Editing Runcorn Docks (section)

===Early development===
[[File:Runcorn Dock.jpg|thumb|300px|Docks on the River Mersey at Runcorn in the late 18th century]]

It is possible that a small [[Roman Empire|Roman]] port existed on the [[River Mersey]] at Runcorn.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nickson|1887|p=4.}}</ref> But the development of a port of any significance did not start until the [[Bridgewater Canal]] was extended to Runcorn in 1776. A line of ten [[Lock (water transport)|locks]] was built from 1771–1773 to connect the Runcorn basin of the canal at 21.3m [[Ordnance datum|AOD]] with the River Mersey at 3.7m AOD.<ref name=bridgewater250>{{cite book |last1=Nevell |first1=Michael |year=2012 |chapter=The Bridgewater Canal in Cheshire: Recent Archaeological Investigations |editor1-last=Nevell |editor1-first=MD |editor2-last=Wyke |editor2-first=T |title=Bridgewater 250. The Archaeology of the World's First Industrial Canal |url=http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/22683/1/SUAAS1_Chapter_10_Bridgewater_in_Cheshire_MN_V9a.pdf |location=Salford |publisher=Centre for Applied Archaeology, University of Salford |pages=93–104 |isbn=9780956594716 |access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref> Close to this point, the [[Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater|Duke of Bridgewater]] built [[Bridgewater House, Runcorn|Bridgewater House]] from which to supervise the work.<ref name=st13>{{Harvnb|Starkey |1983|p=13.}}</ref> To the west of this area he built a dock ('Old Dock'), which opened in 1791.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mather|1970|p=xvii.}}</ref> By 1825, a second flight of locks was constructed to deal with the volume of traffic. Together, this complex was known as the Bridgewater Docks.<ref name=bridgewater250/>

[[File:Bridgewater House, Runcorn.jpg|thumb|Bridgewater House in 2004]]

Two further docks were developed on neighbouring Runcorn waterways: [[Weston Point Docks]] on the [[River Weaver|Weston Canal]] in 1810, and Old Quay Docks on the [[Runcorn to Latchford Canal]] in 1826.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nickson|1887|p=162.}}</ref> Thus the port of Runcorn comprised three separate companies: the [[Bridgewater Canal#Bridgewater Trustees|Bridgewater Trustees]], the Mersey and Irwell Company, and the Weaver Trustees.<ref name=st41>{{Harvnb|Starkey |1983|p=41.}}</ref>

In the early years of the 19th century, the amount of cargo passing through the docks steadily increased. From 1816 to 1834, the Bridgewater Dock increased its trade from 76,000 tons to 118,000 tons, and the Mersey and Irwell from 90,000 tons to 135,000 tons.<ref>{{Harvnb|Starkey |1983|p=39.}}</ref> To cope with this increased business, the Bridgewater Trustees built a new dock, Francis Dock, which opened in 1843.<ref>{{Harvnb|Starkey |1990|p=179.}}</ref>  In 1844, the Mersey and Irwell Company was purchased by the Trustees of the Bridgewater Canal.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mather|1970|p=163.}}</ref>

[[File:Tide dock.jpg|thumb|left|Tidal dock at the end of the Bridgewater Canal in 2004]]