Why Live in Winsford?
When you’re looking for your dream home it helps to know more about the area you’ll be living in, so here’s everything you need to know about Winsford.
Winsford is a thriving town located right at the heart of Cheshire and enjoys the best of both worlds: a beautiful rural location and close to three major cities, being just 17 miles away from Chester and around 30 miles from both Manchester and Liverpool.
With a population of around 33,000, Winsford is a busy and thriving town and is known for a real sense of community with warm and friendly residents who often choose to live in the town for life.
Winsford's History
Like many mid-Cheshire towns, Winsford grew up around the salt mining industry and its legacy can be seen in one of the area’s most famous attractions, the three lakes known as the Flashes that run alongside the River Weaver, which was used to transport the salt to nearby Northwich and on to Liverpool for export.
Winsford itself began life as two separate areas, Over and Wharton, which grew up either side of the Weaver and date back to pre-Doomsday Book times. They were united as Winsford as relatively recently as 1894 when salt mining was at its peak.
The boom and bust of the salt trade meant that this area saw unemployment and decline in the first part of the 20th Century but the last few decades have seen it booming again.
This is largely thanks to the development of the town centre, college campus, lifestyle centre, community spirit as well as investment in local business opportunities and the green spaces around the town that form part of the Mersey Forest.
Travelling & Commuting to Winsford
Being so near to major cities means that Winsford is also well placed for transport links, being close to both the M6 and M56 motorways. The town’s railway station, which dates back to 1837, is less than two miles away from Weavers Meadows and is on the West Coast Mainline route. The station has hourly direct connections to Liverpool Lime Street and Birmingham New Street and Manchester via Crewe.
Education and Employment
Winsford has plenty of options for schools, with Winsford High Street Primary School, Darnhall Primary School, Willow Wood Primary, Wharton Primary (these last two are very close to Weaver Meadows) for younger children, while The Winsford Academy has had a lot of investment in recent years as has the town’s high school: all have good reputations.
Winsford’s location and transport links make commuting to Manchester, Birmingham, Chester and Liverpool easy, but along with the surrounding towns and villages is a thriving centre for employment itself. Cheshire Fire Service, the Cheshire Police and Vale Royal Borough Council are all based in the town.
Out and About
You can find great food and drink on offer in Winsford’s many restaurants, cafes and bars. There’s traditional country pubs like The Red Lion and the Brighton Belle, great chippies like The Corner Fish and Chip Shop and Foodcraft, and top Indian cuisine from Bombay Tea Lounge, Millennium Balti and Balti Cottage, while you can take afternoon tea in style at the adorable and quirky Cosy Tea Room.
When it comes to shopping, again Winsford has a lot going on, and you’ll find a good range of large chains and independents. The town also has a regular market on a Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The shopping meccas of the Trafford Centre and Cheshire Oaks are both just a short distance away.
And it's not just Winsford's offerings you'll have on your doorstep. There's a handful of towns and villages within a 10 minute drive too including Church Minshull, Hartford, Little Budworth, Sandiway & Whitegate to name just a few.
Exploring and Leisure
Winsford is a wonderful place to explore - a multitude of cycle tracks and hiking routes criss-cross the surrounding area and the town itself. Winsford Lifestyle Centre opened just over ten years ago and features a 25-metre swimming pool, learner pool, sauna, steam room and spa pool, as well as a 48-station fitness suite, two squash courts, a dance studio and a multi-purpose hall for basketball, badminton and five-a-side football.
The Flashes –Top Flash, Middle Flash and Bottom Flash – are a huge part of what makes Winsford a great place to live. Each has its own charm and purpose, with Bottom Flash the biggest and used for sailing, with Winsford Flash Sailing Club based there.
Both Bottom and Top Flash are also popular for fishing, while all three make for beautiful natural places for a walk, with the Weaver Way footpath – which runs from Frodsham to Audlem - going through this area.
There’s also the Whitegate Way, an old railway line that used to see trains carrying salt to Cuddington en route to Manchester and Chester. They’re long gone now, so the line has been taken over my nature and is a great place to go for a walk or cycle, with great views across the Cheshire countryside.
The Winsford 10k race takes place each year around the town.
Introducing Weaver Meadows
Weaver Meadows is our new development of stunning family homes, set within the idyllic Cheshire Broads in Winsford. These generously proportioned new-build houses have everything you need for the best start in your new home.
Each property has been built with modern families in mind. Stylish lounges and spacious dining areas provide spaces for parents and kids to interact and relax, while additional cloakrooms and separate utility rooms make housework simple and contained. And with a wealth of storage space, your home will never feel cluttered.
- Find out more: Weaver Meadows - New-build homes in Winsford
