

WILLIAM GOSSAGE 23 



and St. Helens. The present extensive 

 offices of the soap works stand where the old 

 house formerly was. It was close to the plot 

 of land that was secured for the erection of 

 works. The site was well selected, the St. 

 Helens railway ran sidings into it, and it had 

 advantages of communication both by river 

 and canal. Fuel could be obtained at most 

 favourable rates from the Wigan and St. 

 Helens districts, limestone could be brought 

 from North Wales and Derbyshire, whilst 

 salt and pyrites could be brought up the river 

 from the salt districts, and from Ireland. The 

 prevailing west winds would carry all the 

 vapours, not inland, over farms and residential 

 properties, but away from these over a long 

 stretch of river, so that little or no damage 

 could be done. When Mr. Gossage first 

 came to Widnes, fields with green hedgerows 

 and healthy trees still extended down from 

 his house along the river side past the old 

 "Snig-pie House." This noted hostelry was 

 still a favourite resort for pic-nic parties. The 

 Widnes marsh was used by the neighbouring 

 farmers to graze their cattle on. A prettily 

 situated estate was the property of Mrs. 

 Wright, whose house, with its parklands, 

 overlooked the river from behind the ferry. 



