Northwich has been an important settlement since at least Roman times.

The salt beds of Cheshire deserve more than a quick mention as it is here in Northwich and the surrounding areas that the prosperity of the town was based in those far off days.

During Roman times Northwich was known as Condate or the Confluence (of the Dane and the Weaver), and later by the Celtic name Heledd Dhu or the black salt town by the Ancient Britons.

Throughout these periods salt was dug out of the earth. Over the years mines were dug and later abandoned, two other towns had an abundance of salt beneath the ground and with Northwich become known as the three Wiches or Wyches of Cheshire, Northwich, Nantwich and the one between the two, Middlewich.

Much is known of the subsidences in Northwich when wild brine was pumped, or water pumped down to become saturated with brine and recovered.  

The last of these mines is now an excellent museum celebrating Northwich’s salty history.

The Lion Salt Works at Marston was the last open pan salt works in England; even I can remember visiting when it was a working mine! It did not close until 1986 and after spending time abandoned it was brought back to life as the museum.

The photo showing the open pan system of salt extraction is not the best quality, but it is extremely old. It shows the brine that has been pumped up from underground into a salt pan. Below is the furnace that heats the pan to boil off the brine leaving white salt.

Through the ages collecting the white salt has changed from loose through to the conical moulds known as salt skips made from bamboo, later wooden moulds as can be seen in the photos.

It was the extraction of brine that caused chasms beneath the ground that caused the spectacular subsidences, one as seen here.

Paul has a Facebook group titled Northwich and Mid Cheshire Through Time