pre-1887
Before the Gift
The land that became Verdin Park had a prior life as a private estate. Understanding its pre-gift history explains the legal foundation of everything that followed.
Winnington Bank House Built
A house of cream ashlar, with symmetrical windows and a central door with a radial fanlight, was built at the top of Winnington Hill, facing east over the Weaver valley. It was known as Winnington Bank House — a refined Georgian residence set in extensive private grounds that would later become the park.
The Tithe Map — Two Families, One Estate
The Cheshire Tithe Map (EDT 436/2) records the ownership of the land that would become Verdin Park. Thomas J B Hostage — a local lawyer and clerk to the Trustees of the River Weaver — owned Winnington Bank House and its grounds as plot 59, plus two smaller plots fronting Winnington Street.
The Newman family owned the adjoining field to the west (plot numbers 64 and 65). That western field would later be purchased by Joseph Verdin in 1888 to complete the full 14-acre park.
View the maps1850 Tithe Map (EDT 436/2) — ownership colour-coding. The Hostage estate (plot 59) and the Newman field are the two parcels that would combine to form Verdin Park.
The Railway Opens
The Winnington branch railway was constructed along the western edge of the Winnington Bank estate, forming what would become the western boundary of Verdin Park for the next century.
The Salt Empire at its Peak
By the 1880s, Joseph Verdin & Sons had become the largest salt manufacturing business in the United Kingdom — employing over 1,000 people across Cheshire and producing hundreds of thousands of tons of salt each year. The wealth generated by the salt industry, and the civic obligation the Verdins felt towards the communities it employed, would fund one of Northwich's greatest philanthropic gifts.
Winnington Bank Auctioned — Robert Verdin Purchases
Following the death of Thomas Hostage, the Winnington Bank estate was auctioned as lots 26–29, described as suited for 'a Hydropathic Establishment similar to the Brine Baths now in operation in Nantwich.' Robert Verdin — local businessman, salt magnate, and Member of Parliament for Northwich — purchased the estate at auction.
Three years later he would announce his intention to give the entire estate to the people of the town.
1887–1890
The Victorian Gift
In 1887, Robert Verdin made one of the most significant philanthropic gifts in Northwich's history — a unified gift of an entire estate, creating the park, the infirmary, and the baths in a single act. The legal instruments created that year still bind the land today.
Robert Verdin Announces the Gift
At a public meeting, Robert Verdin announced his intention to give the entire Winnington Bank estate to the people of Northwich — the house to become a public infirmary, the grounds to become a public park and brine baths. A single, unified philanthropic gift of the whole 14-acre estate.
The Gift Deed — and the Covenant That Still Binds the Land
The original deed of gift was executed on 31 March 1887 — three months before the park officially opened. It contained a restrictive covenant that has bound every subsequent owner of the land for nearly 140 years.
Every deed that has passed through the property since — in 1935, 1949, and through to the Land Registry registration in 2009 — has explicitly carried this covenant forward. The Land Registry confirmed in 2009 that covenants imposed before 4 February 2009 remain 'still subsisting and capable of being enforced.'
“to maintain and keep the said land in good order and condition as a place for public recreation and not, without consent, to erect any cottage or dwelling house or other building whatsoever except such as shall be required for the purposes of the said recreation ground.”
The 1887 Verdin Covenant — as preserved in every subsequent deed
The Robert Verdin memorial statue — erected by public subscription after his death. The covenant he created to protect the park remains enforceable today.
Robert Verdin Dies, Aged 51
Robert Verdin died at the age of 51, weeks before the public opening of the park, infirmary and baths he had gifted to the town. He did not live to see the celebrations. His name became permanently associated with the philanthropy that created them.
Official Opening — The Park, the Infirmary, the Baths
Verdin Park, the Victoria Infirmary, and the Verdin Baths were officially opened on 12 October 1887 by Lord and Lady Stanley. The park's landscape was designed and planted by Messrs F & A Dickson & Sons of Chester.
On the same day, Joseph Verdin and William Henry Verdin executed the formal 999-year lease to the Northwich Local Board — the legal instrument that transferred possession of the park.
Read about the Baths"Verdin Monument and Baths, Northwich" — an Edwardian postcard (Valentines Series) showing the baths and the Verdin memorial as they appeared in the park's early years.
Joseph Verdin Buys the Neumann Field
Joseph Verdin purchased the adjoining Neumann field — 1 acre, 1 rood, 10 perches — from Henry Newmann and Brunner Mond & Company for £300, having covenanted to convey this additional land to the Local Board to complete the full 14-acre extent of the park.
Neumann Field Leased — on the Same Trusts
Joseph Verdin leased the additional field to the Northwich Local Board on a 999-year peppercorn lease, explicitly 'for the purpose of providing and maintaining a public recreation ground for the inhabitants of Northwich and its neighbourhood' — subject to the same trusts, intentions and conditions as the original gift.
This deed completed the 14-acre estate. A contemporary newspaper reported: 'Mr Verdin bought from Mr Neumann the adjoining field, which added to his previous purchase, and the full extent of the property is now 14 acres.'
Robert Verdin Memorial Statue Unveiled
The memorial statue of Robert Verdin was unveiled at the centre of the park — funded by public subscription, a mark of Northwich's gratitude. The ceremony coincided with a swimming gala at the baths, including a display by Mrs R M Whitehead, 'champion lady swimmer of the world.'
The Robert Verdin memorial, erected by public subscription at the centre of the park. It remains one of the park's most recognisable features.
The Bandstand — Built to Survive the Ground Itself
An octagonal Victorian kiosk of Ruabon red tiles was constructed at the top of the upper lawn — a gift from Joseph Verdin of The Brockhurst, designed by James Holland and built by Rylance & Taylor of Witton Street. Unusually, it was engineered to be raised on screw jacks, specifically to withstand the Northwich ground subsidence that had already caused problems across the town.
The bandstand stood for eighty years. The 1908, 1954, 1961 and 1970 Ordnance Survey maps all show it in place.
The full bandstand storyThe upper lawn area where the bandstand stood from c.1890 until its demolition in the early 1970s. The concrete foundation slab remains beneath the grass.
Verdin Swimming Club
The Verdin Swimming Club was formed at the baths in 1888. In April 1889 it became a founder member of the Northern Counties Amateur Swimming Association — an early indication of the baths' standing in regional aquatic sport.
1900–1969
A Century of Community Life
For sixty years after the gift, the park remained intact. It served successive generations of Northwich residents through industrial change, two world wars, and the post-war transformation of the NHS. In this period, a series of legal transactions preserved and reaffirmed the 1887 covenant every time the property changed hands.
The Baths at Their Peak
A new wing was added to the Victoria Infirmary in 1902. The Verdin Baths were extended and enhanced in 1903, with a terracotta relief panel added by craftsman Jabez Thompson. By 1904 the Council was actively promoting the therapeutic benefits of the brine waters to visitors.
Catastrophic Subsidence — The Baths are Doomed
On Boxing Day 1908, a 29-foot cavity opened in the ground directly in front of the baths. Two trees fell into it. The superintendent evacuated his family from the on-site accommodation. The catastrophic ground movement was caused by brine extraction — the same industry that had funded the park's creation.
The 1908 Ordnance Survey map, published the same year, shows the baths and bandstand both clearly marked in the park — a record of the park at its original full extent, just before the subsidence that would seal the baths' fate.
View all OS mapsThe 1908 OS map — published the year of the catastrophic subsidence. Both the baths and bandstand are clearly marked. This is the definitive record of the park at its original full extent.
The Baths Close — and are Demolished
The Verdin Baths were closed permanently in 1911 following the subsidence. The Verdin Swimming Club was dissolved. Demolition tenders were issued in August 1912. The lower lawn of the park today occupies the area where the baths stood.
The full baths story
The Freehold Passes to the Council — for £5
The Verdin trustees — Richard Norman Harrison Verdin and Alison Mackie Verdin — conveyed the freehold reversion of the park land to the Urban District Council of Northwich for a consideration of five pounds. The nominal price reflects the trust character of the transaction: this was not a commercial sale but an administrative completion of the philanthropic gift.
The deed explicitly preserved the 1887 Verdin covenant: the council acquired the land 'subject to the covenant contained in an Indenture dated the Thirty first day of March one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven.' The Council did not receive the park as a free asset to use as it wished. It received it as a trustee, bound by the original terms of the gift.
The park as it has appeared for over 130 years. The £5 freehold transfer of 1935 was an administrative act, not a commercial purchase — the 1887 covenant was explicitly preserved.
The Park Through the Second World War
During the war years, sandbags were filled at the bandstand and piled around it to protect the Infirmary windows from bomb blast. The park continued to serve the community throughout the conflict — one of the few constant features of a town that was changing in every other respect.
Castle Hill Farm Purchased
The Urban District Council purchased approximately 4.35 acres of Castle Hill Farm, adjacent to the southern edge of the park, from the executors of Lucy Verdin Stabb for £394 15s 3d. Unlike the 1887/1889 Verdin gifts, this was a commercial purchase. The land became part of the park's southern extension and now forms the Queensgate/Castle Hill section.
Salt Compensation Board Conveyance
A previously unknown conveyance transferred the south-eastern section of the park from the Northwich Salt Compensation Board to the Council. This section carries its own restrictive covenants, recorded as a separate burden on the Land Registry title (CH583585, C Register Entry 4).
The Infirmary Joins the NHS
The Victoria Infirmary was nationalised as part of the creation of the National Health Service — moving from its origins as a private philanthropic institution into state management. The park remained under Council ownership, separate from the hospital from this point.
The Hitchen Land Exchange — Covenant Affirmed Again
A boundary rationalisation on the Castle Street edge of the park: a small plot was exchanged with local motor engineer William Cooke Hitchen. The agreement and completion deed both explicitly carried forward the 1887 covenant — the Council providing full indemnity against breach.
By 1949, the 1887 covenant had been explicitly affirmed in three separate transactions (1935, February 1949, May 1949). The Council had three times acknowledged in writing that the covenant remained valid and binding on all successors.
Gateway Licence — British Transport Commission
A licence (not a conveyance) allowed the British Transport Commission access through the park boundary fence to a transformer hut on railway land. Annual fee: one shilling. Terminable on three months' notice. The Council retained full control of the boundary and the land was not affected.
OS Maps — Over Sixty Years of Continuity
The 1954 and 1961 Ordnance Survey maps both show the park boundary and bandstand fully intact — just as they appeared in the 1908 survey. Over sixty years after the original gift, the park remained unchanged. No encroachment. No reduction.
View the 1954 and 1961 maps1970–1983
The Lost Decade
Between 1970 and 1983, the western strip of the original 14-acre Verdin gift was occupied by the hospital, the Victorian bandstand was demolished, and a car park was built on park land. The legal authority for these actions remains disputed.
The Last Complete Map
The 1970 Ordnance Survey is the last map to show Verdin Park as originally gifted — with the bandstand marked in place and the western boundary intact, running the full length of the railway. In the two to three years following this survey, everything would change.
Compare all OS mapsThe 1970 OS map — the last record of the park as originally gifted. Both the bandstand and the western boundary are intact. The next aerial photograph shows the car park already under construction.
The Land-Take — the Bandstand is Demolished
In the early 1970s, the Victoria Infirmary extended its boundary to the railway line. The Victorian bandstand was demolished. The western strip of the park — land that was part of the original 1887 Verdin gift — was converted into a hospital car park.
The Cheshire Gardens Trust confirmed in its 2021 research report: 'The area occupied by the kitchen garden and then developed as bowling greens and tennis courts has been totally developed with additional infirmary facilities and car parking.' No legal authority for this occupation has been found. The physical trespass preceded any formal instrument by approximately a decade.
What was lost in this period: the Victorian bandstand; the kitchen garden of Winnington Bank House; the bowling greens and tennis courts; the park's original western boundary — all part of the original 14-acre Verdin gift.
The c.1973 aerial photograph — the pivotal document. The hospital boundary has already been extended to the railway. A car park is under construction on the former park land. The bandstand has been demolished.
The Disputed 1983 Deed
A decade after the physical occupation, a deed dated 22 February 1983 purported to grant the Secretary of State for Social Services rights over the western strip. The deed is recorded on the hospital title (CH346591, A Register Entry 3) but no copy is held at HMLR.
Three grounds indicate the deed was unlawful: (1) In 1983, the park was almost certainly owned by Vale Royal District Council — not 'Northwich Town Council' as stated in the deed — meaning the grantor had no title to grant, and the deed may be void under the principle nemo dat quod non habet; (2) Disposal of charitable land without Charity Commission consent under the Charities Act 1960; (3) Disposal without Secretary of State consent under s.123 LGA 1972.
The 1983 deed appears to be an attempt to retrospectively regularise a trespass that had already occurred. Whether it succeeded in doing so lawfully remains an outstanding and important legal question.
The concrete foundation of the Victorian bandstand, still visible in the ground, September 2025. This is the physical evidence of what stood here — and what was lost — before the 1983 deed was executed.
1984–2024
Modern Foundations
The decades following the 1983 deed saw the formal legal framework for the park — and the hospital — established through Land Registry registration. Two key registrations in 1991 and 2009 created the title structure that defines the legal landscape today.
Footbridge Agreement
An agreement between British Railways Board and the Secretary of State for Social Services authorised the construction of the beam carrying the footpath and roadway across the railway line — the Winnington footbridge. Recorded on the hospital title.
Hospital Title Registered — CH346591
The Victoria Infirmary's land was formally registered at the Land Registry for the first time — title number CH346591, proprietor Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, freehold title absolute. The title encompasses the hospital buildings and the existing car park, and references the 1983 deed as conferring the hospital's rights over that land.
Park Title Registered — CH583585 — NTC as Proprietor
The park land was formally registered at the Land Registry as title CH583585 in the name of Northwich Town Council — value stated at £150,000. The title covers the already-reduced park footprint: the western strip taken in the 1970s was already excluded.
Critically, the C Register confirms that restrictive covenants imposed before 4 February 2009 are 'still subsisting and capable of being enforced' — expressly including the 1887 Verdin covenant. NTC's title also includes a narrow access strip along the western boundary running north to Winnington Lane, meaning NTC owns the vehicle access route into the hospital site.
NTC holds the legal estate as trustee. Beneficial ownership remains with the public — the inhabitants of Northwich — by virtue of the 1887 gift and subsequent statutory trust obligations.
Cheshire Gardens Trust Research Report
The Cheshire Gardens Trust published its research report on Verdin Park — the most comprehensive survey of the park's history to that point. It confirmed the original 14-acre extent of the gift, documented the features lost in the 20th century, and provided the foundation for much of the subsequent legal and historical research by Friends of Verdin Park.
2023–Present
The Campaign
When proposals emerged in 2025 to extend the hospital car park into what remains of Verdin Park, the community organised. Friends of Verdin Park was formed to protect the park through legal challenge, FOI research, and community engagement. This section is the live record of an ongoing campaign.
The Cheshire Elective Hub — the Trigger
Construction of the Cheshire Elective Hub began at the Victoria Infirmary site, using the hospital's gravel car park as a Kier contractor compound. From 7 April 2023, an internal MCHFT communication directed staff to Verdin Park Car Park on Castle Street (£1.50/day, approximately 8 minutes' walk) or Fury Woodland as alternatives.
This document — later disclosed via FOI — established that the Castle Street Verdin Car Park was already a recognised and viable option for hospital staff before any proposal to use the park itself was raised.
The Car Park Proposal Emerges
Information reached the community through informal channels — not official consultation — that MCHFT had been developing proposals to create new car parking within Verdin Park, on the area where the Victorian bandstand stood, immediately west of the existing hospital car park.
Surveyors (Sanderson Weatherall LLP) and engineers (WSP) had been engaged by MCHFT on the proposals. The community had not been informed or consulted.
Friends of Verdin Park Formally Established
Friends of Verdin Park was formally established in summer 2025, with a founding committee appointed to steward the organisation until its first AGM. The organisation exists to protect and preserve Verdin Park — through community engagement, historical research, legal challenge, and constructive partnership with local authorities.
Every member has a vote. Every decision is transparent. The constitution, accounts, and committee reports are published in full.
The campaignThe campaign to protect Verdin Park. What began as community concern became a formal organisation — rooted in legal research and democratic principles.
FOI Requests Begin
A series of Freedom of Information requests were submitted to Northwich Town Council, Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust — seeking correspondence, internal proposals, site plans, and legal documents bearing on the proposed use of park land.
Document Inspection at NTC Solicitors, Manchester
Richard George spent a half-day inspecting Verdin Park documents held by NTC's solicitors in Manchester — physical deeds and documents covering the full legal and conveyancing history of the park from 1887 onwards. The inspection revealed the complete chain of title from the original gift through to the 2009 Land Registry registration.
Formal Legal Objection Submitted to NTC
A formal legal objection letter was submitted to Chris Shaw, NTC Town Clerk. The letter set out three grounds on which any proposed lease of Verdin Park land to MCHFT would be unlawful: (1) breach of the 1887 Verdin covenant; (2) breach of statutory trust under the Public Health Act 1875 s.164; (3) failure to follow the statutory public notice procedure required under s.123(2A) of the Local Government Act 1972 before any disposal of public open space.
The letter requested written confirmation of what legal authority NTC believed it held to negotiate any such arrangement, and suspension of all negotiations pending full legal compliance.
First Community Litter Pick
Volunteers gathered at Verdin Park on 8 November 2025 for the first community litter pick — a practical act of care for the park, and a demonstration that FoVP is an active community organisation as well as a legal campaigning body.
The first community litter pick, 8 November 2025. A great turnout — the first of several community events organised by Friends of Verdin Park.
Major NTC Disclosure — 11 Parts
Northwich Town Council made a major FOI disclosure: 11 parts of documents covering the legal and property history of the park, plus the redacted minutes of the 23 January 2025 parking meeting between NTC and MCHFT. The disclosure formed the basis for further legal analysis of the conveyancing chain.
Charity Commission Contacted
Concerns were submitted to the Charity Commission for England and Wales regarding the proposed disposal of Verdin Park land. A second submission followed on 24 February 2026.
Charity Commission Responds — Regulatory Guidance Issued to NTC
The Charity Commission Assessment Team (Paul Crawford) responded with significant findings. Verdin Park is not registered with the Charity Commission and has never been — the Commission could not formally determine charitable status. However, the Commission considered the matter serious enough to provide NTC with 'regulatory advice and guidance about charitable land disposal.'
Crucially, the Commission confirmed that NTC had told it that the council was 'currently taking legal advice before any action is taken — which is what we would expect.' NTC's pause and legal advice-seeking is a direct consequence of the campaign's legal challenge.
The Commission's engagement confirms that the proposed disposal is being treated as engaging charitable land obligations — regardless of whether the land is formally registered as a charity. The trust obligations under the Public Health Act 1875 s.164 and the 1887 covenant operate independently of formal charity registration.
Verdin Park in spring — the park's ecology and community value continue to grow. The Charity Commission's March 2026 response confirmed the campaign's legal pressure is being taken seriously.
Land Registry Titles Downloaded and Analysed
Both the park title (CH583585, NTC) and hospital title (CH346591, MCHFT) were downloaded and analysed. Key findings: the proposed new car park site is unambiguously within NTC's registered freehold; the 1887 covenant is confirmed enforceable; NTC owns the vehicle access strip from Winnington Lane into the hospital site. Both title plans are on the same OS map reference (SJ6573NW), allowing direct boundary comparison.
NTC Refuses to Release Legal Advice — Internal Review Requested
NTC refused to disclose its barrister's opinion under s.42(1) FOIA (legal professional privilege). The refusal confirms NTC commissioned a formal counsel's opinion — a barrister's advice, not routine solicitor's guidance — obtained when the legal position is genuinely uncertain.
An internal review request was submitted the same day, challenging the refusal. The public interest reasoning in the refusal was generic and did not engage with the specific circumstances of charitable land or the historic covenant. If the internal review upholds the refusal, the next step is a complaint to the Information Commissioner.
NTC Admits 'Legal and Covenant Issues' in Public Statement
NTC published a press release publicly acknowledging 'legal and covenant issues' with any proposed car park arrangement, and confirming that Cheshire West and Chester Council, as principal authority, was actively reviewing the matter.
This is a significant public admission. NTC simultaneously told residents that legal issues exist while refusing to disclose what those issues are. Ten new FOI questions were submitted the same day, including: 'Please identify the specific legal issues and the specific covenant issues referred to in the press release.' This question targets non-privileged factual information that cannot be withheld under s.42.
The lower lawn of Verdin Park — the land that Northwich Town Council now publicly acknowledges is subject to 'legal and covenant issues.' The FOI campaign continues to expose what those issues are.
Three Simultaneous FOI Requests — The 1970s Occupation
Three FOI requests were submitted simultaneously to NTC, CWaC and MCHFT, all targeting the same core gap: the legal authority (if any) for the 1970–73 physical occupation of Verdin Park land that created the existing hospital car park.
CWaC's request specifically sought any planning applications and permissions for the hospital extension and car park in the early 1970s. MCHFT's request asked for any records from predecessor NHS bodies relating to the acquisition. All responses due approximately 25 July 2026.
First AGM of Friends of Verdin Park
The first Annual General Meeting of Friends of Verdin Park — formally adopting the constitution, electing the committee, and marking the transition from founding committee to a fully elected, member-led organisation. Held at Winnington Youth Club, Northwich.
AGM 2026 informationExplore Further
Deep dives into the history
1850 — 2026Historic Maps
Tithe maps, OS surveys and aerial photographs tracing the park's changing boundaries.
1887 — 1912The Verdin Baths
A Victorian brine pool, 20,000 visitors a year — and a spectacular demise by subsidence.
1890 — LostThe Bandstand
An octagonal Victorian kiosk built to survive the ground itself — and how it disappeared.
Help write the next chapter
The campaign is ongoing. FOI responses are due. Legal arguments are live. Friends of Verdin Park exists to protect the park through research, transparency, and community action. Join us.