The Burgies
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The Burgies (or Burgy Bank) are a set of two slag heaps located in the Islands Brow area of St Helens. The two are divided by Islands Brow road and are bordered on the west side by the rail line connecting Liverpool Lime Street with Wigan North Western. They are on the site of the old Rushy Park coal mine noted as the first mine to use the revolutionary Anderton shearer-loader [1].The slag heaps were created by the dumping of toxic chemical waste from the manufacture of glass by the towns Pilkington company. The exact composition of the slag heaps is unknown but a land study[2] showed it to contain various poisonous elements such as Arsenic, Lead and Cadmium. Technically the land is private property belonging to Pilkington but the public have access and regularly use it for various activities. The exact age of the Burgies is unknown, however it is understood that the second burgies is actually the oldest. This older one is sometimes referred to as "the dry Burgies" with the newer first burgies referred to as "the wet Burgies". These terms are used by older residents who remember the actual construction, as the first one is a drier waste with the second one being a thick liquid. This liquid was pumped through a pipe from Pilkington’s across the second Burgies to the site of the first Burgies. Boards were erected as moulds to hold the liquid till it dried and then moulds were built on top of these to allow more liquid to be placed on top.
Origin of Name
It has been suggested that the name came from a thick brown liquid oozing from the slag heaps shortly after the waste had been dumped that resembled Burgoo - a kind of porridge eaten in the 17th century by sailors. It is speculated that an ex-sailor may have noticed the resemblance and corrupted the word to "Burgy".[3]
Physical Appearance
The first Burgy is approximately 0.16 square kilometres (0.06 square miles) and the second is approximately 0.17 square kilometres (0.07 square miles). On the north side of the first Burgy there is a small lake, often referred to as the "Burgy Pond", surrounded by an area of flat land referred to as the "Corn Field" due the long grass which grows here. The Burgies are characterised by very steep sides on all sides of both heaps except for a path on the north side of the first heap, which has a shallower gradient, allowing for access. The tops of each are, for the most part, uniformly flat. The waste has been capped with around 1.5 meters of top soil and possibly clay beneath this but, at parts, there is exposed soil which has a red colour to it and has been given the name "Burgy Mud". This red colouring is one of the main characteristics of the Burgies. Although it has been capped, there is still a lot of run off of an unknown composition probably due to water soaking in and absorbing the chemicals within and then seeping out at the bottom.
Wildlife
Although it is a chemical dumping ground, the top soil placed on the top has allowed the whole of the first Burgy to be covered in woodland and grass with the second smaller one mostly covered in tall grass and small parts of woodland. This, as expected, has allowed populations of various mammals and birds to thrive and often large numbers of frogs. One notable example of a thriving population is the one of the wild rabbit. There have also been reports of magic mushrooms, such as the liberty cap, growing on the Burgies. This environment has provided a pleasant woodland area for the local people and is a favourite dog walking area.
Myths and Legends of the Burgies
There are a number of notable myths and legends associated with the Burgies. One is that Purple Aki lived on the Burgies and that he would capture little children that ventured on to his land and carve his initials on to there backsides. There are also stories of strange creatures that live on the Burgies such as the "Burgydactyl", a large flying creature with a piercing call. Another creature that is said to live on the Burgies is the "Burgadillo". This creature is said to be a small man, around 40-50 cm tall with a large tail that eats magic mushrooms and excretes Smarties. Off all the myths and legends of the Burgies the most notable is the legend of the "Wild Ironlung". This wild creature is also known as “The Outlaw" and sometimes simply just "Lung". The legend goes that, he is a normal boy until he smokes cannabis, then as if by magic he transforms into The Ironlung (this is a lot like Bananaman, who is a normal school boy until he eats a banana). The Ironlung is often seen riding a mighty white steed and is said to have the ability sniff out cannabis from a range of 5 miles. It is suggested that the name "Ironlung" comes from the fact that this creature inhales so much cannabis that his lungs must be made of iron.
Burgie Sports and Activities
The Burgies are very popular with people who own off road motorcycles and BMX bikes. There are many tracks, on both Burgies, that have been built by off road motorcycle racers to race there bikes. A notable site on the first Burgies is "The Jumps". This is a series of bike ramps and jumps built using logs and sand. Other notable sports include Burgy Surfing and Extreme Burgy Climbing. These are usually done on the second Burgies. Burgy Surfing involves surfing down the steep sides on various objects including sleds, boxes and car bonnets amongst other things. Extreme Burgy Climbing involves racing to the top of the steepest side, which is near vertical in parts. This is made very dangerous due to the fact that the side is almost always slippery and the fact that most of the trees used to help climbing are dead and are easily uprooted resulting in very nasty falls. Death Sliding is one of the more popular activities and again is done on the second Burgies. This involves climbing to the top of the highest tree and tying a rope as high as can be tied. The other end of the rope is then anchored to the bottom of a tree some distance away, thus creating a death slide. Participants will then climb the tree with a crude sliding device, usually a V shaped stick, and place this over the rope enabling them to slide down the rope towards the ground at high speed.
Burgy Action Group
There have been many plans to build houses on the site of the first Burgy by companies such as Barratt and more recently Woodford. However, concerns have been raised due to the fact that construction on the land would require drilling into the core of the Burgies subsequently releasing dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere. The Burgy Action Group, a local action group made up of the people living close to the site, have successfully challenged the construction of homes on the land citing the dangerous of any chemicals released during construction.[4] Another argument is the issue of wildlife. As off 2007 there are no other plans by other companies to build on the land.
Notable Places to Visit
- Burgy Pond - Very beautiful just before sunset, although it is not a good idea to swim in it, as it is no doubt contaminated with Arsenic from the core.
- Corn Field - An ideal spot to view the Burgy Pond and an excellent dog walking spot.
- The Cove - Located on the northern face of the first Burgies this is probably the best spot to admire the Burgy Pond.
- Red Hill - This is a small cliff located on the eastern side of the first Burgies and as the name suggests it is a section where the top soil has been eroded to reveal the characteristic red Burgy Mud.
- The Jumps - A very popular place with motorcycle riders and BMX riders.
- The Hole - This is of historical interest as it is the first hole dug for a bong hut. It is now very shallow and wide due to wall erosion and covered in moss.
- The Bong Bush - This is on the very edge of Burgy territory and is not actually on the Burgies. This a small secluded area used to smoke cannabis when users do not want to travel all the way up Red Hill.