Cheshire Archives celebrates ‘Made in Cheshire’ discoveries – including Calpol in Crewe!

Following on from Cheshire Day – an annual celebration which takes the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate the county’s contributions to history, industry, and culture, Cheshire East Council is shining spotlight on everything ‘Made in Cheshire’ brought to light from the Cheshire Archives.

The date commemorates the day in 1300 when King Edward I granted the county its Charter of Liberties – in effect its own Magna Carta.

The county’s archive service has chosen a selection of items from its collection that show the variety of products historically manufactured across the county – some well-known, others more unexpected.

Crewe – the original home of Calpol

Crewe was once home to the Calmic Group of Companies. Calmic (a short version of Cheshire and Lancashire Medical Industries Corporation) moved to Crewe Hall from Lancashire in 1947.

It manufactured a wide range of pharmaceutical products, including the go-to medicine for parents across the country – Calpol!

Children’s medicine Calpol was invented by Calmic in 1959, turning bitter medicine into a sweet syrup that soon became a household name.

Calmic’s engineering division also created specialist mixing and filtration equipment used across the pharmaceutical and food industries. The manufacturing of pharmaceuticals at Crewe Hall ended in 1995 – it is now a hotel.

Nantwich – boot and shoe manufacturing

Nantwich was once known for producing tough work‑boots and later fashionable shoes that travelled far beyond the county. From the 16th to 19th centuries, local shoemakers supplied sturdy footwear to Lancashire mill towns, and by 1790 their products were being sold in Manchester and London.

This document is the inventory attached to the will of William Hayles, a Nantwich shoemaker. It gives an idea of how the early ‘putting out’ system worked, where merchants commissioned designs, took orders, and distributed materials to families who made shoes in their homes. Leather was cut into shapes, stitched into uppers and soles, trimmed, polished, and returned to the merchant ready for market.

By the 1820s, small factories began to appear in the town, including Leonard Gilbert’s on Market Street, followed later by larger manufacturers. Traditional craft methods gradually disappeared with the arrival of powered machinery in the 1890s, and by the 1930s Nantwich’s shoe trade had largely declined.

Sandbach – brushes and soap

Wheelock, near Sandbach was home to Zan Ltd, a long‑established local manufacturer once known for producing “everything for cleaning and disinfection.”

The story began in 1919, when Wheelock Mill was purchased by two brothers who founded Hovet and Lowther, the company that would later become Zan Ltd.

Their range included yard brushes, soap, polish, disinfectants and even aluminium goods. Among their more unusual products was phosphoric acid, much of it exported to the USA during Prohibition, where it was used in the manufacture of soft fizzy drinks.

Also highlighted is Congleton – home to ribbon manufacturers Berisfords Ltd since 1858.

Cllr Jill Rhodes, Cheshire East Council’s representative on the Cheshire Archives Board, said: “Cheshire has such a rich manufacturing tradition, so it’s so fascinating to discover new stories of Cheshire’s past and how our archive service has been able to collate such a diverse collection of historic images and stories of our past.”

This autumn, two new archive centres will open in Crewe and Chester to provide new state-of-the-art facilities for the public to find their story and discover untold stories of Cheshire’s people and places.

Construction has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity with a focus on research and education.