The Ferry Boat

The name of this Wetherspoon pub recalls the ferry to Widnes West Bank. Established in c1178, the ferry boat carried passengers across the Mersey for centuries, until the opening of the Transporter Bridge in 1905.

A regular ferry was first established, around 1178, by the sixth Baron of Halton, John FitzRichard. The ferry, consisting of nothing more than a rowing boat, continued to be used for centuries, eventually passing into the ownership of the London & North Western Railway, in 1854. The opening of the Ethelfleda Railway Bridge, 14 years later, was the beginning of the end for the ferry.