Britain’s industrial heritage is visible across the North West.
Whether it’s the world's first passenger railway line, a labyrinthine network of canals, St Helens' former glass factories, Birkenhead's shipbuilding or the Liverpool docks, industry has shaped how the region looks. Among the more distinctive features of the North West's industrial history is Spike Island in Widnes.
Created when part of the town was cut off by the extension of a canal, the island became the centre of Britain's chemical trade during the industrial revolution and brought thousands of workers to Widnes. However, it is now most closely associated with a 1990 gig by The Stone Roses, which NME said was to be: "the defining moment of a generation".
