I think the surveyors were avoiding the "Bad Ground" caused by subsidence of the Storeton Treacle Mine workings. A thick seam of "workable" treacle was discovered between the Middle Bunter and Kuyper Sandstone beds. Same strata as the "Footprint Bed" found in Storeton Quarry.
I think the surveyors were avoiding the "Bad Ground" caused by subsidence of the Storeton Treacle Mine workings. A thick seam of "workable" treacle was discovered between the Middle Bunter and Kuyper Sandstone beds. Same strata as the "Footprint Bed" found in Storeton Quarry.
I could be wrong..........
Ah, thank you for that erudite explanation: I had forgotten about the treacle seam (although opinion is divided as to whether it was workable at that location).
Of course, you could be wrong...
Incidentally, the 1912 O.S. map gives no clue; it just shows open ground at that location. The Lever Causeway was constructed in the 1920's.
I think it might of been put in place to slow traffic approaching the roundabout down, possibly when the motorway was built or when the rest of the Causeway was closed off.
I think it might of been put in place to slow traffic approaching the roundabout down, possibly when the motorway was built or when the rest of the Causeway was closed off.
This kink was there in the 1940's, long before the roundabout was there. The other section was already closed at that time. I seem to remember that the closed off section was used for storing military vehicles during the war.
A guess may be Levers causeway built for him as a direct route to his works and that part may have been a large fishing pond or small lake which he wished to keep available for fishing or watering livestock or too much trouble too fill in.
@ billy anorak59; thanks for the 1936 map. Interesting that he planted the line of trees on the far side of the ground in question. This suggests that the road was built as close as possible to the edge of the reason for the diversion and that there was not room for trees at the edge of the road. It really suggests that there was a pond there, or at least, boggy ground.
@derekdwc; yes, that seems reasonable. Your post does raise another interesting point. Like you, I always understood that he built the causeway as a direct route between Thornton Manor and the works, but most of the causeway is off that line; maybe he also wanted his own route to Birkenhead and Liverpool. I've attached a map showing the most direct route: Red 'x's show that route. From the Manor, via his private road to the Brimstage road, near where the roundabout of the M 53 now is, then to Spital Crossroads, turn left along Church Rd., then The Wiend and Ellen's Lane to Greendale Rd. and to the factory. It's worth noting that he couldn't have used the shorter route: (blue 'x's) along Quarry Rd. and Quarry Rd. East, since that was the Storeton tramway (or maybe he had a private train)
I've been in touch with Unilever Archives to see if they have any info. They told me that the Archives aren't open to the public, so it's no use going. I'll post if they come up with any answers.
Don't know why it's there but it was the scene of my dad managing to write off his almost brand new MGF when he was "testing it". Went backwards into the wall of the farm at about 50........
Don't know why it's there but it was the scene of my dad managing to write off his almost brand new MGF when he was "testing it". Went backwards into the wall of the farm at about 50........
Chris, he could possibly have used your 'blue' route under the Bromborough Road and railway bridges if the track was removed or covered by the road surface after its closure in 1912. Bromborough Road was dropped to the track level in 1936 and I can remember driving under the narrow steel railway bridge up to the 1960s. I think the hours of use were restricted to allow the workers through at busy times.
