Warrington Civic Society to relaunch with new blood

WARRINGTON Civic Society is set to relaunch with new blood following an initial meeting to gauge interest in the town.
The event at Fairfield and Howley Community Hub was organised by local resident John Shipley, who moved to Warrington from Scarborough just over two years ago.
He said: “Warrington has lost too many of its historic and iconic buildings over the years and those that remain deserve a strong preservation effort.
“With many new developments proposed it is also important that these are of a high standard, enhancing the built environment of our town.”
At he meeting he outlined various buildings which have been lost since 1968 which include Arpley Station, Bold Street Methodist Church, the Old Market Hall, the Centenary Theatre on Winwick Road and the theatre on old Scotland Road and more recently the Old Grammar School and Mr Smith’s/The Ritz Cinema.
“When you see what has been lost it is worth fighting for what we have got left.”
He outlined successes in the town including the recently refurbished Grappenhall Walled Gardens at Grappenhall Heys, which had now become a successful visitor attraction.
Warrington Civic Society was originally formed in 1961 and is still a registered charity but became inactive a few years ago.
Existing members James Gibson, Harry Wells, Louise Doughton and Ian Smith attended the event to show their support.
James said: “A lot of Warrington was lost in the 1960s when conservation laws were weak.
“Concerns for our heritage took off in the 1970s and the biggest impact was the Warrington New Town, when three-quarters of our town was lost.
“It is hard to believe that in the 1950s Warrington was described as a fine example of a Georgian town.”
Any one interested in getting involved with the new look civic society and would like to attend the next meeting email John Shipley at [email protected]

Mr Smith’s -The most recent building of interest to be lost.