Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse
| Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse | |
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| Location | 162 London Road, Northwich, Cheshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°15′14″N 2°30′49″W / 53.2540°N 2.5136°WCoordinates: 53°15′14″N 2°30′49″W / 53.2540°N 2.5136°W |
| OS grid reference | SJ 658 731 |
| Built | 1839 |
| Architect | George Latham |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 8 July 1969 |
| Reference no. | 1161095 |
 Location in Cheshire
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The Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, Northwich, Cheshire, records the social, cultural and industrial history of west Cheshire. It was formerly known as the Salt Museum, reflecting its early focus on the history of salt extraction, a local industry dating back to Roman times. The museum was renamed Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse in 2010 as its remit now extends to cover the broader history of the area and also the history of the building itself as a former workhouse.
The museum is located in the old Northwich Union workhouse, dating from 1839 and situated on the A533 road. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
Weaver Hall Museum houses a large collection covering the archaeology, architecture and industries of Cheshire from prehistory to the present. Permanent displays include a Victorian workhouse schoolroom and the Board of Guardians boardroom.
The museum also holds an image library of more than 8000 items recording the history of west Cheshire, particularly in relation to the salt and chemical industries and associated canal transport.
In addition to regular displays of items from its own collections the museum also hosts visiting exhibitions, art exhibitions, special events, holiday activities, talks and regular film shows in its own mini-cinema, the Regalette, (named in honour of the town's last surviving cinema the Regal, which closed in 2007.)
In 2009 more than 20,000 people visited Weaver Hall.
The first salt museum was set up in the 19th century by Thomas Ward and John Brunner, two local salt proprietors, who felt the town needed something to explain its status as the then "salt capital of the world". Ward and Brunner donated the library and museum to the town in 1887.
The museum collection originally shared a building with Northwich library but mine subsidence – once a significant problem in the town – caused this to collapse. A new combined library-and-museum building was put up in 1909. This building still exists but now houses only Northwich library, though the former title over the door remains.
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