Penketh

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.3874
longitude= -2.6561
official_name= Penketh
map_type= Cheshire
population = 7,340 (2001)
unitary_england= Warrington
lieutenancy_england= Cheshire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Warrington South
post_town= Warrington
postcode_district = WA5
postcode_area= WA
dial_code= 01925
os_grid_reference= SJ595891

Penketh is a civil parish of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is about 2 miles to the West of Warrington town centre towards Widnes. The emblem/badge of Penketh is 3 Kingfishers.

History

Penketh was originally part of Prescot parish but became a chapelry and then a separate parish. It grew due to the crossing over the Mersey at Fiddlers Ferry and the building of the Sankey Canal. The area was mainly rural and agricultural until well into the 20th century, though a tannery and shipyard were established in the 19th century.

The last 50 years has seen the area transformed into a large residential suburb.

It's also the birth place of the Warrington band Man With the Axeman

Government

The parish has a Parish Council and is a ward of Warrington Borough. It is in Warrington South constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament.Until the major local government reorganisation of 1974,Penketh was part of Warrington Rural district and the old Lancashire County Council.

Industry

The former tannery and shipyard were the only major industries in Penketh. Fiddler's Ferry power station dominates Penketh though it is in Cuerdley parish.

Churches

There is a parish church (St Paul's, Church of England), and a Catholic church (St Joseph's).There is a strong non-conformist tradition as exemplified by the Methodist chapel in Chapel Road. The Quakers were well represented at one time; the Meeting House was the present village hall on Meeting Lane.

chools

The secondary school is Penketh High School [http://www.penkethhigh.com] which is now a Specialist School in Media and The Arts. There are a number of primary schools.

Pubs

Pubs in the area include The Ferry Tavern, The Crown & Cushion, The Sportsman's Arms and The Red Lion.

Transport

Railway stations in the area include local services from Sankey for Penketh on the Liverpool to Manchester Line (with express services along this route available from Warrington Central), as well as Warrington Bank Quay on the West Coast Main Line. Frequent buses link Penketh with Warrington town centre: it is the terminus for Warrington Borough Transport buses (routes 30, 30A, B30,31, 32, with service 33 having been in operation until recently) and is also served by Warrington Borough Transport buses (routes 14 and 15) and Arriva inter-urban services to Widnes and Runcorn (route 110) as well as to Huyton and Liverpool (routes 6, 6A and H5). Penketh is on the A562 road linking Warrington with the Silver Jubilee Bridge. The nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport.

Demographics

*7340 residents
*2993 households
*29.4% of all residents have no qualifications (approximately 2158 residents)
*2.04% are unemployed (approximately 150 residents)

Race and Gender

*48% Males to 52% Females
*98.3% are of white race
*0.6% are of mixed origin
*0.7% are of Asian origin
*0.01% are of black race
*0.333339% are of "other" race

Housing demographics

*92.0% Owner occupied
*3.7% are council accommodation
*0.4% are rented from a housing association
*2.0% are private rentals
*1.3% are rentals from other sources
*0.6% are undisclosed