Widnes (where we are staying)

Widnes was once a marshland (fango) with  small settlements (asentamiento) on it. There is some evidence to show that the Romans passed through here before the 9th century the Vikings.

Widnes is an industrial town in Halton, Cheschire. It has about 70.000 population. It is on the north bank of the river Mersey. It is called Widnes because the Danish word "VID" meaning wide and "NOESE" meaning nose which refers to the piece of land going out into the River Mersey. Over the years the spelling changed but finally it came to be "Widnes". 
In 1814 the first chemical factory was opened. This was due to the good transport connections such as railway, main roads and cannals which enabled raw materials to be brought to Widnes. And the finish products (soap, bleach,etc) could be taken to anywhere in the country or overseas.

 As the town grew the chemist industry needed labour so inmigrants came from Ireland, Poland and Wales. These people ware escaping for persecution and poverty. Over the years Widnes was considered a principal part of the chemical industry until the decline in 1890's.