About Nantwich

History, music, shops and a wealth of fine food and drink

Nantwich is a small market town in the heart of rural Cheshire, England.
Despite the obvious Tudor influence the town can easily trace its history back to the time of the Romans. There's even evidence of a Bronze Age presence where settlers first identified and understood the importance of the natural Brine Springs that follow the town's river; the River Weaver.

In the centuries that followed armies from all corners battled against disease, fire and even earthquakes to establish their mark on the town. The Nantwich of today stands as a monument to those defining moments from the past with many of the scars and triumphs still very much in evidence.

As you walk the town taking in its numerous Cafés, Restaurants, Shops and Bars you feel a tremendous sense of the past as you walk amongst the ghosts of centuries gone by. Largely destroyed by fire on more than one occasion much of the town stands as a triumph of Elizabethan workmanship. Elsewhere you find a more ancient existence as you follow the river from the towns original settlement by the bridge at Welsh Row towards the Brine Baths at Snow Hill. You can still bathe in the brine laden waters that gave birth to the town.

Key buildings and locations in Nantwich

Churche's Mansion

This remarkable property, built in 1577 and escaping the great fire of Nantwich in 1583, is one of the oldest buildings in Cheshire...
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Nantwich through the ages

In the beginning

In the past Nantwich was a very different place. The oldest recorded name in the area is the Celtic 'Weaver' meaning 'winding' so a long time ago there was just the shallow, meandering river lined with reeds and surrounded by marshes...
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Salt in Nantwich

At first salt making or 'walling', from the Anglo-Saxon word 'weallan' meaning 'to boil', was carried out as near as possible to the main brine spring.
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Medieval Nantwich

Whether Nantwich was a planned borough or grew up haphazardly near William Malbank's castle will probably never be established, but the town developed successfully.
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Tudor Nantwich

We often look back fondly to Tudor times as representing the best of 'Olde Englande' but this was rather far from the actual reality.
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The Battle of Nantwich (Civil War)

It is hard to imagine that in the 17th century there was a bitter Civil War fought in Britain between King Charles I and the people of the opposition to his policies.
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Guided Tours of Nantwich

Click for information on guided tours of Nantwich.

With special thanks to Jane Stevenson and Nantwich Museum who very kindly offered much of this work and plenty of assistance in assembling these pages. Buy Jane's book Nantwich A Brief History and Guide from Nantwich Museum, The Nantwich Bookshop or directly from Amazon.

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