Stretching 69 miles (111 km) from the hills of Stockport to the open waters of Liverpool Bay, the River Mersey is one of the most significant waterways in North West England. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon words mǣres and ēa, meaning boundary river, a reference to its ancient role as a border between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it also formed the county boundary between Lancashire to the north and Cheshire to the south.
Course and Geography
The Mersey is generally considered to begin at the confluence of the River Tame and River Goyt in the centre of Stockport, though older maps place the source further upstream near Marple, where the River Etherow meets the Goyt, about four miles away. From Stockport the river flows westwards through south Manchester, feeding into the Manchester Ship Canal near Irlam Locks for roughly four miles before continuing independently towards Warrington. It narrows as it passes between Runcorn and Widnes, then opens into a broad estuary measuring three miles across at its widest near Ellesmere Port. The estuary then turns north, narrowing between Liverpool and Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, before emptying into Liverpool Bay.
Crossings and Connections
Several road and rail crossings link the two banks of the Mersey. The Mersey Railway tunnel between Birkenhead and Liverpool opened in 1886, and two road tunnels follow the same route beneath the estuary: the Queensway Tunnel, opened in 1934, and the Kingsway Tunnel, opened in 1971 to Wallasey. Near Runcorn and Widnes, the Silver Jubilee Bridge, completed in 1961, crosses the river alongside the Runcorn Railway Bridge from 1868. A newer six-lane crossing, the Mersey Gateway, opened in October 2017. The Mersey Ferry still operates between the Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead and Seacombe, and now doubles as a tourist cruise offering views of the river and its surroundings.
Environmental Recovery and Cultural Legacy
Industrial activity left the Mersey heavily polluted for much of the twentieth century. In 1985 the Mersey Basin Campaign was set up to restore water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. By 2009 the river was described as cleaner than at any point since the industrial revolution and considered one of the cleanest rivers in the UK. The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service now manages local nature reserves including Chorlton Ees and Sale Water Park. Culturally, the river gave its name to Merseybeat, the sound developed by Liverpool bands including the Beatles, and in 1965 Gerry and the Pacemakers took Ferry Cross the Mersey into the top ten of the UK singles chart.