Lion Salt Works visit

Last Tuesday (19th March), we were lucky enough to go on a trip to the Lion Salt Works in Northwich.  This fabulous place has only been open since 2015 and is a credit to the area.

All the children were very excited to explore somewhere new and were keen to learn about our local history.  Additionally, they couldn't wait to get off the coach and try out the amazing play area!

Once we had had our fill of playing, our classes were split up to take part in some great activities. 

Becoming a special agent - The children had to agree to become special agents for the Salt Works.  It involved finding clues (a metal tin and a salt sack) and they had to use their co-ordinate and map reading skills to complete the first part of the mission!  This took a lot of energy - racing around the grounds of the salt works.  Once they had their clues, the children had to empty the contents of both and answer the questions about salt mining over the years.  They had to work out what happened to the Adelaide Salt Works and how coal and salt were transported in the 1800's and in the early 1950's.

Tour of the salt works - We had a lovely guide called Harriet who took us all around the salt works and explained what life was like if you had worked there.  We got to see enormous salt pans, where the brine (very salty water) was boiled to a really high temperature so that the water evaporated and the salt was left behind.  The men worked 12 hour shifts and it looked like a very hot, hard and sometimes dangerous job!  Harriet also took us to the pub!  Back in the 1800's there was a pub on site (The Red Lion) where the workers could go during their break to get a nice refreshing beer.  Apparently, the barmaid would put a pinch of salt in the glass to help replenish the amount of salt the workers probably lost due to sweating so heavily! We also learned about where Cheshire salt was exported to all over the globe – before the age of the fridge, salt was used to keep food fresher for longer…

All, in all, it was an informative and fun day!