Monument record 1083/3/4 - Murgatroyd's Brine Works

<1> Various, Written Communication to the HER, Twigg G, 1986 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

Murgatroyd brine shaft with two John Thom deep-well pumps.

<2> Various, Written Communication to the HER, Twigg G, 1994 (Written Communication). SCH3756.

Brine shaft dug by hand in 1889 to a depth of c.280ft, a pilot borehole was then driven which lengthened the shaft to c.350ft. The top 60ft of the shaft is 8ft square and lined with pitch pine timbers, below this the shaft, which is then into the solid marl, is unlined and 5ft square. Three pumps are installed in the shaft, two deep-well pumps and a submersible electric pump. The two deep-well pumps are of similar design and specification and date from 1932 and 1953. The electric pump dates from 1965. The pumps are enclosed in a pump house of brick construction with an asbestos sheet roof. Originally there was a boiler and steam engine house built alongside but these were demolished. The original timber pump head gantry built in 1890 still stands at 55ft in height, it was reinforced with mild steel angle in about 1952. This was used during maintenance and repair work on the pumps. Full description.

<3> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 34588 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

Murgatroyd's Brine Works consists of two brine pump houses, three brine pumps, a timber pump head gantry, a brine shaft, a capped brine shaft, a header tank, two external electrical pumps, a pole-mounted power distribution transformer, part of two transfer pipes and the buried remains of the original steam-power plant. Pump House no 5, some 40m to the south of the core pump house, is not included in the scheduling.

Murgatroyd's Brine Works underwent six phases of development which reflect the plant's expansion and evolution from steam to electric brine extraction:

1) 1890-1931: construction of the shaft, timber gantry, original pump house and power house or steam engine house.
2) 1932-1946: remodelling and expansion of the complex including construction of a new pump house to replace the earlier one and the introduction of a new pump.
3) 1947-1952: construction of a header tank and pipe for pumping brine to a new brine processing plant at Elworth 2.5 miles away together with the introduction two electric pumps located in an asbestos-roofed structure on the north-western side of the new header tank. This period also saw the erection of a pole-mounted power distribution transformer.
4) 1953-1964: insertion of a new pump to replace the original steam-powered pump and extension of the pump house at its eastern end. Demolition of the original steam power house in 1952-3.
5) 1965-1977: installation of a submersible brine pump, which also fed brine into the header tank.
6) Post-1977: the site was sold to Congleton Borough Council for redevelopment.

Scheduling includes full details.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1896-1898, Ordnance Survey First Revision County Series (Epoch 2) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ7065, 1875-1880 (Maps and Plans). SCH3848.

This map depicts two buildings and the brine shaft. The site is labelled Amans Salt Works.

<5> Middlewich Heritage Trust, 2020, Revealing Murgatroyd's Brine Pump: Final Report, R4478 (Report). SCH8958.

A programme of conservation has been undertaken at Murgatroyd’s Brine Works which was designated as a scheduled monument in 2001, reflecting its importance as an example of a hand dug shaft for wild brine extraction and the last remnant of not only open pan salt making in Middlewich, but also, one of the few remaining sites of Cheshire's salt industry. The pumps themselves are the only example of intact pumps over a hand-dug brine shaft remaining in Britain. The site is also of local significance, as the first discovery of rock salt in Middlewich in 1889; additionally, it tapped, for the first time, the brine stream that had been feeding the town for thousands of years.

The community project, follows on from and adds to the Conservation Management Plan of 2011; it was instigated as the site was classified as 'at risk' by Historic England. The project aims were to repair and preserve unique elements of national importance, including the nineteenth century gantry and shaft, and the early twentieth century pumps, using a team of professionals, retired engineers, and volunteers. Another objective was to turn the site into a sustainable education and visitor resource.

The project has comprised different phases of work including historical research, updating the building survey undertaken as part of the Conservation Management Plan, production of an updated structural survey, also a topographical survey of the site prior to required groundwork stabilisation. In September 2015, emergency repair works were undertaken including making the building water-tight, removal of asbestos and temporary stabilisation of the gantry and shaft. A second phase of work included replacement of the lean-to, restoration of the two engines and creation of the interpretation and display areas.