 19SX8562.

:Blaster talks about his career. Includes many of his amusing anecdotes. Interviewer: John Hosken.

:Now aged 43. Got into demolition by accident. In RAF during the war & learned about explosives there. Now blows up all sorts of things:

:"I've got a touch like a bloody midwife".

:Art of getting chimneys to drop in exactly the right place.

:Has blown himself up - was playing about.

:Has put rockets on the back of a motorcycle.

Look North 14-Dec-1970 A:RNL5186T.

:Blaster talks to David Seymour about his career and about how many chimneys he's blown up.

Nationwide 25-March-1974 A:LCA3413R.

:Blaster demolishes three chimneys.

:Old factory chimney, camera pans from l to 2 others.

:Blaster arrives, Danger Demolition signs.

:Crowd watch.

:Blaster retreats.

:Blast & 1st chimney falls.

:Crowd reaction.

:Blaster & assistant run from behind stack.

:Blast & it falls neatly behind wall.

Look Stranger - The world of Blaster Bates 06-May-1974 LGF6321T.

:Film about Derek 'Blaster Bates' one of England's leading professional destroyers, who travels the country blasting chimneys, bridges & redundant factories, clearing trenches & canals; he is also a comedian using experience as a blaster.

The Fivepenny Piece Show 11-May-1979 NMRD805R.

:An Outside Broadcast concert from the Poco-a-Poco Theatre Club in Stockport. Fivepenny Piece sing some of their own songs with Blaster as special guest.

Nationwide 17-March-1983 D:LCAC311E.

:Hugh Scully reports on how Blaster makes a living by blowing up chimneys.

News 30-Sept-1983 ANBC773T.

:Blaster demolished a chimney which has been part of Sheffield skyline since 1870.

:Sheffield: ms chimney with group of people standing nearby.

:Man starts dominoes falling on model of chimney, the dominos set off some gelignite which demolished model chimney.

:Actual chimney being demolished.

Look North 30-Sept-1983 RNLF739L,

:John Thirlwell reports from Sheffield where a former BSC chimney is being demolished for an extension to Whitbread's brewery.

:from chimney, Bridge Street, Sheffield to marquee.

:Inside of marquee with Michael Cairney preparing dominoes.

:Blaster explaining charges & spectator.

:Blaster saying he does not like dominoes.

:Dominoes falling in chair & igniting.

:Chimney falls.

:Blaster acquires the nickname 'The Beast'.

Pebble Mill at One 25-Oct-1985 E:NBMH111D.

:Josephine Buchan talks to Blaster about the 75th Anniversary of the motorbike & the present exhibition at the NEC.

Windmill-House and home 03-Nov-1985 LCHE133D.

:Demolition montage and clip of a Blaster after dinner speech.

Look North 25-Nov-1985 RNLH348L.

:Ken Cooper reports from Sharlston where Blaster demolished a large chimney - including interview with Blaster.

Gosling's Ganders 15-May-1987 RNWC738D.

:Ray Gosling meets Blaster at Sandbach & explodes marsh land to make a pond. Blaster tells jokes and clip from ''The Fivepenny Piece Show''.

Coast to Coast - Wild boars, a shooting star and a Norman knight 27-Feb-1998 NMYK291D.

References

External links

Unofficial Blaster Bates website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/lastword_15sept2006.shtml

Obituary in ''The Independent''

Category:1923 births Category:2006 deaths Category:Deaths from diabetes Category:People from Crewe Category:British World War II pilots Category:English comedians

Leonard Cheshire Disability is a major health and welfare charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1948 by RAF pilot Leonard Cheshire VC.

In 2006–7 it had a total expenditure of £143 million, placing it in the top 30 of UK charities.

History

The charity was originally known as The Cheshire Foundation Homes for the Sick, then in 1976 it became the Leonard Cheshire Foundation. In July 2007 it changed to its current style, Leonard Cheshire Disability.

Cheshire started the charity in 1948 with a residential home for disabled ex-servicemen at Le Court, a large country house near Liss in Hampshire. By 1955 there were six Cheshire homes in Britain and the first overseas project was also started in Mumbai, India. By 1992 there were 270 homes in 49 countries.

Each of these "Cheshire Homes", as they came to be called were similarly set up; local communities came forward, assembled a group of volunteers, found whatever suitable accommodation they could, set up administrative committees and set about raising funds for development. This gave each Cheshire Home a "local" structure closely knit to the community they were serving while being affiliated with an international organization.

Aims

The charity is headquartered in London and its stated objects are "to relieve the consequences of physical and/or mental disability by the provision, in the United Kingdom and overseas, of accommodation, services and support for the spiritual, social, physical and/or mental wellbeing of disabled people, by such means as are charitable, whatever their race, nationality, creed, sex or age."

Activities

It provides support to disabled people through a variety of different services including care at home, residential care and training. It describes itself as "the UK's leading voluntary sector provider of support services for disabled people". Its goal is to change attitudes to disability and to serve disabled people around the world.

LCD's activities are particularly focused on guiding and encouraging the disabled to move toward independence and live life their way.

The Media and Press relations unit of the charity work on influencing public opinion about disability and raising funds for its various objectives.

It also organizes sports and other social events for disabled persons making for an inclusive environment for the disabled.

Related organisations

The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation was set up by Leonard Cheshire and his wife Sue Ryder at the time of their marriage in 1959. It now mainly operates in two fields:

the rehabilitation of disabled people, through Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, through Target Tuberculosis.

The Leonard Cheshire Disability & Inclusive Development Centre is a joint project by Leonard Cheshire Disability and University College London (originally set up in 1997 as the Leonard Cheshire Centre of Conflict Recovery).

Cheshire founded the Raphael Pilgrimage to enable sick and disabled people to travel to Lourdes.

Sue Ryder Care, a charity founded in 1953 by Sue Ryder, before she met Leonard Cheshire, is also one of the 50 largest charities in the UK.

References

Further reading

Morris, Richard. ''Cheshire: The Biography of Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM''. London: Viking Press, 2000. ISBN 0-670-86736-7.

External links

Leonard Cheshire Disability website

History of the Leonard Cheshire charity

Category:Charities for disabled people based in the United Kingdom Category:1948 establishments Category:Non-profit organisations based in the United Kingdom

Name	Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire
Birth date	September 07, 1917
Death date	July 31, 1992
Birth place	Chester, Cheshire
Death place	Cavendish, Suffolk
Placeofburial	Cavendish Churchyard
Allegiance
Serviceyears	1940-1946
Rank	Group Captain
Branch
Commands	No. 76 Squadron RAFRAF Marston MoorNo. 617 Squadron RAF
Unit	No. 102 Squadron RAFNo. 35 Squadron RAF
Battles	World War II
Awards	Victoria CrossOrder of MeritDistinguished Service Order and Two BarsDistinguished Flying Cross
Laterwork	Humanitarian
Relations	Geoffrey Chevalier Cheshire (father)Constance Binney Sue Ryder }}

Group Captain Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO and Two Bars, DFC (7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992) was a highly decorated British RAF pilot during the Second World War.

Among the honours he received as a bomber pilot is the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. After the war, he became a charity worker, setting up the Leonard Cheshire Disability as well as other philanthropic organisations.

Early life

Leonard Cheshire was the son of Geoffrey Chevalier Cheshire, DCL, LLD, FBA, a barrister, academic and influential writer on English law. He had one brother, Christopher Cheshire, also a wartime pilot. Cheshire was born in Chester, but was brought up at his parents' home near Oxford. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Stowe School and Merton College, Oxford. While at Oxford he became friends with John Niel Randle. On one occasion at Oxford he was bet half a pint of beer that he could not walk to Paris. With no more than a few pennies and a pocket handkerchief he won his bet. Cheshire graduated in Jurisprudence in 1939. He went to stay in Germany in 1936 with a family in Potsdam.

Military career

After learning basic piloting skills with the Oxford University Air Squadron, he joined the RAF after the outbreak of the Second World War as a Pilot Officer, and was initially posted in June 1940 to 102 Squadron, flying Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bombers, from RAF Driffield. In November 1940, he was awarded the DSO for flying his badly-damaged bomber back to base.

In January 1941, he completed his tour of operations, but then volunteered immediately for a second tour. He was posted to 35 Squadron with the brand new Handley Page Halifax and completed his second tour early in 1942, by now a Squadron Leader. August 1942 saw a return to operations as CO of No. 76 Squadron RAF. The squadron had recently suffered high losses operating the Halifax, and Cheshire immediately tackled the low morale of the unit by ordering an improvement in the performance of the squadron aircraft by removing the mid-upper and nose gun turrets along with exhaust covers and other weighty non-essential equipment. This allowed the bombers to fly higher and faster. Losses soon fell and morale rose accordingly.

In 1943 Cheshire published an account of his first tour of operations in his book "Bomber Pilot" which tells of his posting to RAF Driffield and tells the story of flying his badly-damaged bomber ("N for Nuts") back to base. In the book he fails to mention being awarded the DSO for this, but does describe the bravery of a badly burnt member of his crew.

Cheshire became Station Officer Commanding RAF Marston Moor in March as the youngest Group Captain in the RAF, though the job was never to his liking and he pushed for a return to an operational command. These efforts paid off with a posting as commander of the legendary 617 "Dambusters" Squadron in September 1943.

While with 617, Cheshire helped pioneer a new method of marking enemy targets for Bomber Command's 5 Group, flying in at a very low level in the face of strong defences, using first, the versatile Mosquito, then a "borrowed" P-51 Mustang fighter. This development work was the subject of some severe intraservice politics; Cheshire was encouraged by his 5 Group Commander Air Vice-Marshal Ralph Cochrane, although the 8 Group Pathfinder AOC Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett saw this work as impinging on the responsibilities of his own command.

Cheshire was nearing the end of his fourth tour of duty in July 1944, having completed a total of 102 missions, when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He was the only one of the 32 VC airmen to win the medal for an extended period of sustained courage and outstanding effort, rather than a single act of valour. His citation noted:

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It also noted a raid in which he had marked a target, flying a Mosquito at low level against "withering fire".

One of Cheshire's missions was to use new 5,400 kilograms (12,000 lb) "Tallboy" deep-penetration bombs to destroy V3 long-range cannons located in underground bunkers near Mimoyecques in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. These were powerful guns able to fire a 500 lb shell into London every minute. They were protected by a concrete layer. The raid was planned so the bombs hit the ground next to the concrete to destroy the guns from underneath. Although considered successful at the time, later evaluations confirmed that the raids were largely ineffectual.

Cheshire was, in his day, both the youngest Group Captain in the service and, following his VC, the most decorated.

Change of direction

On his 103rd mission, he was the official British observer of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. His vantage point was in the support B-29 ''Big Stink''. He did not witness the event as close up as anticipated due to aircraft commander James Hopkins' failure to link up with the other B-29s. Hopkins was meant to join with the others over Yakushima, but he circled at 39,000 ft instead of the agreed height of 30,000 ft. He tried to justify this by the need to keep the VIP passengers out of danger, but Cheshire thought that Hopkins was "overwrought".

"Many assumed that it was Nagasaki which emptied him. In fact, as he kept pointing out, it was the war as a whole. Like Britain herself, he had been fighting or training for fighting since 1939." He was earlier quoted as saying: "...then I for one hold little brief for the future of civilization".

He left the RAF in 1946 and the time immediately after the war saw him start several new ventures. One of these was a community called VIP (standing for the Latin phrase ''Vade in Pacem'', meaning ''Go in Peace'') which eventually settled in a house called Le Court in Hampshire which Cheshire bought from an aunt. VIP's aim was to provide an opportunity for ex-servicemen and women and their families to live together, each contributing to the community what they could, in order to help their transition back into civilian life. He hoped that training, prosperity and fulfillment would result from united effort and mutual support. He saw the community as one way of continuing to work towards world peace. But the idea did not prosper and the community came to an end in 1947.

At the beginning of 1948, he heard about the case of Arthur Dykes, who had been one of Cheshire's original "VIP" community at Le Court, Hampshire and was suffering from cancer. Dykes asked Cheshire to give him some land to park a caravan until he recovered, but Cheshire discovered that Dykes was terminally ill and that he had concealed this fact from him. He told Dykes the real position and invited him to stay at Le Court. Cheshire learned nursing skills and was soon approached to take in a second patient, the 94-year-old bedridden wife of a man who had just been taken off to hospital after suffering a stroke. She was followed by others, some coming to stay and others to help. Although Le Court had no financial support, and was financially perilous most of the time, money somehow always seemed to arrive in the nick of time to stave off disaster.

Cheshire had been brought up a Christian, but had lapsed. In 1945, in the Vanity Fair club in Mayfair, he joined a conversation about religion. "It was absurd," he said, "to imagine that God existed, except as a convenient figure of speech. Man had invented God to explain the voice of conscience, but it was doubtful whether right or wrong existed outside the human mind. They were words affixed like labels to customs and laws which man had also invented to keep social order." To Cheshire's surprise, as he sat back, "pleased with his worldly wisdom," he was roundly rebuked for "talking such rot" by a woman friend who "was one of the last persons on earth he would have credited with" religious convictions.

Arthur Dykes died in August 1948. After completing the arrangements for his funeral, Cheshire idly picked up a book a friend had sent him. It was ''One Lord, One Faith'' by Vernon Johnson, a former High Anglican clergyman who, against every cherished instinct and prejudice, had converted to Roman Catholicism because, as he put it, "I could not resist the claim of the Catholic Church to be the one true Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ to guard and teach the truth.... She alone possesses the authority and unity necessary for such a Divine vocation." On Christmas Eve, 1948, Cheshire was received into the Catholic Church. That day there were eight patients staying at Le Court. By the end of the following June, there were twenty-eight. Cheshire dedicated the rest of his life to supporting disabled people, combining this with lecturing on conflict resolution.

Charitable life

In 1948, he founded the charity now styled Leonard Cheshire Disability, which provides support to disabled people throughout the world. It is now one of the top 30 British charities.

Other organisations set up by Leonard Cheshire are: The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation, set up by Leonard Cheshire and his wife Sue Ryder at the time of their marriage in 1959. It now mainly operates in two fields: the rehabilitation of disabled people, through Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers and the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis, through Target Tuberculosis.

In 1953 Cheshire founded the Raphael Pilgrimage in order to enable sick and disabled people to travel to Lourdes.

The Leonard Cheshire Disability & Inclusive Development Centre is a joint project by Leonard Cheshire Disability and University College London (originally set up in 1997 as the Leonard Cheshire Centre of Conflict Recovery).

He founded the Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief, a UK charity in whose benefit the Roger Waters concert ''The Wall - Live in Berlin'' was held. Cheshire opened this concert by blowing a Second World War whistle.

Leonard Cheshire was concerned about future remembrance and was influential in the concept of the National Memorial Arboretum, founded by David Childs. The amphitheatre at the Arboretum is dedicated to the memory of Leonard Cheshire.

Private life

On 15 July 1941, Cheshire married the American actress, Constance Binney (21 years his senior), but the marriage was short-lived and childless. On 5 April 1959, in Bombay's Roman Catholic Cathedral, he married Sue Ryder, also a Roman Catholic convert and humanitarian. He and Baroness Ryder were one of the few couples to both hold titles in their own right. They had two children, Jeromy and Elizabeth Cheshire, and lived in Cavendish, Suffolk.

Death

He died of motor neurone disease on 31 July 1992, aged 74.

Honours and tributes

In 1981, he was awarded the Order of Merit In 1991, he was given a life peerage as Baron Cheshire of Woodhall in the County of Lincolnshire, sitting as a cross-bencher.

Queen Elizabeth II paid personal tribute to him in her Royal Christmas Message in December 1992. In the 2002 BBC poll to find the 100 Greatest Britons, Cheshire attained position number 31. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London.

Legacy

Leonard Cheshire is acknowledged on the Roger Waters album ''The Wall - Live in Berlin''. Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters once described Cheshire as "the only true Christian I've ever met."

There is a house at Xavier College, a leading private school in Melbourne, Australia, named after Cheshire. St Ignatius College, a private school in Sydney, Australia, also has a house named after Cheshire.

Publications

''Bomber Pilot''. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1943; St. Albans, Herts, UK: Mayflower, 1975 ISBN 0-583-12541-7; London: Goodall Publications ISBN 0-907-57910-8

''The Holy Face: An Account of the Oldest Photograph in the World''. Newport, Monmouthshire, UK: R. H. Johns, 1954. 16-page pamphlet.

''Pilgrimage to the Shroud''. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1956.

''The Story of the Holy Shroud''. Associated Television Ltd: ATV Library, 1957. Text of broadcast.

''The Face of Victory''. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1961.

''Death''. London: Catholic Truth Society, 1978. 22-page pamphlet.

''The Hidden World: An Autobiography and Reflections by the Founder of the Leonard Cheshire Homes''. London: Collins, 1981. ISBN 0-00626-479-4.

''The Light of Many Suns: The Meaning of the Bomb''. London: Methuen, 1985. ISBN 0-413-59240-5

''Where Is God in All This?'' (Interview by Alenka Lawrence). Slough, Berks, UK: St Paul Publications, 1991. ISBN 0-85439-380-3

''Crossing the Finishing Line: Last Thoughts of Leonard Cheshire VC'' (Edited by Reginald C. Fuller). London: St. Pauls, 1998. ISBN 0-85439-527-X.

References

Further reading

Boyle, Andrew. ''No Passing Glory: The Full and Authentic Biography of Group Captain Cheshire, V.C., D.S.O, D.F.C.''. London: Fontana Books, 1955.

Braddon, Russell. ''Cheshire, V.C.'' London: Evans Brothers Ltd., 1954.

Brickhill, Paul. ''The Dam Busters''. London: Pan Books, 1983. ISBN 0-33028-083-X.

Harvey, David. ''Monuments to Courage''. Uckfield, East Sussex, UK: Naval & Military Press Ltd., 1999. ISBN 1-84342-356-1.

Laffin, John. ''British VCs of World War 2: A Study in Heroism''. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited, 1997, ISBN 0-7509-1026-7.

Morris, Richard. ''Cheshire: The Biography of Leonard Cheshire, VC, OM''. London: Viking Press, 2000. ISBN 0-670-86736-7.

"Obituary for Prof. G.C. Cheshire." ''The Times'', 28 October 1978.

''The Register of the Victoria Cross''. London: ''This England'', 1997. ISBN 0-90632-427-0.

External links

Location of grave and VC medal ''(Suffolk)''

History of the Leonard Cheshire charity

Ryder Cheshire

Image of Cheshire's Medals

Sue Ryder of Cavendish - Richard North

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Category:1917 births Category:1992 deaths Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Category:British philanthropists Category:British World War II pilots Category:British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Cheshire, Leonard Cheshire, Baron Category:Deaths from motor neurone disease Category:English Roman Catholics Category:Members of the Order of Merit Category:Old Dragons Category:Old Stoics Category:People from Chester Category:People from Oxford Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Category:Roman Catholic activists Category:Royal Air Force officers Category:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Category:Royal Air Force recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order and two Bars Category:Founders of non-governmental organizations

sl:Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire