The Sites Today

Little evidence of the shipyards remains today but at Castlerock there is, at least, the Blue Plaque to remind us. Both Castlerock and Belvedere Yards offer very little although the remains of a slipway can be seen to the west of The Deck residential complex to indicate the existence of the latter. A photograph of this, looking roughly east towards the site of Old Quay, appears near the bottom of this page, after those from around The Deck. The remnants of the last slipway at Castlerock can be seen in the final few shots on this page. Stand on the promontory that was once the footings of the transporter bridge, and look towards the west; the last slipway was between that spot and the road bridge and its remains can be seen entering the water if you zoom in with a camera or other optical device.

The Deck has been built on the site of Old Quay Yard and a visit there will reveal some part of her history.

The pictures here (all taken by the author) show the best of it.

Above is a shot of the last remaining slipway: The old MSC No. 2 Slip. Across the No. 2 Slip Basin to what used to be called No. 2 Slipway Arm, we see the remains of the seven ways of the former patent slipway. All the working gear has now been removed and they are simply rails disappearing into the water now, just as are those at the former Belvedere Yard. The entrance to the basin can be seen and so too the outer wall, the outside of which used to be a berth for smaller vessels. It was known as Stubbs' Wall after the ship repair business that flourished at this slip for several decades.

The photgraph on the left, above, is taken from on the slipway looking back towards the first block of flats at The Deck and shows most of the basin. That part of the yard used to be No. 1 Slipway Arm and it was the site of the Mersey & Irwell Co. Yard that is described on the page about Old Quay Yard.

The photo below that is taken from that promontory looking towards the Blue Plaque dedicated to Old Quay Yard (being read by my father, Ian Ratcliffe). The former entrance to No. 1 Slipway Basin was in the area between the first and second blocks of flats. This basin was where the inlet known as Old Gut used to be.

A close-up of where vessels used to enter the basin is the focus of the next picture.

The next shot is of the Blue Plaque.

Then comes the aforementioned remnants of Belvedere Yard, seen in a further photo by the author.

The final three shots focus on the remnants of Castlerock Yard and her last slipway. The first was taken by Peter Blackmore from the railway bridge (during an official, organised, visit). It shows the promontory now used as a viewing platform at the small park on Runcorn Waterfront (along from the statue dedicated to Ethelfleda, with her as the figurehead in a ship designed to represent the arch of the road bridge). To the right is where the yard used to be. Castlerock Yard stretched between the former transporter bridge and the railway bridge but was shifted to the east of that area with the building of the road bridge. This meant that the former patent slipway was removed and a new one built beside the transporter. This is the one whose remains can be seen today. To the left of the viewing platform is Ferry Hut and further left, at the end of the shot, is where Belvedere Yard was.

The last two shots are by the author and were taken from the viewing platform, looking west. The second shows the close up and reveals one of the ways of the slip disappearing into the Ship Canal.