WYCH HOUSE LANE and BROOKS LANE SALT WORKS, 1969

The end of an era. It's 1969. The Seddons works have been out of production for two years, but are still largely intact. The Trent & Mersey Canal has reached the end of its life as a commercial carrier and, for the moment, all is quiet and tranquil. The Wych House Lane Works (right) will be demolished and (eventually) give way to a lawned area below the Salinae centre, filled with market stalls and amusements come festival time. The Brooks Lane works in the far distance will become the home of Tarmac Readycrete and the only one of the Seddons premises to remain recognisable as a former salt works. The canal is already being used for pleasure boating, and this will increase over the years until there are far more pleasure boats than there ever were working boats.


See also: WYCH HOUSE LANE SALT WORKS 1969


This photo was first published on Facebook on 22nd May 2011. The original Facebook feedback is below.

• Dave Roberts Beyond the Wych House Lane works on the right was the remains of another, earlier, salt works. My Dad took me to see it when I was a small child and one of its chimneys was still standing. This area is now the premises of Andersen Boats.
  

  22 May at 09:18 · 
• 
  

  Jonathan Williams It's amazing, given the heavy industry of the past, just how rural the aspect of this stretch of the cut appears today. Who'd have ever expected a wildflower meadow and nature trail in the middle of the Flight of Three locks?
  

  22 May at 14:10 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts Yes. indeed. It's a credit to everyone who's worked so hard to make this town so pleasant. A walk into town via the towpaths is a pleasure these days.
  

  22 May at 14:13 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts ‎...of course, you'll always get some people who think these things just happen of their own accord, and aren't planned and discussed and worked on for a long time before they come to fruition.
  

  22 May at 14:22 · 
• 
  

  Colin Derek Appleton Im not entirly sure about this but the site of Andertons boats and the one remaining chimney you mentioned may have been a chemical works and not a salt works ??? These works continued on to the land behind maiden hills and my Dad spent many hours of the war years playing in what was left of them, although he now cant remember the name of the company !!!! but it was already long gone by early 1940's
  

  22 May at 16:19 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Colin, you may be right. It's a very long time ago now, but I seem to remember that the chimney we saw was round, unlike any other salt works chimneys I've ever seen. And on the other side of the canal (adjacent to Seddon's Works) there was a lime bed, similar to the ones in Booth Lane which may have been associated with the works you mention. THere's no reason why a chemical works couldn't have been built on both sides of the canal.

  
  

  22 May at 16:36 · 
• 
  

  Colin Derek Appleton He did mention that, if its the same one it was on the land that is now owned by the Devaneys ?
  

  22 May at 16:39 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts I wonder if there was any specific reason why Salt Works chimneys were always square? I've seen photos of open pan works in Stafford, Runcorn, and , of course, Winsford and I've yet to see one that wasn't square. Was it, perhaps, to do with avoiding the effects of subsidence?
  

  22 May at 16:40 · 
• 
  

  Colin Derek Appleton 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  ok Dave i will take a look at that now, Ive just looked up the reasons behing using a square/rectangular chimney and it seems they are more efficient at their job than round ones, also, it depends on the sighting of the chimney foundations,because the seddon chimneys were integral to the factory buildings they may have been built square as the factory walls were square so no need to dig two seperate lots of foundations, just use the factory foundations !!!! hope I explained that ok !!!! lol

  
  

  22 May at 17:00 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts ‎...and yes, the lime bed we're talking about was indeed on the land where Devaney's Sawmill was.
  

  22 May at 18:16 · 
• 
  

  Dave Roberts Sorry, everybody. Facebook is giving us a hard time today, and things keep disappearing. If you'd like to see the picture which includes the old lime bed we're talking about, go towww.salttown.co.uk and click on 'Mr Roberts' Photo Album'
  

  22 May at 18:27 ·