Then and now: a shadow of an industrialised era. After the trade depression of the early 1800’s had settled, the banks of the river Mersey in Northern England began to flourish beyond the port of Liverpool inland towards Manchester. This in turn allowed for the growth of many boroughs across the region to develop. The river itself begins to meander and alter its course through the town of Warrington, which at the time was part of the Lancashire county. The town began to develop into an industrial region famous for its production of wire and spirits, and in 1846 a company was formed to supply Warrington with piped water supply, followed by numerous advances in the 1860s and 1870s including an integrated sewer system, transforming Warrington from a market town to a major industrial centre. The Manchester ship canal was constructed and ran adjacent to the Mersey, bringing tons of imported goods in and out of the town on their way to and from the nearby cities of Liverpool and Manchester. The north bank of the river Mersey was suddenly changed from an isolated group of fields into an industrial hot spot, and Joseph Crosfields had grown from a two man business into a fully-fledged factory that eventually became the iconic name of the town. The bank-quay transporter bridge was created as a means to transfer goods from the railway link on the opposite side of the Mersey to the industrial units on Crosfield’s Island, and was opened in 1915 leading the way for the towns post-victorian industrial evolution. However, Warrington, like many other towns eventually underwent 'de-industrialization'. Old manufacturing industries declined, and the bridge was abandoned in 1964, leaving it as one of only three remaining examples in the world, leading to its eventual protection on the 'scheduled ancient monument' listings to prevent its deconstruction. As the town began to catch up with the advances of modern technology, the Manchester Ship canal was increasingly busy as a result of the closure of several railway links, including the one that previously travelled to the transporter bridge. This meant that the industry began to grow along the canal away from the centre of the town. The Solvay Chemical Plant in Warrington is situated where the bank of the river Mersey almost meets the ship canal in Lower Walton. Having opened in 1948 as a producer of hydrogen Peroxide it has remained hidden away from plain sight beyond the suburbs and between the borders of Warrington and Halton. In the mid 50's the west end of Baronet road was built as a self-contained suburbia for factory workers and families to live in close proximity to the plant just 100 yards away from the main gates. The homes were regarded at the time as being well within the living standards of South Warrington and even better than the local privately owned homes, which meant that the higher ranked factory officers took pride in the street. However, the site became wholly owned by Solvay in 1992 and since the acquisition the road has fallen into disarray as the company secluded itself from the community, leaving the row of houses mostly empty as the families of the employees have passed on. The industry in the town has now almost all died out, and these houses sitting in the shadow of the factory are one of the last remaining untouched areas in the town that link the heritage of its industrial era. The grounds are now strictly considered private property, and the surrounding land of each home is now used as car parks for factory employees, a few houses were used to house temporary student workers but just one single home remains in use - an elderly lady whose husband worked at the plant from 1948-1986. Once she passes away, the entire street will be demolished and the memories of the way this place once thrived along the river will be all but forgotten.
