Elsewhere in Runcorn

There were many other places in Runcorn with shipwrights in business, although the main shipyards were always along the stretch from Old Quay to Castlerock.

One such place was the body of water off the Bridgewater Canal known as Big Pool. All that remains of the pool today is a pond beside Heath Road and an arm of the canal snaking around the islet that forms the base for the Bridgewater Motor Boat Club (BMBC). But Big Pool was once home to several boat yards.

The picture above (again, care of "Mr. Salty Dog") shows the largest of these in its centre: Victoria Yard. Also known as Runcorn Yard, this facility was built for the Bridgewater Department of the MSC Co. and was considered to be the finest boat yard in the country. It was known locally as the "Sprinch Yard" due to the brook that ran from the area down to Old Gut in what today is The Deck residential complex. The workers usually knew her as "Top Yard", to differentiate from "Bottom Yard": Old Quay at the foot of the brook. The entire islet was given over to this facility, which had four graving (or "dry") docks (two of them double size) and building berths on the banks. There was also a slipway at the bottom of Jackson's Lane and this was later taken over by the yard also. Today it is the home of the BMBC, who use the remaining graving dock and slipway (non-patent) for repair of members' boats.

The Bridgewater Canal runs along the bottom of the photograph and the top left of the shot shows the yard of Messrs. Simpson, Davies. This was off Heath Road and on Big Pool proper, as accessed by the arm coming off the Bridgewater Canal to the right of the picture (which is today a dead end, curving around the BMBC HQ and serving as berthings). On the opposite bank was the Albion Yard (which at one time belonged to the Speakman firm of Castlerock). Out of shot at the the top would have been the yard of Samuel Taylor. There were other firms too and the whole area was a busy nautical scene.

The photograph at the top left was taken by the author and shows the dry dock of the BMBC.

The next one down was also taken by the author and shows the Blue Plaque now on display at the entrance road to the boat club.

The photo below that of the plaque shows the JENNY LIND at the graving grid that used to be at Bridgewater Docks (today known as Runcorn Docks). There were several facilities here for ship building and repair, including "Big House Dry Dock" which lay beside Bridgewater House (the "Big House") and was, in the early days of the docks there, the centre of Duke's Yard (where the Duke of Bridgewater had vessels built and repaired for his own use). This area was latterly known as "Bottom Locks Yard" and was another busy locale for Runcorn shipwrights. There was also a boat yard along the old line of locks leading from the Bridgewater Canal to the Manchester Ship Canal which was used by various firms over the years. This yard was on the Sevastopol Arm and had a patent slipway. At the top of those locks was a further graving dock (known as "Packet Dry Dock"). This was used by the Bridgewater concern and later the Bridgewater Department of the MSC Co. as well as by various other shipwrights who were based at Top Locks (another busy centre of maritime trade in Runcorn, both as a transhipment port and as an area busy with boat building & repair). This picture is care of Percy Dumbavand.

There were other yards along the length of the Bridgewater Canal, at Weston Point, and at Sutton Dock (where the Weaver Boat Club is now based). The latter is the subject of the last two photographs (taken by the author in the early 2000s) and was owned by Richard Abel of Castlerock before passing to the boat club now there.

The first of these pictures shows the foot of the slipway and the basin, looking out towards the Weaver Navigation (which flows across the top of the screen beyond the small footbridge just visible in the distance) and with the factories of Anville Point to the right. The second shot is looking back up the slip to a narrowboat undergoing work.