Peter Blackmore was born in Runcorn and has lived in the town all his life, taking an interest in all things historical from an early age. He took an interest in local history through his father’s collection of newspaper cuttings, from the Runcorn Weekly News, which were taken from articles by local journalist, Ray Miller. From these cuttings, Peter was surprised to find a hidden world of accounts of a great industrial town, a far cry from the town of today.
 
In this book, Peter is illustrating the importance that this small town played in keeping the wheels of industry turning through it’s ship-building, tanneries, quarries, soap manufacturing, and chemical
industry. There are also other trades such as watchmaking and mineral water manufacturing and Runcorn’s part in the sports of Rugby Union and League.