VIII.

Economy

Despite the industrial areas of north Cheshire, the county is still largely agricultural, and there is extensive dairy farming. Very little Cheshire cheese is still made by traditional farmhouse methods, the bulk being produced in factories. Fruit is also grown. Macclesfield was renowned for centuries as a centre of the silk-weaving industry, which was also carried on at Congleton. Silk mills still exist in Macclesfield, but output has declined at Congleton.

One of the oldest industries in Cheshire (and England) is salt-mining. Northwich, Nantwich, and Middlewich grew wealthy on salt, which is still mined today, supplying both the household market and the chemical industry. Crewe is one of Britain's most important railway junctions, and indeed can be considered a railway town, although it is also the site of factories producing engines for luxury cars. At Ellesmere Port there is a large oil refinery. The northern part of the county—including the two former Lancashire districts, Halton and Warrington, and the areas of Cheshire lost to Greater Manchester in 1974—was once a thriving area for the cotton industry. This has now largely been replaced by metal manufacturing in Warrington, and by chemical works in Halton, Warrington, Runcorn, and Widnes. While tourism is one of the main industries in Chester today, the city was once an important port until Liverpool took over this role in the 15th and 16th centuries.