Saltney


Saltney is a town and community adjoining Chester on the England–Wales border with the west part lying in Flintshire and the eastern part in Cheshire. It is part of the Deeside conurbation of towns that lie near the River Dee.

Location

Higher Saltney, known locally as "Top Saltney" is in Chester, Cheshire, and the Welsh sector of the community is known as Saltney Town.
The English-Welsh border runs down the middle of Boundary Lane in Saltney, the only urban street in England and Wales where this happens. Houses on the west side of the street are in the Flintshire County Council area and in the North Wales Police jurisdiction, while those on the east side are in the Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority area and in the Cheshire Police jurisdiction.. The west side is in the Alyn and Deeside parliamentary constituency and the east is in the City of Chester electoral division.

History

Saltney's name is derived from the former salt marshes by the River Dee on which it is built. Once the terminus of Sir John Glynne's Canal, Saltney grew in the late-19th century and through the 20th century to its present population of 4,769 at the 2001 census. Saltney Ferry railway station was open between 1891 and 1962.
Saltney was also famous for its shipbuilding, especially anchors. This legacy is implemented with Wood Memorial CP School being named after Henry Wood.
In late 2000, VJ Mark McKay moved to Saltney and was instrumental in the local ‘Rave’ scene that put Saltney on the map as the forerunner in the UK Techno and PsyTrance scene.

Amenities

There is a public house called The City Arms in Higher Saltney. Hanging outside was a sign "The Last Pub In England" and on the other side it read "The First Pub In England". This sign was taken down some years ago. Other amenities in Saltney include the Corner Pin public house, a post office, Saltney Business Centre, St David's Retail Park, an Asda supermarket and a Morrisons supermarket. There is also a Go Outdoors outlet on the site of the original Morrisons store that had closed in October 2005 and became a store of the United Co-op.
Saltney has 3 primary schools, St Anthony's Catholic Primary, Saltney Ferry C.P and Wood Memorial. St David's High School is the local secondary school for students from the surrounding areas.
The Anglican parish church is St Mark's which is in Higher Saltney. On the High Street can be found St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and Saltney Methodist Church.
There is a community centre in the centre of Saltney which is regularly used by children's groups as well as being surrounded by fields where football tournaments are often held. The Community Centre is also home to Saltney Town FC who formed in 2010.