Last Updated : 25 May 2012

The important Merseyside town of Warrington has a long history and had strategic significance due to having the first bridge over the River Mersey from the west. Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby provided the first stone bridge over the river in 1495 which lasted until the early 19th century. Oliver Cromwell was in Church Street in 1648 after a battle and his statue stands just a few metres away from the River Mersey.