Cheshire. Rcncorn

DIRECTORY.] CHESHIRE. RCNCORN. north-east from Chester and 18o! from London, on the The port charges are very favourable to the owner;; of south side of the river Mersey and at the western terminus vessels. of the Bridgewater and Trent and Mersey canals. The The depth of water in the Mersey at Runcorn is about bridge of the London and North Western railway, which 3 feet 6 inches less than that given in Holden's Tide Table here crosses the Mersey, ()pened 10 October, 1868, and for Liverpool, and vessels lie afloat whilst discharging and known as "Tueller's Girder," i!P a structure of wrought reloading. iron r,soo feet long, and 75 feet in height above high Runcorn Lay Bye.-This lay bye, within the Port of water mark, and is supported in mid-stream by two stone Manchester, abuts on the Manchester Ship Canal at piers, 8o feet in depth by 30 feet wide and 300 feet Runcorn immediately below Runcorn docks ; it is r,5oo apart, thus forming three openings of 300 feet each, ex· feet in lengt-h, with an averag-e depth of 26 feet of water elusive of the piers and abutments: the bridge has two alongside, and is equipped with coal tip, movable lines of railway and one footway for passengers, and cranes and other appliances for loading and discharging affords direct communication with Liverpool, Manchester, cargo. Sailing vessels ""hose lower masts, after strildng the manufacturi~g districts and London. The origin top masts, are too high to enable them to pass under of this place is unknown ; it has been called "Run the fixed ·bridges, are berthed at this lay bye, and their cofan" (A. S. cofa, a cove, the wide cove or inlet), "Rum cargoes are discharged overside and lightered to Man coven " and " Ronchestorn." The town was founded by chester without extra cost to the importer beyond the Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, and, to defend canal toll. it from invasion by the Danils, she built a castle and forts : The number of British and foreign sailing and steam the rock on which this castle was supposed to have been v11ssels that arrived at the port with cargoes and in built, called "Castle Rock," was in part removed in 18oo ballast in 1912 was 123 of 45,042 tons, and the number and further when the bridge over the Mersey was built, that departed was 40 of 33,801 tonnage. • and it was finally removed in 1891 for the construction In the general coasting trade in the same year 1,450 of the Manchester Ship canal. The river Mersey is con sailing and steam vessels arrived with cargoes of 127,r6a tracted by the out-swelling of both shores, to a width tons, 351 of 57•342 tonnage in ballast, and 943 departed_ at high water of about 400 yards, and this comparatively with carg.Je.:; of IOI,331 tons and 843 of 105,799 tonnage· narrow passage is known as "Runcorn Gap," the Ship in ballast. In the intercourse between Great BritA;n- eanal now following the course. of its southern shore. and Ireland r87 vessels of 20,426 tons arrived, and 324 _ Under the provisions of the "Local Government Act, of 25,936 tonnage departed. I894" (56 and 57. Vict. c. 73), the town is governed by The number of sailing and steam vessels registered as.. an Urban District Council of 18 members, in place of the belonging to the port on December 31st, 1912, under former Board of Improvement Commissioners. The Part I. of the "Merchant Shipping Act, 1894," was 84 Orban District is divided into six wards. of 4,!'75 tons. The town is lighted with gas by a company from works in Halton road and with electricity by a private At the same date, 15 fishing vessels, requiring 28. company; it is supplied with excellent water from men and boys to work them, were registered as belong~ works at the Heath, which also supply Halton and ing to the port. Fishing boats and their implements. Weston. The works belong to the Urban District are distinguished by the letters R. N. Council, who purchased them from the company in A. Transporter Bridge has been erected between Run corn and Widnes by the Runcorn Bridge Company,. 1893 for ~75,ooo. The Duke of Bridgewater's canal, completed and opened and was opened by Sir John T. Brunner bart, in 1773, under the direction of the famous engineer, James M.P. (the chairman of the company) on May 29th, 1905. Brindley, and now the property of the Manchester Ship The bridge has a span of I,ooo feet, and is of the Canal Go. has been the chief cause of the rise and in ordinary suspension type. The girders are suspended~ creasing prospilrity of Runcorn; the canal, which is from four steel towers, ·two on ea·ch side of the rive.r: much above the level of the Mersey, is connected with the towers rise to a height of 190 feet above high water it, through the Manchester Ship Canal, by a succession level and are firmly bolted to cast iron cylinders, bolted -of locks. , to the solid rock, which is near the surface .on the· Widnes side, but is 35 feet below the Ship canal level The Manchester Ship canal approaches Runcorn from the on the Runcorn side. A frame on rollers runs on lines east through the bed of the old Runcorn and Latchforrl of rails, fixed on the lower flanges of the stiffening Canal, and, proceeding westward, follows closely the bend girders, and from this frame is suspended a transporter of the Cheshire shore to Eastham Locks. The canal, for car, 55 feet long by 24 feet wide, moved by electric a short distance near the town, passes through the deepest power; the car oonveys passengers and wheel traffic of.· cutting on the whole route, the depth being 66 feet; but every description. There are three such 'bri~ges in the from half a mile above Runcorn bridge to the Weaver world, one over the Seine at Rouen, another across the .. sluices the canal is wholly in the bed of the Mersey, River Nervion at Portugalite, and the third at Bizerta. and separated from the river by massive concrete in Algiers. This bridge brings both Widnes and Liver-· walls and embankments. There are extensive docks pool into direct communication by road with Runoorn.. here in connection with the Bridgewater Canal, of instead of going round by Warrington, a saving in""~ which Fenton dock was opened in 1875 and Arnold dock distance between Runcorn and Widnes of 17! miles. in 1876. Opposite the Bridgewater dock a lock has been The bridge has been erected at a cost of £13o,ooo, o{ constructed in the river wall of the Ship Canal to enable which £wo,ooo has been raised in shares. T.he towns· vessels to enter or leave the canal by the Mersey at any of Runcorn and \Vidnes have by special provision in' state of the tide : a similar lock has also been made near the act subscribed the sums of £ro,ooo and £2s,ooo-· respectively. the Old Quay for the use of craft from Widnes, and a . third opposite Weston Point for the Weaver trade; the The parish church of All Saints, erected in 1849 on the business of the Old Quay Navigation Co. here has also been site of the ancient church exist,ing here in the 1oth cen taken over bv the Ship Canal C<>. tury, is a building of stone in the Early English style, con The Port of Runcorn, now a sub-port of the Port of sisting of chancel with aisles, clerestoried nave ()f fiva Manchester, was declared an independent bonding port bays, aisles, south and west porches· and a tower on the 5 April, 18~7, the limits de.fined by a Treasury warrant wuth-west with octagonal spire and containing 8 bells: under the Customs' Act, 1846 (9 and 10 Vict. c. 102), three lancet windows in the chancel are filled with stained but this order was annulled 16 April, 1850, and the limits glass, the gift of Sir Riohard Brooke ba'l"t. of Norton of the port defined to extend from Inee ferry on the Priory: the reredos, of alabaster, was· erected in I888 by Cheshire side and from a point on the opposite side to Bank Miss Edith Barclay in memory of her father, the Rev. quay, Warrington. The Port of Runcorn is about 15 miles John Barc}ay M.A. vicar here, 1845-87: and the altar higher up the river than Livet"pool, has extensive ware rails of alabaster were given: in rgoo by the same lady: house and shed accommodation, and the most llpproved lhe communion plate is ancient and has been given from appliances are provided for the discharge and reloading of time to time by members of the Brooke family : there vessels_ There is a large traffic in potters' materials, such are 956 sittings. The register dates from 1558. The as china clay, flints, china stones, bone ash &c. as well as living is a vicarage, net yearly value £470, including 30 11 miscellaneous traffic-in pig iron, slates, ochre and umber. acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of Christ The exports are mainly coal, salt and pitch. The port is Church, Oxford, and held since 19II by the Rev. well situated for the transit of traffic, being connected by Howard :Nasmith Perrin M.A.

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