| Description | These plans have been listed under the following headings: canals, railways, bridges, roads etc., water and electricty, River Dee and miscellaneous, and, for convenience, the only two Corporation deposited plans, nos. 70 and 74, deposited under Provisional Orders, have been placed in this class. The records comprise plans and reference books relating to the Chester Canal, 1772-1833; railways connecting Chester with Altrincham, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Connah's Quay, Crewe, Holyhead, Hoylake, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Llandudno Junction, Macclesfield, Manchester, Oxford, Parkgate, Ruabon, Saltney, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Stafford, Winnington, Winsford, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Wrexham, 1824-1913; the Grosvenor Bridge, 1824; a turnpike road between Chester, Farndon and Worthenbury, 1852-53; Chester and Birkenhead tramways, 1877-1906; Chester cemetery, 1878; Chester street improvements, 1880-1926; water and electricity supplies, 1853-1935; river Dee conservancy, 1884-95; Abbots Grange, Liverpool Road, 1851-52; and Halkyn District mines drainage, 1874. |
| Administrative History | A standing order of the House of Commons in 1792 required plans and reference books relating to undertakings authorised by private Acts of parliament, to be deposited with the clerk of the peace of the counties affected by the undertaking. Some plans and reference books had also been deposited under specific private Acts. In 1843, a standing order of the House of Lords confirmed the requirement, specified that plans should be to a scale of not less than four inches to a mile and stated that two copies should be deposited. Plans of turnpike roads, cuts and canals, reservoirs, aqueducts and railways were also required to include cross sections. |