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River Mersey

Coordinates: 53°27′N 3°02′W / 53.450°N 3.033°W / 53.450; -3.033
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"Mersey" redirects here. For other meanings, see Mersey (disambiguation).

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The River Mersey (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈmɜːrzi/) is a river in North West England. It is around 70 miles (113 km) long, stretching from Stockport in Greater Manchester, to Liverpool Bay. For centuries, it formed part of the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.

Etymology

Its name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon mǽres, a boundary and ēa, a river.[1] The Mersey was possibly the border river between Mercia and Northumbria.[2]

Course

The Mersey is formed from three tributaries: the River Etherow, the River Goyt, and the River Tame. The modern accepted start of the Mersey is at the confluence of the Tame and Goyt, in central Stockport, Greater Manchester. However, older definitions, and many older maps, place its start a few miles up the Goyt at Compstall; for example the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica states "It is formed by the junction of the Goyt and the Etherow a short distance below Marple in Cheshire on the first-named stream." The 1784 John Stockdale map shows the River Mersey extending to Mottram, and forming the boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire.[3]

Stockport to Warrington

The River Mersey empties into the Manchester Ship Canal at Irlam

From Stockport the river flows through Didsbury, Northenden, Stretford, Urmston and Flixton, then at Irlam flows into the Manchester Ship Canal, which is the canalised section of the River Irwell at this point. The old course of the Mersey has been obliterated by the canal past Hollins Green to Rixton although the old river bed can be seen outside Irlam and at Warburton. At Rixton the River Bollin enters the canal from the south and the Mersey leaves the canal to the north, meandering through Woolston, where the ship canal company's dredgings have formed the Woolston Eyes nature reserve and on to Warrington. The river is tidal from Howley Weir in Warrington, although high spring tides often top the weir. A small bypass around Howley Weir, Howley Lock, was created before the ship canal existed, is now redundant but still visible.

Runcorn Gap

West of Warrington the river widens, and then narrows as it passes through the Runcorn Gap between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes, in Halton. The Manchester Ship Canal passes through the gap to the south of the river. The gap is bridged by the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Runcorn Railway Bridge. As of 2008, the Mersey Gateway project's proposal to build a road bridge further east is under consideration and has received some government support.[4]

Estuary

An aerial image of the estuary in 1962.

From the Runcorn Gap, the river widens into a large estuary, which is 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port. The course of the river then heads north, with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west. The Manchester Ship Canal enters the river at Eastham Locks. The eastern part of the estuary is much affected by silting, and part of it is marked on modern maps as dry land rather than tidal. The wetlands are of importance to wildlife, and are listed as a Ramsar site.

The conurbation on both sides of the estuary is known as Merseyside. The estuary narrows between Liverpool and Birkenhead, where it is constricted to a width of 0.7 miles (1.1 km), between Albert Dock in Liverpool and the Woodside ferry terminal in Birkenhead. On the Liverpool side, Liverpool Docks stretch for over 7.5 miles (12.1 km), the largest enclosed interconnected dock system in the world. American author Herman Melville described Liverpool Docks as being comparable to the pyramids in the vast scale of the construction. The docks were built out into the river bed. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Board used granite from a quarry they owned in Scotland for construction of the quays. Birkenhead Priory was founded between 1154 and 1199 by the Benedictine order and from medieval times the monks operated a ferry across the estuary. Birkenhead grew quickly in the 19th century following the introduction of steamships, the earliest being the wooden paddle steamer Elizabeth in 1815.[5] Docks were developed along with a shipbuilding industry, flour milling and soap manufacture on the river's Cheshire bank.[6]

Seaforth Dock, a freeport on the Liverpool side of the estuary where it meets Liverpool Bay, opened in 1971. The dock deals with around 500,000 containers, over 1.2 million tonnes of oil, over 2.5 million tonnes of grain and animal feed, 452,000 tonnes of wood per year. About 25% of all container traffic between the UK and USA passes through the port making it one of the most successful in the world and known as the "Atlantic Gateway".[7] Liverpool was the first UK port with radar assisted operations.[7]

The river empties into Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea, after a total course of 68 miles (109 km). From 4 metres (13.1 ft) neap tide to 10 metres (32.8 ft) spring tide, the River Mersey has the second highest tidal range in Britain – second only to the River Severn. The bottleneck in the river estuary forces water to flow faster creating a deep channel at the narrows.

Strong river water currents have led to proposals for the future construction of a tidal barrage to generate electricity and create another crossing.[citation needed] Very high spring tides can generate a tidal bore from Hale as far upstream as Warrington.

River crossings

Historically the lowest bridging point on the Mersey was at Warrington where there has been a bridge since medieval times.[8][9] The first ferry across the estuary was introduced by monks from the priory at Birkenhead. The monks transported travellers or accommodated them at the priory in bad weather. In the early 19th century the ferries became steam operated.[6] The Mersey Ferry still operates between Pier Head in Liverpool and the Wirral terminals at Seacombe and Woodside.

The Mersey Railway completed its running tunnel through the estuary's underlying Triassic sandstone using manual labour in 1885. Intended as a pneumatic railway, the company opted for steam trains from its opening until it was electrified in 1903. The centre of the running tunnel is between 30 feet (9.1 m) and 70 feet (21.3 m) below the river bed. The railway is now part of the Merseyrail network.[10] Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool. The Queensway Tunnel opened in 1934 connecting the city to Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel opened in 1971 connects with Wallasey.

Further upstream, the Runcorn Railway Bridge over the river at Runcorn Gap was built in the 1860s for the London and North Western Railway on the mainline between London and Liverpool. It had a cantilevered footway providing an alternative crossing to a ferry.[11] The Silver Jubilee Bridge, completed in 1961, is immediately adjacent.[12]

East of Warrington, the M6 motorway crosses the river and the Manchester Ship Canal on the Thelwall Viaduct. When the viaduct opened in 1963, it was the longest motorway bridge in England.[13]

Environment

Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2002, oxygen levels that could support fish along the entire length were recorded for the first time since industry began on the Mersey.[14] Salmon have returned to the river and have been seen jumping at Woolston and Howley Weirs between September and November. Salmon parr and smolt have been caught in the Mersey's tributaries, the River Goyt and the River Bollin.[15] Atlantic grey seals from Liverpool Bay occasionally venture into the estuary [16] and otter pawprints have been observed near Fiddlers Ferry.[17]

In 2009 it was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of the cleanest [rivers] in the UK".[18]

Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005
Egg Buoy near Egremont, Wallasey

Capt. William Gill of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, charted a safe, navigable channel (the Victoria Channel) through the treacherous uncharted waters of the estuary in 1830.[19]

Since the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, large commercial vessels do not usually navigate the estuary beyond Garston on the north bank, or the locks into the Ship Canal at Eastham. Deep-water channels are maintained to both. Until the early 20th century, commercial traffic bound for further upstream was carried in large flat-bottomed sailing barges known as Mersey Flats. These could carry cargo inland to Howley Wharf in Warrington and (via the Sankey Canal) to St Helens. Motor barges delivered to riverside factories at Warrington until at least the 1970s, but nowadays only pleasure craft and yachts use the upper estuary and the tidal river, with a number of sailing clubs based at this point in the river. On most high tides, seagoing yachts with masts raised can navigate as far upstream as Fiddlers Ferry – about 3.1 mi (5.0 km) downstream of Warrington – where there is a small marina accessed via a river lock. Although river craft can continue upstream to Howley Weir, there are no landing or mooring facilities. Portable craft can reach Woolston. The barrier to further navigation here is a legal one in that the Mersey then shares its course with the Manchester Ship Canal for some miles upstream.

The river gave its name to the Merseybeat which was developed by bands from Liverpool, notably The Beatles. It was the subject of the 1965 top-ten hit single "Ferry Cross the Mersey" by Gerry and the Pacemakers,and a video in which the group performed on the ferry. The publication of the 1967 poetry anthology The Mersey Sound saw the establishment of the Liverpool poets also known as the "Mersey Poets".

Religious significance

The Mersey is considered sacred by British Hindus, and worshipped in a similar way to the River Ganges. Festival of Immersion ceremonies are held annually on the river, in which clay figures representing the Hindu Lord Ganesha, the elephant deity riding a mouse, are submerged in the river from a ferry boat. Followers throw flowers, pictures and coins into the river.[20][21]

Tributaries

The River Tame (left) and the River Goyt (right) meeting to form the Mersey in Stockport

From its lowest point, moving upstream, tributaries of the Mersey include:

References

  1. ^ Mills, A D (1998). A dictionary of English place-names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.  240. ISBN 0-19-280074-4.
  2. ^ Arrowsmith, Peter (1997). Stockport: a History. Stockport: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. p. 21. ISBN 0-905164-99-7.
  3. ^ John Stockdale, 1794, Map of the Environs of Mottram-in-Longdendale
  4. ^ "Mersey Gateway". Halton Borough Council. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  5. ^ Mersey ferries (PDF), Liverpool Museums, retrieved 24 August 2012
  6. ^ a b River Mersey, National Oceanography Centre, retrieved 24 August 2012
  7. ^ a b http://www.merseyreporter.com/history/historic/dockseaforth/index.shtml Local Newspaper history page.
  8. ^ Warrington Background and analysis, merseyforest.org.uk, retrieved 25 August 2012
  9. ^ Warrington Bridge, Engineering timelines, retrieved 25 August 2012
  10. ^ Mersey Railway, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 25 August 2012
  11. ^ Runcorn Rail Bridge, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 25 Augusr 2012 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ Runcorn Widnes Road Bridge, English Heritage, retrieved 25 August 2012
  13. ^ M6 Warrington to Preston (J20 to J29), accessed on 4 August 2012
  14. ^ "Mersey cleanest for 200 years". BBC News. 9 May 2003.
  15. ^ environment-agency.gov.uk ""Salmon behaviour in the Mersey Catchment" at environment-agency.gov.uk
  16. ^ Atlantic grey seal, Cheshire Region Biodiversity Project, retrieved 25 August 2012
  17. ^ Otters return to once-polluted River Mersey, The BBC, retrieved 25 August 2012
  18. ^ Smith, Mark (24 September 2009). "Mersey 'cleanest since industrial revolution'". Runcorn Weekly News. Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales. p. 7. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Discovering the Channel, isle-of-man.com, retrieved 25 August 2012
  20. ^ Liverpool Daily Post: Report on 2010 event
  21. ^ "River marks religious ceremony". BBC News. 14 September 2008.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to River Mersey.

53°27′N 3°02′W / 53.450°N 3.033°W / 53.450; -3.033

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