Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port, town and district, Cheshire, north-western England. Located on the estuary of the River Mersey, Ellesmere Port lies at the junction of the Manchester Ship Canal and the Shropshire Union Canal on the opposite side of the Mersey to Liverpool. It lies about 50 km (30 mi) south-west of Manchester and 11 km (7 mi) north of Chester. The district covers an area of about 825 sq km (320 sq mi) and industries in the area include oil- and chemical-refining, and motor-vehicle manufacturing.

Development in the Ellesmere Port area began after the construction of the Ellesmere Canal in 1795, but it did not emerge as a major industrial location until after the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894. The town has a boat museum on the Shropshire Union Canal and among its exhibits is a large collection of canal boats. Population (1991) 64,504.