River Mersey

The River Mersey is a major river in <a href="/facts/North_West_England/v0dYDpjK">North West England</a>. Its name derives from <a href="/facts/Old_English/9rsmQG2a">Old English</a> and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of <a href="/facts/Mercia/pdznosKY">Mercia</a> and <a href="/facts/Northumbria/fkVzk6xc">Northumbria</a>. For centuries it has formed part of the boundary between the <a href="/facts/Historic_counties_of_England/kuRDeWsA">historic counties</a> of <a href="/facts/Lancashire/XmzHoIsl">Lancashire</a> and <a href="/facts/Cheshire/a6jH4jNQ">Cheshire</a>.
The Mersey starts at the <a href="/facts/Confluence/3ygntlsh">confluence</a> of the <a href="/facts/River_Tame,_Greater_Manchester/Rp52PC8t">River Tame</a> and <a href="/facts/River_Goyt/oQKdvoGn">River Goyt</a> in <a href="/facts/Stockport/71xEwuRq">Stockport</a>. It flows westwards through south <a href="/facts/Manchester/2Do01QHs">Manchester</a>, then into the <a href="/facts/Manchester_Ship_Canal/gdKjkD5v">Manchester Ship Canal</a> near <a href="/facts/Irlam/XK7dXd94">Irlam</a> Locks, becoming a part of the canal and maintaining its water levels. After 4 miles (6.4 km) it exits the canal, flowing towards <a href="/facts/Warrington/jXHUsNnH">Warrington</a> where it widens. It then narrows as it passes between <a href="/facts/Runcorn/BTLu1cJ2">Runcorn</a> and <a href="/facts/Widnes/QIJRDFXk">Widnes</a>. The river widens into a large <a href="/facts/Estuary/WmkSInmK">estuary</a>, which is 3 miles (4.8 km) across at its widest point near <a href="/facts/Ellesmere_Port/sH7lUhVJ">Ellesmere Port</a>. The course of the river then turns northwards as the estuary narrows between <a href="/facts/Liverpool/kTqATlxg">Liverpool</a> and <a href="/facts/Birkenhead/X4Mhxn0d">Birkenhead</a> on the <a href="/facts/Wirral_Peninsula/AmhW04d1">Wirral Peninsula</a> to the west, and empties into <a href="/facts/Liverpool_Bay/N1jK3N6k">Liverpool Bay</a>. In total the river flows 69 miles (111 km).
Part of the <a href="/facts/Mersey_Railway/fnFyVgwC">Mersey Railway</a>, a rail tunnel between Birkenhead and Liverpool opened in 1886. Two road tunnels pass under the estuary from Liverpool: the <a href="/facts/Queensway_Tunnel/v7KlvvpC">Queensway Tunnel</a> opened in 1934 connecting the city to Birkenhead, and the <a href="/facts/Kingsway_Tunnel/oTYdoxKU">Kingsway Tunnel</a>, opened in 1971, to <a href="/facts/Wallasey/Uls8XYWa">Wallasey</a>. A road bridge, completed in 1961 and later named the <a href="/facts/Silver_Jubilee_Bridge/5HBHwCgE">Silver Jubilee Bridge</a>, crosses between Runcorn and Widnes, adjacent to the <a href="/facts/Runcorn_Railway_Bridge/7J3l7jpy">Runcorn Railway Bridge</a> which opened in 1868. A second road bridge, the <a href="/facts/Mersey_Gateway/ztsutYXf">Mersey Gateway</a>, opened in October 2017, carrying a six-lane road connecting Runcorn's Central Expressway with <a href="/facts/A533_road/4TGXxcQP">Speke Road</a> and Queensway in Widnes. The <a href="/facts/Mersey_Ferry/3mlDWlC4">Mersey Ferry</a> operates between the <a href="/facts/Pier_Head/Sejq0HSv">Pier Head</a> in Liverpool and <a href="/facts/Woodside,_Merseyside/9CLd0Bkj">Woodside</a> in Birkenhead and <a href="/facts/Seacombe/BJE7EnQn">Seacombe</a>, and has become a tourist attraction offering cruises that provide an overview of the river and surrounding areas.
Water quality in the Mersey was severely affected by industrialisation, and in 1985, the <a href="/facts/Mersey_Basin_Campaign/4mUN8pgl">Mersey Basin Campaign</a> was established to improve water quality and encourage waterside regeneration. In 2009 it was announced that the river is "cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution" and is "now considered one of the cleanest in the UK". The Mersey Valley Countryside Warden Service manages local nature reserves such as <a href="/facts/Chorlton_Ees/mWhhhIqJ">Chorlton Ees</a> and <a href="/facts/Sale_Water_Park/sqyR4vQW">Sale Water Park</a>.
The river gave its name to <a href="/facts/Merseybeat/oRpCQRuT">Merseybeat</a>, developed by bands from Liverpool, notably <a href="/facts/The_Beatles/2syHWLcM">the Beatles</a>. In 1965 it was the subject of the top-ten hit single "<a href="/facts/Ferry_Cross_the_Mersey/1zE5vByV">Ferry Cross the Mersey</a>" by <a href="/facts/Gerry_and_the_Pacemakers/nESwpIt1">Gerry and the Pacemakers</a>.

River Mersey open-in-new

River Mersey