Old Photos of the Warrington Area.

[algy]

Many of these photograph?s may be available

from the Warrington Museum/Library and will

be of far superior quality to those viewed here.

Anyone having any issue with the displaying

of these photographs due to copyright or

ownership infringement please contact me either by PM.

or through the Moderators and I shall

remove them immediately.

 

Latchford, Knutsford Rd. Railway Bridge, 1889.

 

Latchford Station with the bank for the deviation railway in the background - 5th May 1890, the railway bridge on the far right is at a later stage of construction than the previous photo.

 

Lumb Brook cutting looking toward Latchford - 5th May 1890,. This the site where the brook will flow into the canal.

 

Mersey diversion (left). Runcorn & Latchford (Old Quay) canal foreground, viewed from the Twelve Arches - 22nd April 1893.

 

Northwich Rd swingbridge.

 

Stockton Heath, (Wilderspool), start of the canal excavation. 5th May 1890.

 

Walton Twelve Arches Bridge - 5th May - 1890. The arch of the steel girder bridge can be seen over the top of the stone bridge.

 

5th May 1890. The new Walton railway deviation bridge carrying the main London to Glasgow line is in the foreground.

 

Walton Arches & the L&NW Railway as seen from Morley Common - 5th May 1890.

[Peter T]

Absolutely FANTASTIC. Could they build like that today? NO!!!!!

[Bazj]

well they couldn't build like that now because they would be tied up in red tape, insurance liabilities, risk assessments, method statements, hi-viz jackets, hard hats, gloves, boots, glasses....etc.....etc....

[P J]

well they couldn't build like that now because they would be tied up in red tape, insurance liabilities, risk assessments, method statements, hi-viz jackets, hard hats, gloves, boots, glasses....etc.....etc....

 

That probably explains why so many workers died during its construction.

[Mary]

Thank you for sharing them Algy

[Dizzy]

Great photo's Algy. On a down note (as PJ mentions) I wonder just how many people did die during the building of the canal and it's bridges.

 

I wonder how many of them would have suvived the task had they had the tools and equipment we have today even without all the red tape and H&S regulations we now have.

 

People seemed to have more sense years ago so I recon they would have been ok with what we have... and no stupid adverts for no win no fee imaginary claims eh

 

Ones things for sure despite all the knowledge, equipment and supplies we have today our buildings or feats of engineering don't seem to last as long as those of past decades... but then of course that's probably intentional

[P J]

There were over a hundred killed Dizzy but for the days standards this was acceptable or even low. 3 lives per mile seems a lot to me though.

[Dizzy]

Well I expected it to be a lot higher than that PJ considering what they had to do and the enormity and timescale of the whole job.

 

I would imagine just as many died in the factories and other professions of years ago.

 

Call me heartless but I don't think 100 deaths is that bad considering

[P J]

But the point was that it wouldn't happen today so at least we have improved on the health and safety aspect of construction. Despite the whinging from various sources at having to wear ppe etc. Next time you walk along the canal every 500 metres imagine that this point is where your Dad,husband,brother or son died and it will probably seem like a lot more deaths.

[Dizzy]

Well as my Dad, husband (other half as non legal substitute), brother or son weren't alive then PJ thankfully it's a bit hard to imagine that.

 

I do see what you are saying but how many died everywhere else in the same 7 year period.. you didn't answer that. How many died through accidents in other fields of work or through disease, lack of health care, food etc etc ?

 

I bet it was more than 100

 

I still think 100 deaths during the construction of the canal was low considereing what they did and how they did it ...

 

I wonder how long it would take if they had to do it all from scratch today... and I wonder if like then the estimated cost would treble too

 

What they did was a fantasic feat of engineering and to think their swing bridges, static bridges and locks are still being used today is pretty impressive eh ?

[P J]

Like I said Dizzy by the days standards it was an acceptable, even low death toll given the conditions the people worked in. By todays standards the site wouldn't have been allowed to kill so many of its workers regardless how fine a construction it was. The amount of people who died in other ways during the period of construction isn't really relevent to the discussion. In todays terms the canal would have cost approx 1.3 billion pounds, a lot of money for a big ditch.

[Dizzy]

Well I think it's relevant to the discussion PJ... so how many people died in the factories, workhouses, tanneries, during other construction work etc etc over the same period of time

 

You don't know do you

[P J]

I doubt that anyone does Dizzy to be honest, records were scarce to nonexistant such was the low value placed on workers lives. A question for you Dizzy. How manty people died yesterday in factories etc.?

[Dizzy]

I don't know PJ but I am talking about then not now

 

But maybe due to lack of records it was indeed far more than the recorded deaths for the canal so therefore it was safer (at the time) to work on the canal that elsewhere....

 

Return question for you ... how many people (in total) worked on all areas of the MSC over it's full time of construction ?

[Peter T]

And into the valley of death---

 

Hardly relevant PJ. You can use the same thought for everything in life.

How many people died from smoking Woodbines or Capstan Full Strength? and how many die now from smoking tipped cigarettes?