Salt-making demonstration day on Nantwich Town Square

Experts will be holding a special salt-making demonstration in Nantwich to show people how the town became famous for it!

Specialists from Nantwich Museum will be on the town square on Thursday May 9 to see how salt was made during the medieval period using brine from the Old Biot.

The Old Biot is the salt pit which for centuries supplied the town with brine.

Specialists will set up from 9am, and hope to have a first boiling around 11am.

Experts from both Nantwich Museum and Middlewich Heritage Trust will be on hand to answer questions.

Part of the demonstration will be an archaeological experiment to learn more about how salt was made using 60 litres of brine, and then running alongside this we will have smaller scale boilings and other experiments.

And there will be a chance to take home some Nantwich salt for a small donation.

At 2pm on the same day, Revd Dr Mark Hart from St Mary’s Church will be blessing the brine, recalling the Ascension Day celebrations which took place until the early 18th century.

Nantwich residents celebrated the gift of brine by decorating the Old Biot brine spring.

Dressed in their gala clothes they would spend the day dancing, feasting and making merry around the spring.

The celebrations included singing the hymn of thanksgiving ‘Blessing the Brine’.

In connection with the demonstration, Nantwich Museum has been developing a science workshop aimed at school years 4 and 5 called “A story of a River”.

The workshop includes a river and lakeside tour, exploring topics including science, geography, geology and local history.

Pupils will also be scientists for the day, exploring the properties of water systems and brine.

Experiments include making your own salt, using techniques and equipment to test the water and brine samples.

The museum has thanked staff at Nantwich Swimming Pool for providing the brine.