Report from our Talks Programme
By Peter Keen

Saltport and Marshville : Tony Barrett (Pics from www.canalarchive.org.uk)

The venue for the Society's April meeting was a complete change from the usual. Because of the extensive refurbishment of our meeting place at St. Patrick's Club in Earlestown we had to find an alternative. Thanks to the efforts of committee member Councillor Keith Morley and the generosity of Halton B.C. the Society was given the use of an excellent room at Halton Stadium. The Leader of the Council also attended and refreshments were provided, a pretty impressive event even before the speaker began.

Tony's topic title was a little reminiscent of the old west, where pioneering settlements were given names according to their surroundings. In fact there were distinct similarities in that Saltport and Marshville were settlements which owed their existence to the construction of that great pioneering project, the Manchester Ship Canal.

The canal was authorised on 6th September 1885 and the engineer, TA Walker (left) was given the job of building Britain's largest waterway. He was an experienced contractor who had already done work on Preston Docks. He had the welfare of his work force at heart and it needed housing. His response was to build a number of temporary camps along the proposed course of the canal. Cheshire examples could be found at Eastham, Ellesmere Port, Ince Village, Marshville, Weston Marsh, Acton Grange, Latchford, Stockton Heath and Thelwall, whilst no doubt there were others in Lancashire. In the year of his death, 1889, Walker employed 16,361 workers, many of whom he had housed.

Although "temporary" the camps needed to last for the length of the contract so were of timber rather than canvas.

Marshville was situated on the south bank of the Mersey Estuary just to the south west of the mouth of the River Weaver. It was the only camp (right, top) in which two storey houses were built. If the worker was married and his wife was prepared to act as housekeeper to other workers, the rent was 8 shillings per week, but a single man would pay 13 shillings. The family had its accommodation on the ground floor where a common-room was also provided, whilst the upper floor was the dormitory for the lodgers. Marshville had its own water supply and sanitation systems which were held to be of a higher standard than those of Frodsham town.

To combat drunkenness Walker provided a large Coffee House at Latchford which would seat more than 200 people. He also established a Mission Hall in each camp which, as well as providing moral guidance, also offered a range of social events such as concerts, puppet shows, magic lantern shows and sports events.

In 1878 a religious booklet which had been circulated amongst the navvies became more popular when it began to carry details of vacancies on other projects around the country. Another use of the Hall was the teaching of the workers' children. 118 teachers were employed at £1000 per annum to staff the various Halls. (Left: Thelwall Mission Hall)

In 1891 the population of Marshville was 363, housed in 35 huts, (with a further 9 at Weston Marsh Lock, Weston Point).

Census returns detailed 139 labourers, 12 engine drivers, 2 railway guards, a great many occupations connected with horses and of course the skilled tradesmen such as masons, smiths and carpenters. A breakdown of places of origin revealed 59 Welshmen, 2 Scotsmen, 1 of Irish descent, 37 Lancastrians, 33 from Cheshire, 31 from Yorkshire and 188 from 30 other English Counties. The French were also represented as they looked after the French dredgers. (These had a narrow wheel base and frequently fell over whereas the German ones were much more stable).

Walker was aware of the dangers involved in the work so provided nine first-aid posts, manned by trained first aiders. These were supervised by Liverpool Surgeon Robert Jones, based at Nelson Street, Liverpool, who, if summoned had to cross the Mersey by ferry then travel along the contractors own railway to the point of need. Three hospitals were also provided along the canal's route. Each catered for 28 beds, 20 medical and 8 surgical, with a staff of 1 Doctor, 1 Matron, 3 Nurses a cook and a handyman. An injured married man still received half pay until he was fit to work whilst a single man received quarter pay. If the injury was a bad one the worker was found lighter duties and became one of "Walker's Fragments". Incapacity did not prevent men from working, since a stone mason was on the pay-role even though he had lost a hand. Walker paid above average wages and collections from his workers for the families of those killed on the project reached very respectable sums. The family of Harry Sutton, for example, who was buried at Frodsham, received £32-2-0.

The workers suffered the usual diseases of the time such as diphtheria but 1892 saw an outbreak of smallpox introduced to Marshville by a navvy from Leeds "on the tramp". 23 cases were recorded at Acton Grange but only 6 died and the disease was contained, never reaching the other camps. Marshville was occupied between 1880 and 1894 and the site would have cost £600 to restore to agricultural use so the canal company bought the land instead. The settlement was demolished and the land used as dredging ground.

Saltport was more a collection of wharves and jetties rather than a port. It lay to the north east of Marshville on both banks of the Ship Canal at its junction with the River Weaver. Wharves catered for specific cargoes and were specially equipped to handle them. Over the years there were facilities to deal with cattle, gravel, coal and timber whilst other cargoes such as tea, tobacco and cotton could be stored in the warehousing on site. The major commodity to leave the port, unsurprisingly, was salt.

There was also some provision for passenger traffic. Ferries left in late morning for Northwich and for Eastham to connect with the Liverpool ferries. Passengers had to be very determined, brave or foolhardy at one stage since their only way from ship to shore was across floating timbers, chained together to form a somewhat precarious access.

A wharf to cater for the copper industry of Widnes and St Helens was planned but this did not materialise. There was great flexibility as the port reacted to varying demand. One wharf was constructed just to handle the stonework which went into the River Weaver sluices.

Timber was shipped in from Nova Scotia within 6 weeks of the opening of this section of the canal and this became a major import, with Saltport challenging the timber trade of Hartlepool and Hull. The wood could be unloaded in mid stream or alongside temporary wharves. To avoid damage to vessels whilst being tied up alongside the wharves, timber dolphins were constructed some distance from the bank. Having moored to these the ships would discharge timber over the side from where it would be taken to the holding areas. Vertical piles were driven into the bed of the Weaver, and timber was stored afloat, surrounded by booms of timber baulks chained together.

There was regular traffic to other ports, with a service to London leaving twice a week; a monthly service to the Mediterranean which lasted for 90 years; and regular sailings to France and Glasgow.

At this point along the Ship Canal, there was only a narrow strip of land between it and the River Mersey. There were no local crossing points so wharves on the north side of the Canal had to be provided with their own transport system. Up to 2½ miles of railway were constructed, completely isolated from the mainland, probably with an engine shed.

Problems began when the lease on the connecting rail link could not be renewed. Without rail access trade was reduced. The budget of the port was reduced by the Ship Canal Company which resulted in further difficulty and in 1894 the transhipment of cargo on the canal was banned. Space was limited and ships were being damaged so traffic was diverted to Runcorn and salt began to be carried direct to Liverpool and Manchester. There was also concern that stray timbers might damage the sluices on the Weaver, so the piles and timber storage areas were removed.

This combination of factors resulted in the decline of trade at Saltport. There were discussions on building a new town there, with the possibility of constructing a Birmingham Ship Canal, but these came to nothing. There were also proposals to build a new harbour and rail link for the G.W.R. to cater for the increasing grain traffic and to handle the top quality marine coal from South Wales but the latter went to coasters so the improvements did not materialise.

Today the site is covered with 23 feet of soil with only a few rotting wharf timbers remaining to indicate the location of a once busy port, a sorry end to an area which once provided the livelihood for so many.

Tony's presentation showed how events across the Mersey reflected national trends as small ports in inaccessible locations were superseded by the larger ones as the scale of shipping and the spread of mechanisation increased. A lively question and answer session afterwards showed how stimulating his talk was and SCARS is most grateful for his efforts.

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