Monument record 121/1 - Widnes Dock

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ58 SW 20 (Index). SCH2487.

Widnes Dock, built in 1833 to serve both the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway and the Sankey Canal which was specially extended. Dock entrance is now blocked, and dock filled. Maintained as a public open space. [TPW 20/11/1980].

<2> Ashmore, O, 1982, The Industrial Archaeology of North West England, p.69-70 (Book). SCH3181.

A dock, for vessels up to 300 tons, built as the terminus for the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway in 1833. Stone side walls and entrance lock survive.

<3> Cheshire County Council, 2002, Cheshire Historic Towns Survey: Halton District Part 1: Archaeological Assessments, Widnes p.6-7 (Report). SCH6976.

Coal owners in St Helens financed the building of a railway line from St Helens to the Runcorn Gap in 1833 so as to free themselves of the stranglehold of the St Helens Canal Company. The intention was primarily to bring coal from the St Helens coalfield down to the river Mersey for shipment. At the railway terminus at Spike Island, the world’s first purpose built railway dock was constructed to transfer coal from the railway wagons to sailing barges (see 4). After a period of intense competition with the St Helens Canal Company ( London and North-Western Railway from 1864), the two companies were combined into the St Helens Canal and Railway Company in 1845. The development of West Bank Dock and to the east along the line of the east-west railways led to a decline in the use of the Spike Island.

<4> Greatbatch, ML & Mercer, PJ, 1985, Spike Island, p.27-2810, 22 (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH8929.

This wet dock opened in 1833 as a terminus for the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Co, principally as an outlet for St Helens coal. The construction of the dock, the first purpose built railway dock
in the world, stemmed from the fears of the St Helens coal proprietors that their profits would be reduced as a result of the monopolistic advantage enjoyed by the canal owners.

From the start, the dock was equipped with the most modern handling and transhipment facilities that the early nineteenth century could provide. Locomotives, sidings, and stationary haulage
engines ensured that coal was loaded into sailing barges or flats with the minimum of delay, and then sent to Liverpool where the domestic demand for coal was increasingly evident. The level of water in
the dock was 9 feet (2.74m) and maintained by a reservoir 765 feet long by 180 feet wide (233m x 55m) adjoining the dock.

Vessels of up to 300 tons could be admitted to the basin, and within a short time of opening nearly 200 tons of coal per day was being shipped out. The first decade of operation marked a period of intense rivalry between the railway and the canal owners, with both concerns constantly undercutting each others freight rates in an attempt to attract regular custom. Such behaviour had the inevitable effect of reducing the profitability of both companies, and following merger talks, the Railway and Canal companies were united under the title of the St Helens Canal and Railway Co in 1845.

Nineteen years later it passed into the ownership of the London and North Western Railway Co. For the remainder of the twentieth century the fortunes of Widnes Dock wavered according to the fluctuations of trade and commerce. With the closure of several works in the St Helens area, and compounded by the success of Garston docks where handling facilities were far superior, and navigation easier, Widnes dock gradually declined.

Closed to traffic in 1925, the dock was filled in by 1929. Since 1979 the dock has been fully excavated and reclaimed, although the depth of water is now only 8 feet (2.44m) in the centre.

The dock walling is of the same construction and materials as the nearby canal. Capping stones are Bunter sandstone. Surviving items of dock-side equipment consist of cast iron mooring bollards .On the eastern side of the dock entrance can be found the relics of two hand-cranes in the form of a 20 feet (6. 10m) high vertical support beam, while 21 feet (6.4m) away to the north lies the stub of a second beam.

Nothing survives of the railheads which existed on the north side of the dock, except for three sets of Bath stone, each set 3'6" apart (1.07m), indicating the original positions of the coal-drops.

The wet dock at Widnes enjoys the distinction of being the first railway dock in the world.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1893-96, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Lancashire, SJ5184, 1893-1896 (Maps and Plans). SCH3847.

This map depicts the dock and it's lock which controls access from the River Mersey. To the north and east are extensive railway sidings, with wagon turntables adjacent to the dock. There is also a large reservoir, possibly three times larger than the dock.

<6> Ordnance Survey, 1927-1928, Ordnance Survey Second Revision County Series (Epoch 3) 25 inch to 1 mile - Lancashire, SJ518, 1927 (Maps and Plans). SCH5041.

The docks appear to be still in use.

<7> The GeoInformation Group, 2005, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review, 106G UK 626, 10/08/1945 (Aerial Photograph). SCH4608.

Although some of the railway sidings are still in use, the dock appears to have been infilled.