From the earliest days salt was drawn from beneath the town of Middlewich making it one of the Cheshire Wiches. The town played an important role in the English Civil War and was the scene of the first and second battle of Middlewich. During this time Royalist troops occupied the church and many were slain. The very popular Middlewich Boat Festival draws people from far and wide each year to enjoy the music and festivities that take place on the canals and across the town. Whilst many towns have seen the local shops of long standing pushed to one side by large supermarkets, Holmes Chapel has bucked the trend and still boasts a number of very attractive and ancient family owned stores. So you are invited to visit these towns now separated by the mighty M6 motorway. View them as they once were and as they are now using this book as an aid.