Weston, Halton
History
Weston was formerly a township in the parish of Runcorn. In 1866, Weston became a separate civil parish, and on 1 April 1936, the parish was abolished and merged with Runcorn. In 1931, the parish had a population of 3,783.
Geography
Weston overlooks the River Mersey, and the Manchester Ship Canal hugs the bank on the Weston side of the river; the River Weaver joins the Mersey south of Weston. The village is separated from a large Ineos chemical plant by the Weston Point Expressway. The Rocksavage area is named for the house of the same name which was built by the Savage family in the 1560s and fell into ruin in the 18th century.
Notable buildings
The Grade II* listed St John the Evangelist's Church, built of sandstone in 1897, is described by Historic England as "a bold and original design".
Industry
ICI's Castner-Kellner Works made trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene (tetrachloroethylene) and PVC.
Rocksavage Works, built by ICI from 1938, made chlorinated methane products, and fluorocarbons for aerosol products, under the Arcton trade name. Now owned by Ineos, the works employed 6,000 in its heyday.
Rocksavage Power Station, a gas-fired station opened in 1998, supplies power to the works and the local area.
References
- ^ "History of Weston, in Halton and Cheshire". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ "Relationships and changes Weston CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ "Population statistics Weston CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ^ Historic England. "Remains of Rock Savage (1330365)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Historic England. "Parish Church of St John the Evangelist (1130422)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Jordan, Barbara (10 November 2016). "ICI workers relive golden memories". Runcorn and Widnes World. Retrieved 24 July 2023.