A canal run exploring the chemical industry in Northwich - Broken Cross to Marston

Rudheath was once an open tract of land that divided the local settlements of Northwich, Middlewich, Goostrey and Lower Peover. Owned by Vale Royal Abbey it actually became a haven for smugglers, who plied a lucrative trade in salt across the heath.

We start today at Penny’s Lane and head to it’s junction with King street the old roman road. This part of Rudheath is known as Broken Cross after the Wayside Cross that used to stand at this junction. The pub the Broken Cross bears it’s name. The pub dates from 1777 and was built to serve the Trent and Mersey Canal which was also opened in 1777.

Here at Broken Cross there was a wharf and warehouses and a smithy which still stands today. From here we join the canal which runs roughly alongside King street before turning towards Wincham and Marston.

We pass the old ICI soda ash plant, with brine stored on the other side of the road, for many years they have produced Sodium Carbonate via the Solvay Process here. The process used the brine in conjunction with limestone and ammonia gas to form the carbonate as a precipitate which was then dried in huge rotary driers historically.

From here we continue to the Lion Salt Works at Marston where you can learn about how salt was panned in the area and then on to Neumanns Flash before heading back towards town passing the Cock Hotel and through Rudheath back to our starting point.

From where I parked on Penny’s Lane I clocked the route at 4.8 miles