Paul Betteridge wrote:
> > Does this explain the rise of the chemical industry in the
> > area around Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn?
>
> The alkali industry certain explains it; that was the first
> chemical industry in Widnes.
And what I really meant to 'explain' was the location _within_ the
region (Widnes rather that Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Ashton
in Makerfield, ...)
Marjorie Bloy wrote:
> I think I missed the start of this thread so I might be way of at a tangent
> here - but wasn't it the textile industry of Lancashire that encouraged the
> growth of the chemical industry? The salt was there, but textiles needed
> bleaches, soaps and such. It all "came together" in that area.
Of course, any (successful) industry does need customers. The demand
from the textile industry may have contributed to the location.
But alkali manufacture (especially by the Leblanc process) is a
process that reduces a large volume of inputs (coal, sulphur or ore,
salt, and limestone) to a relatively small volume of relatively
high value product. So it will tend, other things being equal, to
be located close to the sources of its raw materials.
G.P.Moss wrote:
> I am sure it was the salt industry which was the reason for the location
> of much heavy chemical industry in the Widnes area. After all salt is still
> the basis of some of the chemical industry in that area today.
The chemical industry in Widnes originated in the alkali trade,
and one of the ingredients of that manufacture is salt. But look
at the figures that Ludwig Mond, with whom I hope neither of
us would argue :-), estimated for inputs required for the
production of a ton of soda ash by the Leblanc process, at Widnes:
Salt 29 cwt
Limestone 35 cwt
Coal slack and coke 88 cwt
Pyrites 17.5 cwt
Sodium nitrate 0.5 cwt
Coal is the dominant tonnage. Given reasonable access to the
other materials and customers, you want to build your plant
near a coalfield, at Widnes, rather than over the Cheshire
salt field.
Perfectly good alkali industries were carried on in Glasgow,
Tyneside, Wednesbury, and near Bristol, with no salt field.
Salt from the Weaver valley supplied essentially the whole
British alkali industry. I don't think it can 'explain' the
Widnes location.
At heart, I suppose I am just suspicious of simple explanations
of the form 'X caused the alkali/chemical industry' - all are
too simple.
Paul
--
Paul Betteridge, Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
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