Address Widnes WA8 0QR, UK | Phone +44 303 333 4300 | |
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Hours Open today ยท Open 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursSuggest an edit Similar Pickering Pasture, Victoria Park, Catalyst Science Discovery, Sankey Canal, Widnes railway station | ||
Spike Island is an island in the estuary of the River Mersey and part of Widnes in the Borough of Halton in north-west England. The island contains parkland, woodland, a path along the Sankey Canal and the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre, the only science museum in the UK solely devoted to chemistry.
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History
The island was at the centre of the British chemical industry during the 19th century and part of the Industrial Revolution. However, by the 1970s the area contained abandoned chemical factories, rail lines, canal and industrial dockage, and extensive chemical pollution. Between 1975 and 1982 the island was reclaimed and returned to green spaces.
In popular culture
Spike Island was the site of a famous outdoor concert by The Stone Roses in May 1990; the support acts included DJs Dave Haslam, Paul Oakenfold and Frankie Bones, a Zimbabwean drum orchestra, and the reggae artist Gary Clail. A film about the concert called Spike Island was released in 2012.