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The industrial
town of Runcorn stands on the south bank of the Mersey Estuary,
where it narrows to form the Runcorn Gap.
An ancient
settlement, Runcorn was Saxon fortification in the early 10th
century to guard against Viking attack. In
1071 Runcorn became part of the Halton barony, belonging to
the Norman earls of Chester, and a wooden fortress was built
here to guard the Lancashire and Cheshire plains and the river
estuary.
A stone
castle was built in the 12th century to replace the timber
structure, but in the English Civil War the castle was dismantled
by the Parliamentarians who took the town from the Royalists
in 1644.
The area
remained rural until 1773 when the Duke of Bridgewater extended
his canal to Runcorn to link Manchester with the seaport of
Liverpool. When a connection was made to the Trent and Mersey
Canal in 1777, the town also had water connections with most
of the interior of England.
The Port
of Runcorn grew rapidly and other industries also began to
develop, especially the quarrying of Runcorn Sandstone, tanning,
the manufacture of soap and chemicals and shipbuilding.
By the
19th century Runcorn had become a highly industrialised and
polluted town.
The 1868
Runcorn Railway Bridge across the Mersey gave the town direct
railway access to the rest of the country via Crewe.
IIn 1894
the Manchester Ship Canal opened, allowing ocean-going vessels
to travel as far as Salford and some of these ships used the
Port of Runcorn. In 1905 Runcorn and Widnes, on the north
bank of the Mersey, were given direct vehicular access for
the first time with the opening of the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter
Bridge.
In the
first half of the 20th century Runcorn continued to be dominated
by the tanning and chemical industries and in 1926 several
chemical companies formed Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI),
one of Europe's leading chemical companies.
In 1964
the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge was replaced in 1961by
the the Runcorn Bridge, the Silver Jubliee Bridge.
Rucorn
was designated a New Town in 1964 to house the overspill population
of Liverpool and was the first to pioneer bus-only routes
over a large scale.
The decline
of tanning, the last tannery closed in 1968, and the chemical
industry led to the development of light industry.
Today
Runcorn is one of the most industrialised parts of the UK,
but the traditionai ndustrial past is of interest for vsitors.
Attractions
to visit in Runcorn include the Civil War scarred Halton Castle
and Runcorn Bridge, the largest steel arch bridge in Europe.
Beside
the Bridgwater Canal stands the Brindley, the town's brand
new arts centre, named after James Brindley the engineer responsible
for the Bridgewater Canal.
The Halton
Lea Shopping Centre in Runcorn New Town was the first American-style
shopping mall to open in the UK.
The ruined
Norton Priory is Runcorn's main tourist attraction. An Augustian
Priory established in Runcorn moved to Norton, three and a
half miles away, in 1134. In 1391 the priory become an abbey.
The monastery was disolved by Henry VIII in 1536 and the buildings
and some of the land was sold to Sir Richard Brooke, who converted
part of the building into a home. The Tudor building was
later replaced by a Georgian manor house but this abandoned
and demolished in 1928.
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Runcorn
Halton Castle Castle Road, Halton, Runcorn
