At Storeton, there's a kink in the causeway. It seems clear that was built like this to go round an existing building; any idea what it was?

http://binged.it/XNh3oI

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 would have thought the treacle bed would have dried out after millions of years and we would have had brittle treacle toffee.

Always wondered about that little bend.

Should ask Doddy as he is well up on Jam Butty mines & might know. :-)

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.

Perhaps someone local and with time to spare could visit the Lever archives at Port Sunlight and ask there.

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.

Chris - Nothing there in 1936.

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.

Not sure if this 1912-14 map helps in any way

@ 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........

Oh dear.

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.

You may be right, bri445. Lever had bought the quarries and the line in 1912 so it would make sense that, when he built the causeway in the 1920's, he would have turned that part of the line into a roadway to provide a more direct route to the works.

I went to a lecture about 3/4 years ago given by a Levers employee (I think) the subject was Lever Causeway, apparently when this was built it was the start of another housing estate being built by Lord Leverhulme, the maps were on display showing the services under the road, sewers, water etc to service the estate. Then he (the company) ran out of money due to stock market crash, being overextended financially, and a host of other reasons. the maps/plans were fascinating to look at and see what might have been

Thanks for that locomotive. Where exactly was the estate to be built?

As far as I can remember, the estate was going to be built on both sides of the road, for more or less the full length of the straight road, I'll see if I can find out who gave the lecture, and get some more info, it might take me a while.

Well, thank goodness it didn't happen. I have many happy memories of spending a lot of time in that area as it was only half a mile from my home.

The Talk I went to was called "Leverhulme estates and Wirral Villages. I thought it was a couple of years ago, but it was actually 2003, "Tempus Fugit", I have the name of the speaker, I'll try and contact him.

The lecture was given by Gavin Hunter who is giving a lecture on "Villages of Wirral" at Bebington Central Library at 2.30 on March 13th, this is part of Local History Week, tickets available at the Library or tel 606 2665

Thanks for that. Where exactly is the library?

Part of the Civic Centre set back from the main road opposite Mayer Hall?

'

Perhaps the name of the roadway Marsh Lane is a clue?

This map from 1924 shows a bit of how the "kink" has come about. I guess this was parking area for Storeton Hall Farm or a hunt gathering place.

What I find equally interesting is the oval on Landican Lane slightly west of the "kink". This was a moated piece of land (or a large islanded lake whichever way you look at it) which I guess may have been a source of foul or fish for Storeton Hall. For some strange reason, this was dried-out/filled-in had a solitary house built on that site in relatively recent times, of all the areas available you would think a moat/lake would be the last place to build a house.

I thought footpaths were normally based on ancient rights of way? That said, whatever the cause of the kink also appears to affect the right of way indicating what ever it was may well have been there before the path. Therefore possibly predating carparking. Of course i could be completely wrong.