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Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a palatine county in North West England. Its county town is the city of Chester. It is one of the most affluent counties in England, with numerous rural towns and villages. It borders the ceremonial counties of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire (with Stoke-on-Trent), and Shropshire. It also borders the unitary authorities of Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales.

Some northern parts of the county are effectively suburbs of Manchester or Liverpool, and many of those who work in these cities commute from other parts of the county.

Cheshire's largest town is Warrington — although half of the town lying to the north of the River Mersey it is traditionally part of Lancashire. The administrative centre for Cheshire is Chester, the historical county town. Other important towns in Cheshire are: Northwich, Crewe, Wilmslow, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield, Runcorn and Widnes. Warrington and Halton (including Widnes and Runcorn) are unitary authorities, and one of Cheshire's up and coming towns Winsford. Cheshire in the Domesday Book was recorded as a much larger county than it is today. Its northern border was the River Ribble, and it was recorded with eighteen hundreds, six of which were north of the River Mersey.

In 1182 the land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county of Lancashire instead. Later, the hundreds of Atiscross and Exestan became part of Wales. Over the years the ten hundreds consolidated to just seven — Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich, and Wirral.

In a local government reform in 1974, some areas near the border with Lancashire became part of the new metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, notably Stockport, and much of the Wirral Peninsula was also lost, as was the North-Eastern tip, comprising the areas of Woodhead and Tintwistle, which transferred into Derbyshire. Also at this time, Cheshire gained Warrington and the surrounding district from Lancashire, as well as Widnes.

Halton and Warrington became unitary authorities independent of Cheshire on April 1, 1998, but remain part of the county for ceremonial purposes, as well as fire and policing. A referendum for a further local government reform connected with a regional assembly was planned for 2004, but was abandoned.

Places of interest

Adlington Hall

Anderton Boat Lift

Arley Hall

Beeston Castle

Biddulph Valley Way, a long distance footpath

Capesthorne Hall

Cholmondley Castle

Dunham Massey

Ellesmere Port Boat Museum

Elton Hall, Aldford

Gawsworth Hall

Holt Castle

Jodrell Bank Science Centre

Lion Salt Works, Marston, an industrial museum

Little Moreton Hall

Lyme Hall, Lyme Park, one of the locations for BBC's Pride and Prejudice

Macclesfield Canal

Macclesfield Forest

Moss Hall, Audlem

Ness Botanic Gardens 

Parkgate

Peckforton Castle

Peover Hall

Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, an industrial museum

River Weaver, River Dee, River Dane, River Bollin, River Goyt, River Gowy

Sandbach Crosses

Shropshire Union Canal

Swettenham Meadows

Tabley House

Tatton Hall, Tatton Park

Tegg's Nose Country Park

Trent and Mersey Canal

Watermills: Bunbury Mill, Nether Alderley Mill, Quarry Bank Mill, Stretton Mill