FASCINATING images of the posters created to attract people to live in Warrington’s new town have been unearthed.

Historian Janice Hayes has included the pictures in her latest book, Warrington: From New Town to New City?.

It depicts the marketing material used to sell houses in the likes of Oakwood, Callands and Westbrook.

It is 50 years since the new town was first created in Warrington and an exhibition has also launched in Warrington Museum.

Thirty two new towns were created across the UK between 1947 and 1970 with Warrington’s designation partly to solve Manchester’s housing needs and Warrington’s post-war legacy of former military bases.

A total of 25,000 new homes were estimated to be needed in Warrington between 1969 and 1991.

One of the biggest initial developments was Birchwood where the population was predicted to rise from 442 in the 1970s to 16,500 by 1991.

Warrington Guardian:

Oakwood

Most of these homes were in the residential areas of Locking Stumps, Oakwood and Gorse Covert.

Janice writes: “Landscape played a major role in the overall development of Birchwood as dedicated landscaping teams replaced more conventional planting with a naturalistic style.

“The approach was seen as revolutionary and The Architects Journal of 1980s said ‘Warrington’s architects are breaking new ground in their attemps to work more closely with nature’.”

This included the created of Birchwood Forest Park and Risley Moss Country Park.

On the other side of town, Westbrook, Old Hall, Callands and Hood Manor were developed.

Warrington Guardian:

A model of Old Hall

One key move was said to be the construction of Great Sankey High School and the adjacent Sankey Forum in 1977.

This relieved the pressure on the nearby Penketh High School which was struggling to cope with the influx of new pupils from the new homes built in the 1970s.

  •  For more, see From New Town to New City? which is out now, priced £14.99.

Warrington Guardian:

Warrington Guardian: