Runcorn

For other uses, see Runcorn (disambiguation).

Runcorn
Town
Coat of arms
Runcorn is located in Cheshire
Runcorn
Runcorn
Location within Cheshire
Population62,100 (2021)[1]
DemonymRuncornian
OS grid referenceSJ 5140 8300
• London167 mi (269 km)[2] SE
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townRUNCORN
Postcode districtWA7
Dialling code01928
PoliceCheshire
FireCheshire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Cheshire
53°20′30″N 2°43′53″W / 53.3417°N 2.7313°W / 53.3417; -2.7313

Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Its population in 2021 was 62,100.[1] 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.[3]

Runcorn was founded by Æthelflæd of Mercia in 915 AD as a fortification to guard against Viking invasion at a narrowing of the River Mersey.[4] Under Norman rule, Runcorn fell under the Barony of Halton and an Augustinian abbey was established here in 1115.[5] 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.[6] The docks enabled 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.[7] In 1964, Runcorn was designated a new town and expanded eastward, swallowing neighbouring settlements and more than doubling its population.[8]

Three bridges span 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.[9] The town's motto is Navem Mercibus Implere (Latin for "fill the ship with goods"), a classical quotation from Juvenal.[10]

  1. ^ a b "Area profile for Runcorn". Office for National Statistics - Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". boulter.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Runcorn | Industrial Town, River Mersey, Cheshire | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ Nickson 1887, pp. 6–13.
  5. ^ Greene 1989, pp. 1–9.
  6. ^ Starkey 1983, pp. 19–24. and Starkey 1990, pp. 125–130.
  7. ^ Starkey 1990, pp. 133–137.
  8. ^ Ling, Arthur (1967). Runcorn New Town Master Plan (PDF). Runcorn Development Corporation. OCLC 311425. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  9. ^ Halton Borough Council. "2011 Census Halton key statistics profile" (PDF). Census and Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Runcorn – Coat of arms (crest) of Runcorn". Heraldry of the World. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2018.