Whitegate, Cheshire

:"For the towns in Ireland see, Whitegate, County Clare or Whitegate, County Cork."infobox UK place
map_type= Cheshire
latitude= 53.219988
longitude= -2.556943
official_name= Whitegate
population= 971
civil_parish= Whitegate and Marton
shire_district= Vale Royal
shire_county = Cheshire
region= North West England
country = England
constituency_westminster= Eddisbury
post_town= WINSFORD
postcode_district = CW8
postcode_area= CW
dial_code= 01606
os_grid_reference= SJ629693

Whitegate is a small village in Cheshire, England, located near the towns of Northwich and Winsford. It is situated in the civil parish of Whitegate and Marton.

At its centre is an ancient Anglican church. In 2001, the population of the civil parish was found to be 971. [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=792710&c=Whitegate&d=16&e=15&g=429380&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 2001 census details for the entire civil parish. Accessed May 2007.] ]

Nearby Vale Royal Abbey was once the largest Cistercian abbey church in Britain.

The Railway

Whitegate was once connected to the national rail network, although the station was some distance from the village centre.

The railway branched from the Chester to Manchester (via Northwich) line at Cuddington, with a single stop at Whitegate and terminated at Winsford and Over.

The line was principally used for freight to and from the numerous salt works in the Winsford area, although passenger services continued until the 1930s. The line was finally closed in the 1960s.

Whitegate Way

By the 1970s the course of the disused railway had been turned into a footpath and bridle way. It is now open from close to the original branch at Cuddington to the old Winsford and Over terminus near the River Weaver.

References

ee also

*St Mary's Church, Whitegate
*Vale Royal Abbey

External links

* [http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/OutandAbout/linear_trails/whitegate_way.htm Whitegate Way ]
* [http://www.valeroyal.gov.uk/ Official website of Vale Royal Borough Council]