Wallerscote Island

For anyone travelling into Northwich from Runcorn/Warrington area a good few years ago it seemed your were right in the depth of the glorious chechire countryside and as you head through Barnton you come round a bend at the top of the hill and BLAM your eyes are blown apart by the old ICI Wallerscote works a massive 90 acre soda ash manufacturing site the biggest part of the works has been pulled down and this year the urban village has started to be built - 1500 houses.
All thats really left is Wallerscote island a soda ash storage facility that comprises of 5 concrete storage silos, conveyor and redler systems for transporting soda ash in and out used to go by rail or ship now only bulk tankers and its current licence runs for another year by which time most of the urban village will be spreading across towards the island section, talks are that the island will be pulled down and the exectuive housing will be built.

Worked on this plant years and years ago, the soda ash would float everywhere and attach itself to your clothing and neck line especially if you got a sweat on, the conveyor and redlers (big metal buckets or plates drawn around on a chain system) would hammer your ears 24/7 not a nice place to work but the money was one of the best in the area.

Off to the right is the old Red Lion pub now an antiques place in its day it was a scruffy pub and alledgely the workers used a rowing boat to get across the river for a lunch time pint, when the coaster ships used to tie up while being loaded plenty of tales as to what went on during the night shifts on the ships (all obviously very untrue).
Will try and catch some blips of the Island before it gets pulled down from a number of angles, todays was an early morning shot looks like its going to be a nice day