One of the most stunning parks in our area, Spike Island offers activities for the entire family – parkland, woodlands, wetlands and footpaths. It all looks very different to the Island’s original purpose – 200 years ago it was the centre of the British chemical industry.
In 1833, during the Industrial Revolution, Widnes Dock, the world’s first rail-to-ship dock, was built here. Then, in 1848, John Hutchinson built the first of many chemical factories in Widnes. The chemical industry in Widnes grew rapidly and brought great wealth to the town – along with around 10million tons of industrial waste over the coming 100 years. By the 1970s the chemical factories had gone and the cleanup started. Progress was slow – it was 2002 before fish were spotted in the Mersey – the first time for over 150 years. From 1975 Spike island was cleaned up and turned over to public recreation.
Spike Island was built in 1833 when the Sankey Canal was extended from Fiddler’s Ferry to the River Mersey at Widnes. The extension cut through the Woodend area of Widnes and separated it from the rest of the town. It passes from the West Bank Locks on Spike Island to Warrington and then to St. Helens. As times changed it fell into disuse and eventually closed in 1963. The footpath is now part of the Trans Pennine Trail.
Widnes Dock, built in 1833, allowed goods, such as coal, to be taken off a train and deposited directly into a boat for transport along the Mersey to other parts of the UK and overseas. In its heyday, the dock could move 70 tons of coal from a railway wagon on to a boat, and be on route to Liverpool within 40 minutes. Goods and raw materials could be brought in and loaded onto a train for delivery to local factories. During low tide, the dock was topped up with water from the nearby reservoir.
Widnes Dock was last used commercially in 1931 but the island continued to serve as railway sidings. With a network of interlinked railway lines, it was ideal for marshalling trains and freight storage. The lines, which became known as Marsh Sidings, were taken over by British Rail in 1948 and remained in use until 1968.
The Mersey Flats
Large ships are unable to sail far up the River Mersey because the water level is too low. Consequently Widnes dock was accessed by Mersey flat boats which could transport goods downstream to the Port of Liverpool or along the canal network. The Mersey flats were small flat-bottomed sailing barges that originated on the Mersey but were later used on rivers elsewhere. The wreck of a Mersey flat called the Eustace Carey can still just about be seen at Spike Island at low tide.
John Hutchinson
John Hutchinson was described by his peers as the father of Widnes because of his influence on the growth of the chemical industry in the town. As the chemical industry grew so did the population. In 1848, he built the first chemical factory in Widnes on Spike Island. It was the first of many in the town. In 1860 Hutchinson built Tower Building as the head office of his chemical business. Later it became the head office of the Gossage soap company, which was once the largest soap company in the country. Today, Tower Building houses the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre.
The island was at the centre of the British chemical industry during the 19th century and a major part of the Industrial Revolution. For the first time it was possible to mass produce soap, bleaching powder, glass, fertilizer and many other products needed for fast industrial growth. The population of Widnes grew rapidly but the industry also brought exceptional levels of pollution. The town was described as one of the dirtiest and most dangerous places to work in England, and in 1905 Widnes was labelled a poisonous hell-town.
In the 20th century, changes to the industry and new environmental laws led to the decline of the chemical industry. By the 1970s Spike Island contained abandoned chemical factories, rail lines, disused dockage and massive amounts of chemical pollution. Between 1975 and 1982 the island was reclaimed and returned to a green space. All of the chemical works were removed and only two former pyrite kilns remain.
Today Spike Island is a haven of tranquillity. It’s hard to believe it’s the same place that Hutchinson, and the men that followed him, left in such a poisonous mess.
