24 Hours In Stockton Heath

Should it not be separated from sprawling Warrington by the Manchester Ship Canal, Stockton Heath may well be in danger of being reduced to little more than a desirable suburb.

- Helen Carter 

But the rusting swing bridge, which halts the traffic as it yields for large ships that can’t squeeze beneath it, also serves to – symbolically at least – keep Stockton Heath as a little jewel of an enclave. Bigger than a village, smaller than your average town, it has transformed over the last decade into a modern high street in microcosm with the kind of functional shops that serve locals, sitting alongside the bars, boutiques and cafés that make a visit from further afield worthwhile. Distinctly Cheshire with grand Victorian architecture dotted throughout the centre and suburban streets beyond, red bricks glowing as they catch the low winter sunlight, it’s a pretty, pleasant and increasingly popular place to be.

IN THE MORNING