Keckwick

Until 1936, Keckwick formed a parish within the Runcorn Rural District Council [RDC], an area distinct from Runcorn town; it then became a district of Daresbury. The local parish council is now Sandymoor Civil Parish, formed only in 2008, and Keckwick still represents only a fraction of the community.[2] The council responsible for the Keckwick district is Halton Borough Council, a unitary authority.

Keckwick Brook[3] is probably the feature that gives its name to the area,[4] as it can be followed north–south from the edge of the Manchester Ship Canal, crossing the Daresbury Expressway (A558), to track between the two canal branches, the Bridgewater Canal and the Cheshire Ring, skirting the West Coast Mainline (WCML) railway line, and passing east of Preston Brook before crossing the M56 motorway and on to its source on Preston Hill.

To the north-east, Keckwick Lane[5] skirts just inside the Daresbury Expressway, to the junction with the A56.[6]

On the eastern edge, the Keckwick Bridges are a number of minor bridges crossing the Bridgewater Canal, where it forms part of the Cheshire Ring.[7][8][9][10] Keckwick Hill Bridge No.4 is known simply as the Keckwick Hill Bridge, or else the Delph Lane canal-bridge.[11] Keckwick Bridge No.5 is simply the Keckwick Bridge, or else the Keckwick Lane canal-bridge.[12] It is another picturesque arch bridge. Keckwick Bridge No.5A is the modern and functional bridge for the A558 Daresbury Expressway. The Keckwick Pipe Bridge, just north of the Expressway, is not a bridge as such, but rather a minimalist structure to hold a pipe over the canal.[13]

At the heart of the Keckwick area, lies Poplar Farm, a well-known local fishing spot[14] The Farm is situated between the WCML and the Chester-Manchester railway lines and there is an intersection just to the south-west, where the Chester-Manchester line passes over the WCML on a bridge. The viaduct over the Brook, which lies in turn just to the west of that intersection, is sometimes referred to as: the 'Keckwick Viaduct'.[15]

The location of Keckwick has a clearly defined area and an historic provenance. The triangle is bounded to the north by Keckwick Lane, or more realistically by the modern dual-carriageway that is the A558 Daresbury Expressway; to the west, the Keckwick Brook provides a south–north marker; to the east, the Cheshire Ring section of the Bridgewater Canal, with its two historic, single-arch Keckwick Bridges, marks the eastern boundary. Within the area, to the north, are three new discrete housing developments, plus some modern ribbon-development along parts of Delph Lane. A science park lies in the north-east corner, with a local landmark, the Daresbury Tower, providing local, high-end employment and an incentive for other business. Three reasons have been advanced as to why the ancient name is not in wider use: there is no single focal-point, such as a parish-church, or even a ruined one; the area may be described, according to context, in ways that suggest entirely different locations, as being part of: Daresbury, Runcorn, Halton, or even - due to the post-code system - as part of Warrington; finally, it lacks a single Warrington post-code, useful for determining educational and house-price identities, being divided between: WA7 1, WA4 6 and WA 4.

Media related to Keckwick at Wikimedia Commons