Mersey Street Yard

Occupying the area which eventually became the western end of Old Quay Yard, this shipyard was first recorded as under the ownership of William Wright and Charles Hickson from around 1802. Wright later continued in business independently at the site whilst Hickson continued his business elsewhere (including at Weston Point and Ellesmere Port). Wright had previously been a partner in the firm of Wylde, Mather & Co., along with the two named gentlemen and a James Riding. This firm was formally dissolved on St. George's Day, 1799. Perhaps their yard was this one at Mersey Street?

Eventually the yard passed by marriage to Dennis Brundrit who went on to build the largest shipbuilding business in Runcorn (through various changes over the years, from Brundrit & Whiteway to Brundrit & Co.). The business eventually took over the adjacent yard of John Sothern & Co. (sometimes rendered as "Southern"). This latter facility was previously occupied by Okell & Webster (and Okell alone prior to that).

When the Manchester Ship Canal was built, large ships could no longer be launched from Runcorn due to the gantry wall being too close to the yards along Mersey Street and Church Street (which followed a similar line to today's Mersey Road). Around the same time Brundrit's went out of business and the their facilities were subsumed into the new Old Quay Yard. The slipway was rebuilt and became the public slipway for Runcorn as recompense for the loss of shipbuilding there.

The photograph, care of Ken Stubbs, shows the schooner DESPATCH being launched from the Brundrit yard in 1886.