The Lion, the Wich and the Waller

The suffix -wich, in Northwich, Middlewich and Nantwich in mid-Cheshire (and Droitwich, Worcestershire) denotes a place where salt was produced. The map of the area is scattered with blue, denoting meres and flashes formed by land subsiding, sometimes quite suddenly. The cause? Underground streams dissolving the underlying rock salt, which had already been hollowed out by salt mining or brine pumping.

Near Marston Flash stands the Lion Salt Works (LSW). It was opened in 1894 by Henry Ingram Thompson and named after the Red Lion Inn, on whose land it stood. Henry’s father and grandfather had operated the Alliance Salt Works on adjacent land since 1856. LSW continued production until 1986, becoming the last open-pan salt producer in the UK.

Recognising its historic importance, Vale Royal Borough Council purchased the site, intending to restore it as an industrial museum. The Lion Salt Works Trust, set up in 1993, succeeded in securing grants to fund the £8 million project. This historic site, designated a Scheduled Monument, is now reborn as a heritage attraction and educational resource. 

Mike Tingle explores the history of the Lion Salt Works.