Wigg Island, also known as Wigg Island Community Park, is a community
park and
Local Nature Reserve in
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...
, England.
Location
It lies between the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
and the
Manchester Ship Canal in Runcorn. It is reached via The Old Quay Bridge, a
Grade II listed
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
that was built in 1894 and which crosses over the Manchester Ship Canal.
The island was originally Runcorn
saltmarsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
. When the Manchester Ship Canal was cut through Runcorn the island was physically detached from the town and stranded between the canal and the River Mersey. Wigg is not formally an
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
, as it is not surrounded on all sides by water. A strip of land separates the canal and the river. The strip ensures the canal stays in water and has a cycle path leading from Wigg to Port Warrington and
Moore Nature Reserve
Moore Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in the village of Moore in Halton, Cheshire, England. Created from an area which had included a sand quarry and farmland, and run by FCC Environment who operate the nearby Arpley landfill site, the reserve ...
.
History
The island is named after
Charles Wigg
Charles Wigg (1824 – 18 July 1899) was an English manufacturer of chemicals in Runcorn, Cheshire, England. After working as an export agent in Liverpool he joined with two managers of a Runcorn chemical factory to build what was initially kn ...
, who started an alkali works there in the 1860s to extract
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
from its
ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...
. The factory was known as "Wigg works" and in 1890 it was bought by the
United Alkali Company. This company was bought by
ICI in 1926 and the original Wigg works was closed to make way for a new chemical factory on the site.
A second factory was built by a company called the Chemical and Metallugical Corporation and in 1933 this too was bought by ICI. During the Second World War this factory became a centre for the production of
mustard gas. It was known as "Wigg Works East" and was later called Randles. After the war ICI continued operations until the 1960s, when all production ceased. The area had become heavily polluted with a diverse range of chemicals.
A community park was opened on 19 April 2002 by the Mayor of Halton and
Bill Oddie
William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist, birder, conservationist, television presenter and actor. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies.
A birder since his childhood in Quinto ...
.
Facilities
The nature reserve covers and is used by birdwatchers.
Bee Orchids are among the wild flowers found there. There is a visitor centre and a wind turbine. It is managed by Halton Borough Council. It was made a
Local Nature Reserve in 2004 and is a holder of
Keep Britain Tidy
Keep Britain Tidy is a UK-based independent environmental charity. The organisation campaigns to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste. It has offices in Wigan and London.
History
Keep Britain Tidy was originally set up by a conf ...
's Green Flag Award.
The
Mersey Gateway Bridge, opened in 2017, passes over the island.
See also
*
List of parks and open spaces in Cheshire
This is a list of parks and open spaces in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It includes urban parks, country parks, woodlands, commons, lakes, walking trails, local nature reserves and other green spaces that are open to the public. Small neigh ...
References
{{reflist
Runcorn
Local Nature Reserves in Cheshire