Waters divided

I am standing at the western end of Wigg Island in Runcorn. It’s a country park, a long way from its past as the site of a chemical factory making amongst other products mustard gas.

There are two water bodies in this image. To the right is the River Mersey, which at this point is unnavigable. When I first arrived here there were extensive mudflats, which here are submerged. To the left is the Manchester Ship Canal, which is separated from the river through Runcorn by a big wall and embankment. Wigg Island sits between the canal and river.

During my visit I walked alongside fragments of the Runcorn and Latchford Canal. This connected the Mersey and the Irwell navigation, but the building of the Ship Canal made it redundant.

The image is a colour one, although the thick cloud has leached much of the colour out of the scene. It continues to be a mild January.