River Mersey
River
Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005.
Country	England
Counties	Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside
Cities	Manchester, Liverpool
Secondary source
- location	Stockport, Greater Manchester
Mouth
- location	Liverpool Bay
Length	112 km (70 mi)
Basin	4,680 km² (1,807 sq mi)

The River Mersey is a river in north west England. It is 70 miles (113 km) long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1561x833, 219 KB) Mersey Ferry - River Mersey - Liverpool By and copyright Tagishsimon, 28th June 2005 File links The following pages link to this file: Transport in the United Kingdom River Mersey Mersey Ferry User:Tagishsimon/Gallery - 2005 photos 1 ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see Cheshire (disambiguation). ... Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... Liverpool Bay is a bay between north-east Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. ... “km” redirects here. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ... North West England is one of the nine regions of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... Liverpool Bay is a bay between north-east Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. ... Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ... The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... For other uses, see Cheshire (disambiguation). ...

Course

The Mersey is formed from three tributaries: the River Etherow, the River Goyt and the River Tame. The modern accepted start of the Mersey is at the confluence of the Tame and Goyt, in central Stockport, Greater Manchester. However, older definitions, and many older maps, place its start a few miles up the Goyt; for example the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica states "It is formed by the junction of the Goyt and the Etherow a short distance below Marple in Cheshire on the first-named stream." Look up tributary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The River Etherow is a river in the north west of England, and a tributary of the River Mersey. ... The River Goyt is a river in Derbyshire in north west England. ... The River Tame is a river in the north west of England. ... Stockport is a large town in the north west of England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... (Redirected from 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica) The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Marple is a village close to Stockport, Greater Manchester in England. ...

Stockport to Warrington

A viaduct in Stockport crossing the Mersey

From Stockport it flows near East Didsbury, Stretford, Urmston and Flixton, then at Irlam it flows into the Manchester Ship Canal, which canalised the River Irwell to this point. The course of the Mersey has been obliterated by the Canal past Hollins Green to Rixton although the old river bed can be seen outside Irlam and also at Warburton; at Rixton the River Bollin enters the Canal from the south and the Mersey leaves the Canal to the north, meandering through Woolston, where the Ship Canal Company's dredgings have formed a nature reserve (Woolston Eyes), and Warrington. It is tidal from Howley Weir in Warrington, although high spring tides often top the weir. A small bypass around Howley Weir, Howley Lock, was created before the ship canal existed, but is now redundant. The lock can still be seen to this day. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 233 KB)Stockport railway viaduct, carrying the West Coast Main Line over the Mersey valley. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 233 KB)Stockport railway viaduct, carrying the West Coast Main Line over the Mersey valley. ... East Didsbury is a prosperous area of South Manchester. ... Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. ... Urmston is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. ... , Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. ... Irlam is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. ... The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford. ... The River Irwell is a river in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in England. ... Location within the British Isles Hollins Green is a small village located on the eastern edge of Warrington, close to the border of Salford, as designated by the River Glaze. ... Location within the British Isles Hollins Green is a small village located on the eastern edge of Warrington, close to the border of Salford, as designated by the River Glaze. ... Irlam is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. ... The Saxon Queen Ethelfleda, daughter of King Alfred and widow of Ethelred, in her struggle against the hoards of Danes who invaded England in the 10th century, built fortresses on the banks of the River Mersey. ... The River Bollin is a river in the north-west of England and a major tributary of the River Mersey. ... This article is about Woolston, Cheshire. ... This article is about the Borough in the north-west of England. ...

Runcorn Gap

The Runcorn-Widnes bridges seen from the river

West of Warrington the river widens, passing through the Runcorn Gap between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes, in Halton. The Manchester Ship Canal also lies in the Gap, along the southern bank of the river. This article is about the town in England. ... , Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. ... Halton is a borough in North West England, administered by a unitary authority. ... The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford. ...

The Runcorn Gap is bridged by the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Runcorn Railway Bridge, while a project known as Mersey Gateway to build a new road bridge over the Mersey east of the existing bridges is currently under consideration, and has received some government support ^[1]. The Silver Jubilee Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge bridge built in 1961 between Runcorn and Widnes (Widnes was originally in Lancashire), which are both now part of Cheshire. ... The Runcorn Railway Bridge crosses the River Mersey from Runcorn to Widnes in Cheshire, England. ...

Estuary

From the Runcorn Gap, the river widens into a large estuary, which is three miles (5 km) wide at its widest point near Ellesmere Port. The course of the river then heads north, with Liverpool to the east and the Wirral Peninsula to the west. The Manchester Ship Canal continues along the Cheshire bank of the river as far as Eastham Locks, where it enters the river. The eastern part of this estuary is much affected by silting, and part of it is marked on modern maps as dry land instead of as tidal. These wetlands are of importance to wildlife, and are listed as a Ramsar site. For other meanings, see Estuary (disambiguation) Río de la Plata estuary An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Map showing the location of the Wirral at grid reference SJ285850 Wirral or The Wirral (IPA: [wɪɹəɫ]) is a peninsula in the north west of England, bounded by the River Dee to the west and the River Mersey to the east. ... Eastham is a small town, located on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i. ...

The estuary then narrows to flow between Liverpool and Birkenhead, where it is constricted to a width of Template:Covert, between Albert Dock and the Woodside ferry terminal. It then flows into Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea, after a total course of around 70 miles (110 km). For other uses, see Birkenhead (disambiguation). ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Woodside is a locality in Birkenhead, Wirral in England. ... Liverpool Bay is a bay between north-east Wales, Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside to the east of the Irish Sea. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ...

The conurbation on both sides of the river in this area is known as Merseyside. Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ...

River crossings

Two road tunnels run under the Mersey at Liverpool: the older Queensway Tunnel (opened 1934) connecting with Birkenhead, and the Kingsway Tunnel (opened 1971) connecting with Wallasey. There is also a railway tunnel dating back to the 1880s, which carries passenger services on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail franchise. A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey in Merseyside, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. ... The Kingsway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey in Merseyside, northwest England, between Liverpool and Wallasey. ... Wallasey is a large town on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral. ... Sign from the Water Street entrance to James Street. ... A Wirral Line train at Liverpool Central. ... Merseyrail is the name given to the electric commuter train network centred on Liverpool. ...

The Mersey Ferry runs between the Pier Head at Liverpool, and the Wirral terminals at Seacombe, Wallasey and Woodside, Birkenhead. The Mersey Ferry is a ferry operating on the River Mersey in England. ... The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city-centre of Liverpool, England. ... Seacombe is a village on Wirral, Merseyside,England Categories: UK geography stubs | Wirral, Villages and Towns ...

Etymology

One explanation for the river's name comes from Anglo-Saxon Mǽres-ēa = "border river", likely because it was the border between Mercia and Northumbria. Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and...

Another explanation is possible: Mære can also mean "lake, pond, mere, water basin, sea". The old Welsh name could be môr-afon (sea-river) or môr-dwfr (sea-water). Mære , môr and Latin mare are an old Indo-European word. It is possible that the Anglo-Saxons simply anglicized môrafon. Given the fact that the estuary resembles a mere, this interpretation is rational. The argument against "border river" as an original name, is that the river would have obtained its name after it became a border. In the old days, rivers were rarely borders, as they provided a mean of transport. The same people would settle on both river banks. In addition, no river is known to have obtained its name according to a political event. The author who wrote the river name for the first time, must have noticed the strong similarity with border, as the river had become a border at that moment. The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. ...

The word Meuse was also a border river between the Romans and the Germans. Or Perhaps we should go back to Egypt, Moses and Musa 'Mouss' the addition of an 'R' just means a long distance. So that a Mose is a Scandinavian lake, wheras Marsh is a strech of land along a body of water.

Environment

Water quality in the River Mersey has been severely affected by industrialisation in the region, and in 1985, the Mersey Basin Campaign was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2002, oxygen levels that could support fish along the entire length were witnessed for the first time. The Mersey Basin Campaign works within the catchments of the River Mersey and the River Ribble, in the counties of Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and in the High Peak area of Derbyshire. ...

Salmon are now found in the river. They can be viewed on the Salmon Steps at Woolston between the months of September and November. For other uses, see Salmon (disambiguation). ...

In popular culture

The river is now internationally famous thanks to the music of the 1960s known as Merseybeat and its strong association with Liverpool. The Mersey itself was popularized in the Merseybeat song Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry & The Pacemakers. The group later recorded a follow-up, Mersey Lullaby, that is part of the 2007 childrens' CD/book Blue Moo: Jukebox Hits from Way Back Never, by Sandra Boynton. For the TV program please see Merseybeat Merseybeat, sometimes referred to as Merseysound, was a style of music popular during the 1960s. ... The film and soundtrack album of 1965 is one of the more uncommon artefacts of Merseybeat, shown very rarely on TV and never issued on video The title song is more famous nowadays and has charted twice. ... Gerry & the Pacemakers were an English rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to initially challenge The Beatles in popularity. ... Sandra Keith Boynton (born April 3, 1953) is a popular American humorist, songwriter, childrens author and illustrator. ...

Also, Paul McCartney's 2007 song That Was Me, from his album Memory Almost Full mentions merseybeating with the band and the song 'Mersey Paradise' by the stone roses has the song in the title. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, entrepreneur, painter, record producer, film producer and animal-rights activist. ... Memory Almost Full is a platinum album by Paul McCartney released in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2007 and in the United States a day later. ... For the TV program please see Merseybeat Merseybeat, sometimes referred to as Merseysound, was a style of music popular during the 1960s. ...

Religious significance

The Mersey is considered sacred by British Hindus, and is even worshipped as equivalent to the River Ganges.^[1] After a ceremony on the river in September 2007, plans are underway for a large-scale event in 2008 (the year Liverpool will hold the title of European Capital of Culture). ^[2] The Ganges River (Ganga in Indian languages; Ganges is the Latin form) (Devanagari गंगा) is the major river in northern India and Bangladesh. ...

Tributaries

Major tributaries of the Mersey include: -

• River Etherow
• River Goyt
• River Tame
• River Irwell
• River Bollin
• River Weaver
• River Gowy
• Glaze Brook

The River Irwell is a river in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in England. ... The River Bollin is a river in the north-west of England and a major tributary of the River Mersey. ... The River Weaver The River Weaver is a watercourse running a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, England. ... The River Gowy is a river in Cheshire, and a tributary of the River Mersey. ...

See also

• Arnold Dock
• Rivers of the United Kingdom
• Mersey Sound/Merseybeat
• Mersey and Irwell Navigation
• Acting Conservator of the River Mersey

Arnold Dock is on the River Mersey at Runcorn, England. ... This is a list of rivers of Great Britain. ... For the TV program please see Merseybeat Merseybeat, sometimes referred to as Merseysound, was a style of music popular during the 1960s. ... The River Irwell is a river in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in England that flows through (and divides) the centres of Manchester and Salford, before joining the River Mersey, and one of the rivers that drove the Industrial Revolution. ... The Acting Conservator of the River Mersey is a unique position responsible for navigation on and the environment of the River Mersey. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Liverpool Pictorial
• Mersey map - aisliverpool.org.uk
• River Mersey Information (PDF)
• Howley Lock