JANICE Hayes, that indefatigable chronicler of Warrington’s history has again been delving into the archives to produce another fascinating collection of facts and figures about the town.
“A to Z of Warrington” (Amberley Publishing, £14.99) is, by its very nature, a collection of interesting snippets rather than a comprehensive history. But it is none the worse for that and contains many gems that will be new to most people.
Some letters of the alphabet have many people and places clamouring for inclusion: A for Academy; B for Boteler; G for Golden Gates, etc.
But what about X, Y and Z?
Well, Z is for Zoology and Ms Hayes goes back to the 18th century to find local people who were distinguished figures in the field.
X is for the cross you put on your ballot paper – and reveals that Warrington’s first Parliamentary election was in 1832, when only 379 people out of a population of around 7,000 were allowed to vote.
Y, with some author’s licence, is for You’ll Never Believe It!
This sections deals with some of Warrington’s record breakers – Old Billy, believed to be the world’s oldest horse at 62 and the Sankey-St Helens Canal (cut in 1755-57) the oldest commercial canal in the country.
A dinosaur, entertainment, villains, heroes, sport, tragedies…all feature in this 96-page book.
Various characters are there, ranging from Oliver Cromwell and Ossie Clark to Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Glen Miller, who gave his last live concert at the Burtonwood Base.
Readers will doubtless find omissions they feel should have been included.
Warrington Worldwide gets a mention under the letter J for journalism!
For them, the book offers a solution: Try to compile your own A to Z of Warrington!
But the book now for yourself or family or friends by clicking the link below.
