Penketh

For rugby player, see A.P. Penketh.

Penketh
The Ferry Tavern public house, Penketh
Penketh  Penketh shown within Cheshire
Population	8,699 (2001)
OS grid reference	SJ595891
Civil parish	Penketh
Unitary authority	Warrington
Ceremonial county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Warrington
Postcode district	WA5
Dialling code	01925
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Warrington South
List of places UK England Cheshire

Penketh is a civil parish and suburb of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Warrington town centre. It has a population of 8,699.

The name is derived from two Brythonic words: *penno- (head) and *kēto- (trees) (Welsh pen coed); suggesting that the parish, at one time was on the outskirts of a forest. The emblem/badge of Penketh is three kingfishers.

History

Penketh was originally part of Prescot parish but became a chapelry and then a separate parish. It grew due to the crossing over the Mersey at Fiddlers Ferry and the building of the Sankey Canal. The area was mainly rural and agricultural until well into the 20th century, though a tannery and boatyard were established in the 19th century.

The last 50 years has seen the area transformed into a large residential suburb.

Government

Historically within Lancashire, the parish has a Parish Council and is a ward of Warrington Borough. It is in Warrington South constituency of the United Kingdom Parliament. Until the major local government reorganisation of 1974, Penketh was part of Warrington Rural District.

Industry

The former tannery and boatyard were the only major industries in Penketh. Fiddlers Ferry Power Station dominates Penketh, though it is in Cuerdley parish.

Churches

There is a parish church (St Paul's, Church of England), and a Catholic church (St Joseph's). There is a strong nonconformist tradition as exemplified by the Methodist chapel in Chapel Road. The Quakers were well represented at one time; the Meeting House was the present village hall on Meeting Lane.

Schools

The secondary school is Penketh High School which is now a Specialist School in Media and the Arts. The primary schools in the area are Penketh Community Primary School (a feeder school for Penketh High School), Penketh South Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and St Vincent's Catholic Primary School.

Pubs

Pubs in the area include the Ferry Tavern, the Crown & Cushion, the Sportsman's Arms and the Red Lion

Transport

Railway stations in the area include local services from Sankey for Penketh on the Liverpool to Manchester Line (with express services along this route available from Warrington Central), as well as Warrington Bank Quay on the West Coast Main Line. Frequent buses link Penketh with Warrington town centre: it is the terminus for Warrington Borough Transport buses (routes 30, 30B, 31 and 32A), and the north of Penketh is also served by Warrington Borough Transport routes 14 and 15. Arriva inter-urban services also serve the main road through Penketh, heading towards Widnes and Runcorn (route 110) and to Huyton and Liverpool (route 7). Penketh is on the A562 road linking Warrington with the Silver Jubilee Bridge. The nearest airports are Liverpool and Manchester.

Demographics

• 7,340 residents
• 2,993 households
• 29.4% of all residents have no qualifications (approximately 2,158 residents)
• 2.06% are unemployed (approximately 154 residents)

Race and gender

• 48% males to 52% females
• 98.3% are of white race
• 0.6% are of mixed origin
• 0.7% are of Asian origin
• 0.1% are of black race
• 0.4% are of "other" race

Housing demographics

• 92.0% Owner occupied
• 3.7% are council accommodation
• 0.4% are rented from a housing association
• 2.0% are private rentals
• 1.3% are rentals from other sources
• 0.6% are undisclosed

See also

• Listed buildings in Penketh

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons