56-630: Clifton Hall may refer to: Buildings [ edit ] Clifton Hall, Cheshire , an 18th-century country house in England, adjacent to Rocksavage Clifton Hall, Cumbria , a 15th-century manor house in England Clifton Hall, Nottingham , a country house in Clifton, Nottingham, England Clifton Hall (Havertown, Pennsylvania) , a historic mansion Schools [ edit ] Clifton Hall School ,
112-702: A unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Cheshire. In April 2014, Halton Borough Council joined five other local authorities in Merseyside to form the Liverpool City Region . Runcorn is in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency for representation in the House of Commons . The seat has been held by Mike Amesbury of the Labour Party since its creation for the 2024 general election . From 1997 to 2024, Runcorn
168-527: A classical quotation from Juvenal . The earliest written reference to the town is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , where it is spelled "Rumcofan", literally meaning "a wide cove or bay". This word is derived from the Old English words "rúm" ("wide" or "broad") and "cofa" ("cave" or "cove"). Other historical spellings of Runcorn include "Rumcoven", "Ronchestorn", "Runckhorne", and "Runcorne". Little
224-532: A hillside overlooking the River Weaver . Started in around 1565, the sandstone house was completed in 1568 and was one of the great Elizabethan prodigy houses of Cheshire. Hearth-tax assessments of 1674 show that it was the second largest house in the county, its fifty hearths being surpassed only by Cholmondeley House . An early 17th-century description praised the mansion's "magnificent fabric". The medieval family seat of Clifton Hall stood nearby, and
280-634: A narrowing of the River Mersey. Under Norman rule, Runcorn fell under the Barony of Halton and an Augustinian abbey was established here in 1115. It remained a small, isolated settlement until the Industrial Revolution when the extension of the Bridgewater Canal to Runcorn in 1776 established it as a port which would link Liverpool with inland Manchester and Staffordshire. The docks enabled
336-600: A new town under the New Towns Act 1946 . The ministry cited the urgent need for more housing to reduce overcrowding in Liverpool and to increase the rate of slum clearance there. Runcorn was chosen because of its strong road, rail and canal connections, ample water supply, convenient location on the Mersey Estuary for the disposal of effluent, established industry and the availability of land for more. Following objections to
392-466: A school near Edinburgh, Scotland Clifton Hall Girls' Grammar School , a former school at Clifton Hall, Nottingham, England Other [ edit ] Clifton Hall Colliery , at Clifton, Greater Manchester (historically in Lancashire), England Clifton A. Hall (1826–1913), Rhode Island architect See also [ edit ] Clifton (disambiguation)#Historic sites Topics referred to by
448-568: Is Halton Borough Council for which the town is divided into nine electoral wards , each electing three councillors. At the time of the Domesday survey, Runcorn was in the hundred of Tunendune, but later, and until the early 19th century, Runcorn was part of the Bucklow hundred. Under the Runcorn Improvement Act 1852, a board of Improvement Commissioners was established to administer
504-448: Is Sherwood Sandstone and pebbly sandstone. To the south there is a transition to siltstone, sandstone and predominantly Mercia Mudstone . The primary sedimentary rock is New Red Sandstone . The superficial geology is varied with pockets of sand and diamicton along the lower-lying land adjacent to the Mersey and through Runcorn. Sand and gravel becomes common on the southern fringes of
560-604: Is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton , Cheshire , England. Its population in 2021 was 62,100. Runcorn is on the southern bank of the River Mersey , where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap . It lies on the southern shore of the River Mersey 15 miles (24 km) upstream from the port of Liverpool. Runcorn was founded by Æthelflæd of Mercia in 915 AD as a fortification to guard against Viking invasion at
616-641: Is crossed by three bridges: Runcorn Railway Bridge (which carries the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line), the Silver Jubilee Bridge and the Mersey Gateway which carries the A533 . A system of dual carriageways called 'expressways' form a figure of 8 around the town. The Central Expressway runs through the centre of the town in a north–south direction and is the main through-road. It connects to
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#1732873238745672-506: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Rocksavage Rocksavage or Rock Savage was an Elizabethan mansion in Cheshire , England, which served as the primary seat of the Savage family . The house lies in ruins, at SJ526799 in Clifton (now a district of Runcorn ). Built in the 1560s for Sir John Savage, Rocksavage was one of
728-472: Is generally high, but there are open green areas, in particular heathland on Runcorn Hill and the extensive Town Park created as part of the new town. Housing is typically situated within the expressways and industry outside. The Runcorn area drains into the River Mersey to the north and the River Weaver to the south. The bedrock geology of the River Mersey and the northern and western fringes of Runcorn
784-498: Is known about the early history of the settlement but isolated findings of objects from the Stone , Bronze , and Iron Ages have been made and there is evidence of a Roman presence in the area. The first recorded event in its history is the building by Æthelflæd of a fortification at Runcorn to protect the northern frontier of her kingdom of Mercia against the Vikings in 915. The fort
840-651: The M56 motorway which cuts into the south of the town. To the west of the Central Expressway lies the Old Town of Runcorn, Higher Runcorn, Weston , Weston Point and Clifton (formerly Rocksavage), and the new town estates of Halton Brook and Halton Lodge. To the east are the formerly separate villages of Halton and Norton , and the new town estates of Castlefields, Palacefields, Windmill Hill, Murdishaw, Brookvale, Hallwood Park, Beechwood and Sandymoor . The density of housing
896-513: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 : Runcorn Hill, Dorchester Park, Oxmoor Woods, Wigg Island and Murdishaw Valley. Early census statistics for the town include only the areas known now as the Old Town and Higher Runcorn. In 1936, Runcorn Urban District grew to incorporate the neighbouring village of Weston. The present statistical boundaries of Runcorn were defined in
952-630: The Reform Act 1832 , Runcorn was in the constituency of Cheshire which was represented by two Members of Parliament . Following the Reform Act, the town was placed in the North Cheshire constituency and from 1868 in the Mid Cheshire constituency. From 1885 to 1950 the town was in the constituency of Northwich . The constituency of Runcorn was created by a 1948 Act of Parliament and Dennis Vosper
1008-514: The Runcorn to Latchford Canal linking with the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, and the Weston Canal which gave better access to the Weaver Navigation system. Industries began to develop within and around the town, in particular shipbuilding, engineering, chemical manufacturing, tanning, and sandstone quarrying. Towards the end of the 18th century and in the early years of the 19th century,
1064-474: The Silver Jubilee Bridge ) which allowed a more efficient means of road traffic across Runcorn Gap. During the first half of the 20th century, the industry of the town continued to be dominated by chemicals and tanning. This growth was largely due to government fixed-priced cost contracts for tanned hides. In 1926, four chemical companies merged to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). During
1120-472: The royalist side during the Civil War ; Rocksavage was ransacked by parliamentarian forces, and the roof and part of the walls were destroyed. The first Duke of Monmouth stayed at Rocksavage on 13 September 1682 as a guest of Thomas Savage, 3rd Earl Rivers , while touring Cheshire to assess support for a faction opposed to Charles II . The estate passed by marriage to James Barry, Earl of Barrymore in
1176-406: The 1070s. In 1115, Nigel's son, William Fitznigel, founded an Augustinian Priory at Runcorn . In 1134, the priory was moved to Norton, about 3.5 mi (6 km) away. In 1391, the priory was raised to the higher status of abbey . In 1536, the monastery was dissolved , and around nine years later, the buildings and some of the monastic lands were sold to Sir Richard Brooke who converted
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#17328732387451232-517: The Cholmondeley family and the principal seat of the combined estate became Cholmondeley House ; the empty house soon decayed and was already in ruins by 1782. The Marquesses of Cholmondeley use the courtesy title Earl of Rocksavage , one of their subsidiary titles , for heirs apparent to the marquessate . The design of the Elizabethan mansion was a quadrangle of four bays in
1288-625: The Gestapo Black Book as a company of special interest but although the works at Weston Point were discussed at Luftwaffe briefings in 1940, the town was never deliberately targeted and was subject only to very limited bombing. In September 1963, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government published a draft of the Runcorn New Town (Designation) Order which would allocate 7,750 acres (3,140 ha) in and around Runcorn for development of
1344-495: The Old Town centre, now designated a smaller 'district centre'. The plan sought to increase public open space, reduce shopping provision, rationalise roads and renew housing stock. It also included plans to widen the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge from two to four lanes and create a new system of junctions between the bridge and the expressway. The masterplan was amended for the second and final time in 1975. Amendment No.2 extended
1400-465: The River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal at Runcorn: the Silver Jubilee Bridge , Mersey Gateway , and Runcorn Railway Bridge . Its location between Liverpool and Manchester and its links to the rail, motorway and canal networks have made it a centre for manufacturing, logistics, and wholesale and retail. The town's motto is Navem Mercibus Implere (Latin for "fill the ship with goods"),
1456-468: The Runcorn New Town (Designation) Order 1964 which greatly expanded the town to the east. The population of Runcorn in 1664 has been estimated as 305. In the 2021 census , 52.5% said they were Christian , down from 70.1% in 2011. 41.5% stated that they had "no religion" and 4.6% made no religious claims. Those stating their religions as Buddhist , Hindu , Jewish , Muslim , Sikh or other amounted to 1.3%. The town's Anglican churches are part of
1512-530: The Urban District Council and existing traders. The new Halton site was favoured and Shopping City opened in 1972. However, the Urban District Council secured a commitment from the Development Corporation to continue a programme of regeneration which the council had already begun. In 1971, the Development Corporation published Master Plan Amendment No.1 which focused on the urban renewal of
1568-655: The West Bank area of Widnes; together these form Runcorn Gap, a narrowing of the River Mersey. The town is bounded to the southwest by the Weaver Navigation ; to the south by the Chester–Manchester and Crewe–Liverpool railway lines; and to the east by the West Coast Main Line until the village of Moore . A series of valleys is formed by high points at Runcorn Hill (75m AOD ), Halton Castle (75m AOD), Windmill Hill (70m AOD) and Keckwick Hill (75m AOD). Runcorn Gap
1624-469: The civil government of the town. By the Local Government Act 1894 , the administration of the town and the surrounding areas was divided into Runcorn Urban District and Runcorn Rural District . Initially the urban district consisted of only the built-up area of Runcorn itself. By 1937, this area had been extended to include the communities of Weston and Weston Point to the south. In 1964, Runcorn
1680-494: The draft order, a public Local Inquiry was held at Runcorn from 10 to 12 December 1963. The subsequent report accepted the location in principle and the proposed population of 90,000. It did, however, recommend that 500 acres (200 ha) around the village of Sutton Weaver to the south of the Chester–Manchester and Crewe–Liverpool railway lines be excluded from the designated area, partly to preserve its highly productive agricultural land. The minister, Keith Joseph , accepted
1736-433: The early 18th century. Further buildings were constructed higher up the hill by Lord Barrymore, possibly by the architect Henry Sephton . Now known as Clifton Hall, these might have been intended as a replacement for Rocksavage or as service buildings for the main mansion. A few years after these buildings were erected, Rocksavage was abandoned after the 4th earl 's daughter and heiress, Lady Penelope Barry , married into
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1792-499: The expressway further to the east and redesignated land at Sandymoor intended for industrial use to residential. The Runcorn Development Corporation merged with Warrington Development Corporation on 1 April 1981 and was wound up on 30 September 1989. Much of the architecture of the new town was innovative, especially the Southgate development designed by Sir James Stirling and built between 1970 and 1977. Stirling's housing development
1848-584: The great Elizabethan houses of the county, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house ; in 1674, it was the second largest house in Cheshire. James I visited in 1617. The house was abandoned after it passed into the Cholmondeley family early in the 18th century, and by 1782 only ruins remained. Rocksavage comprised a sandstone quadrangle around a central courtyard, with paired octagonal towers flanking
1904-401: The growth of industry, initially shipwrights and sandstone quarries. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was a spa and health resort but this ended with the growth of polluting industries, especially soap and chemical works. In 1964, Runcorn was designated a new town and expanded eastward, swallowing neighbouring settlements and more than doubling its population. Three bridges span
1960-509: The habitable part of the abbey into a house. In 1565, Rocksavage , an Elizabethan Hall, was constructed for Sir John Savage in Clifton, now part of Runcorn. During the Civil War , Halton Castle was held for the Royalists by John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers , the Steward of Halton. It fell twice to Parliamentarian Roundheads . The first siege was led by Sir William Brereton in 1643; the second
2016-645: The local red sandstone, built around a central courtyard, and was symmetrical but not classical. The main entrance was a gateway flanked by octagonal towers with domed tops and bridged by a crenellated wall. The towers are prominent in an engraving of the ruins, after Peter de Wint , which dates from around 1818 and appears in George Ormerod 's The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester . Brereton Hall , built some twenty years later by Sir John Savage's ward and son-in-law Sir William Brereton ,
2072-407: The main entrance. Only fragments of its garden and orchard walls are still standing; they are listed as Grade II . The Savage family were important Cheshire landowners from the late 1370s, when the family acquired lands at Clifton by the marriage of John Savage (d. 1386) to Margaret Danyers. Sir John Savage (d. 1597) built a new house at Clifton, which came to be known as Rock Savage, on
2128-570: The north bank of the River Mersey. During the 18th century, water transport had been improved in the area by the Mersey and Irwell Navigation , the Bridgewater Canal and the Trent and Mersey Canal . This gave Runcorn waterway connections with most of the interior of England through the canal system and with the sea along the River Mersey, thus forming the basis for the development of the Port of Runcorn. Later came
2184-451: The only means of crossing the River Mersey at this point had been by the Runcorn ferry. Thomas Telford proposed a 1,000 ft (300 m) single span suspension bridge as early as 1817, but it was not until 1868 that the first bridge, Runcorn Railway Bridge , was opened across the Mersey at Runcorn. This gave the town direct rail links with Liverpool and the rest of the country. Runcorn
2240-482: The port of Runcorn. The rise in population between 1881 and 1891 and the drop by 1901 is explained by the number of people involved in constructing the ship canal. In 1905, the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge opened, giving a direct link for vehicular traffic for the first time between the two towns. This would not be replaced until 1961 with the construction of Runcorn Road Bridge (since renamed
2296-471: The report's recommendations and the designation order was made on 10 April 1964. The new town masterplan of 1967 more than doubled the population as it encompassed neighbouring settlements and created new housing estates to the south and east. The key features of the new town were its unique housing and estate designs, segregated pedestrian pathways, Busway , extensive landscaped green space, separate industrial areas and new town centre. The new town centre
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2352-420: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Clifton Hall . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clifton_Hall&oldid=988262939 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2408-475: The second half of the 20th century, the tanneries closed (the last to close was the Highfield Tannery in the late 1960s) and the chemical industry declined. At the same time, light industry developed together with warehouses and distribution centres. In 1937, ICI began to build a new factory for mustard gas production at their Randle plant on Wigg Island . The ICI chemical plants at Runcorn featured in
2464-454: The town and elsewhere there are small pockets of clay, silt, sand and gravel. There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the town: Floodbrook Clough and the Mersey Estuary. Floodbrook Clough in Beechwood is an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland and one of the best examples in Cheshire of clough woodland on keuper marl . There are five Local Nature Reserves designated under
2520-596: The town was a health resort. The growth of industry did not diminish Runcorn's late 18th and early 19th century reputation as a health resort and the "Montpelier of England". In 1822 the town's first Saltwater Baths opened followed by new visitor accommodation in Belvedere Terrace in 1831. In the middle of the century, the growing wealth of the town and its industrialists saw the construction of several new landmarks, including Halton Grange , St Paul's Methodist Chapel and All Saints' Church . For hundreds of years,
2576-561: Was becoming an industrialised and highly polluted town. During the later 19th century the town became increasingly dominated by the chemical and tanning industries. In the 1880s a pipeline was opened between Northwich and Weston Point, supplying brine to the salt works and in 1896 the Castner Kellner chemical works was established. In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was opened throughout its length. This allowed ocean-going ships to travel inland as far as Salford , some of them calling at
2632-668: Was beset with problems and it was demolished in the early 1990s. In 2002, the Castlefields Partnership (made up of English Partnerships and Halton Borough Council) was created to comprehensively redevelop the Castlefields estate, including the demolition of over 700 deck access flats. Runcorn is unparished with the exception of Sandymoor , and a large part of the Whitehouse Industrial Estate which falls under Preston Brook Parish Council. The local authority
2688-501: Was built on Castle Rock overlooking the River Mersey at Runcorn Gap. Following the Norman conquest , Runcorn was not mentioned in the 1086 Domesday survey, although surrounding settlements were. William the Conqueror granted the earldom of Chester to Hugh d'Avranches who granted the barony of Halton to Nigel. It is likely that Nigel erected a motte and bailey castle on Halton Hill in
2744-515: Was designated as a New Town and greatly expanded so that by 1971 it had grown to incorporate the village of Halton. Runcorn Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 when it merged with the Municipal Borough of Widnes and parts of Runcorn Rural District and Whiston Rural District to form the Borough of Halton under Halton Borough Council and Cheshire County Council . In 1998, Halton Borough Council became
2800-418: Was designated at the geographical heart of the expanded town with Shopping City , an American style enclosed mall, as its focus. This was a source of conflict between Arthur Ling , the new town Master Planner, and Fred Roche , Chief Architect. Whereas Ling envisaged a centre reminiscent of a citadel or acropolis at the base of Halton Castle, Roche preferred to expand the existing town centre, partly to placate
2856-472: Was during the following year. Following this, a "Council of War" was held in Warrington in 1646 at which it was decided that the castle should be slighted . In 1656, Runcorn was described as being "nothing but a fair parish church, a parsonage and a few scattered tenements". And so it remained for over a century, an isolated and poor hamlet. The only through traffic used the ferry which crossed from Runcorn to
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#17328732387452912-583: Was modelled on Rocksavage and copied its paired octagonal towers. Unlike Brereton Hall, the string courses of the Rocksavage towers extended around the adjoining walls. The last major remnant of the house fell in around 1980. Only the orchard gateposts and fragments of garden and orchard walls now remain near the Weaver Viaduct over the M56 in Runcorn ; they are designated by Historic England as Grade II- listed . The 18th-century Clifton Hall
2968-623: Was originally a U-shaped brick building with prominent stone pilasters . One arm of the has been demolished and the remnants are now surrounded by farm buildings. The house gave its name to a riverside area downstream of Clifton, now within the Weston area of Runcorn . In this area are Rocksavage Power Station and Rocksavage Works, a chemical plant built by ICI and now owned by Ineos , which in its heyday employed 6,000. 53°18′55″N 2°42′49″W / 53.3153°N 2.7135°W / 53.3153; -2.7135 Runcorn Runcorn
3024-491: Was retained as farm and service buildings. John Savage's son, also named John (1554–1615) was the Seneschal of Halton Castle , and also served at various times as a Member of Parliament for Cheshire , Mayor of Chester and High Sheriff of Cheshire . James I dined at Rocksavage with his retinue on 21 August 1617 on his way to Vale Royal Abbey and Chester . John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers (1603–1654), declared for
3080-456: Was split between the two constituencies of Weaver Vale and Halton . Prior to their abolition, those seats were held by Mike Amesbury and Derek Twigg respectively, both of the Labour Party . While Halton was a safe Labour seat since its creation in 1983, Weaver Vale was a marginal seat and switched between the Labour and Conservative parties several times since its creation in 1997. Before
3136-420: Was the first to be elected to the seat in 1950. In 1964, he was succeeded by Mark Carlisle who held the seat until the constituency of Runcorn was abolished in 1983 and split between the constituencies of Halton and Warrington South . Runcorn is situated on a spur projecting into the River Mersey, which flows to the north and then to the west of the town. On the north bank of the river is another spur forming
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