CHESHIRE DIRECTORY
ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES Birkenhead Central Library
Borough Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 2XB
t 0151 606 2149 e birkenheadreflib@wirral.gov.uk
w wirral.gov.uk/libraries-and
archives/reference-libraries
The web page above has details of local-history collections that are available at the central library and across Wirral.
Cheshire Archives And Local Studies
Cheshire Record Office, Duke Street, Chester CH1 1RL
01244 972574 recordoffice@cheshireshared services.gov.uk cheshirearchives.org.uk
The archive is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and occasional Saturdays. Highlights include parish and nonconformist records, wills and probate, Poor Law material, electoral registers, tithe maps/apportionments, plus estate records and material relating to societies, businesses, schools, courts and institutions. There’s free access to Ancestry ( ancestry.co.uk) and Findmypast ( findmypast.co.uk) here too, and in libraries across Cheshire.
Chester History And Heritage
c/o Grosvenor Museum, 27 Grosvenor Street, Chester CH1 2DD
01244 972210 chh@cheshirewestandchester. gov.uk historyandheritage.west cheshiremuseums.co.uk
The local-history centre is currently closed – keep an eye on the website for a reopening date.
Halton Heritage
w library.haltonbc.info/
community-family-history
The two largest local-history collections for Halton are found in Halton Lea Library (covering mainly Runcorn) and Widnes Library. The ‘Halton Heritage Partnership Working Lives’ project has resulted in a searchable selection of images, documents and oral-history recordings relating to local companies: halton heritage. co.uk. Stockport Local Heritage Library
Wellington Road South, Stockport SK1 3RS
0161 474 4530 localheritagelibrary@ stockport.gov.uk tinyurl.com/stock-lib
Stockport is now within Greater Manchester, but historically much of the area lay within Cheshire.
Tameside Local Studies And Archives Centre
Cotton Street East, Ashtonunder-Lyne OL6 7BY t 0161 342 4242 w tinyurl.com/tame-local
Parts of Tameside west of the River Tame (Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw and Denton) once belonged to Lancashire, while those to the east (Dukinfield, Hyde and Stalybridge) were in historic Cheshire.
Trafford Local Studies Centre
Trafford Council, Ground Floor, Sale Waterside, Sale M33 7ZF
t 0161 912 3013 e trafflocals@trafford.gov.uk
w tinyurl.com/traff-local
Most of the borough’s area, including Altrincham and Sale, lies south of the River Mersey in the historic county of Cheshire.
Wirral Archives
Lower Ground Floor, Cheshire Lines Building, Canning Street, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 1ND
t 0151 606 2929 e archives@wirral.gov.uk
w tinyurl.com/wirral-archives
The service has records of courts, schools, hospitals, workhouses and shipbuilders Cammell Laird.
GROUPS AND SOCIETIES Cheshire Local History Association
tinyurl.com/cheshire-lha
This is the parent organisation for a number of local-history groups.
The Family History Society Of Cheshire
Rajar Building, Town Lane, Mobberley WA16 7ER 01565 872210
Floor 2, Municipal Building, Earle Street, Crewe CW1 2BJ t 01270 685699 w fhsc.org.uk
The society has several groups and runs two research centres at Mobberley and Crewe.
MUSEUMS Cheshire Military Museum
The Castle, Chester CH1 2DN 01244 327617 cheshiremilitarymuseum@ live.co.uk
cheshiremilitarymuseum.co.uk
Find out more about Cheshire’s soldiers back to the 17th century.
Lion Salt Works
Ollershaw Lane, Marston, Northwich CW9 6ES 01606 275066 w tinyurl.com/lion-salt
This restored historic open-pan salt-making site opened in 2015.
Macclesfield Museums
The Silk Museum and Paradise Mill, Park Lane, Macclesfield SK11 6TJ 01625 612045 bookings@silkmacclesfield.org.uk
macclesfieldmuseums.co.uk Discover the vital role of silk manufacture in Macclesfield.
Weaver Hall
162 London Road, Northwich CW9 8AB 01606 271640 weaverhalladmin@cheshire westandchester.gov.uk
tinyurl.com/weav-hall
Explore local history at the former Northwich Union Workhouse.
WEBSITES Ancestry
bit.ly/anc-chesh-reg Ancestry’s collections include ‘Cheshire, England, Parish Registers, 1538–1909’.
Findmypast
bit.ly/fmp-cheshire Findmypast’s Cheshire offering includes over 10 million records such as baptisms, marriages and deaths from the Diocese of Chester, as well as Catholic and nonconformist registers.