Cross the Mersey

The River Mersey is one of Britain’s greatest rivers, though it has a troublesome past. A trade link to the colonies of the New World, its waters were the principal hub for the British slave trade. Over a million enslaved people were transported below the decks of Mersey ships. Since the Industrial Revolution, industries have thrived along its shores, polluting it for generations. It was once dubbed the most polluted river in western Europe. But in the 1980s efforts to clean up the river began, and now, thanks largely to local initiatives—many run by committed volunteers—fish, otters, seals and even dolphins are returning to its waters. The River Mersey has been central to the life of author Robert Littlewood since he was a child. In this book he travels the river, criss-crossing it via its many bridges, ferry crossings and tunnels, exploring stretches never mentioned in other books, and all the while telling its rich and complex story—a story of transformation.