The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre is the United Kingdom's only museum dedicated solely to the Chemical Industry and is inside Hutchinson's former administrative building.

[8] At the beginning of the 20th century it was believed that some earthworks on Cuerdley Marsh had been constructed by the Vikings[9] but an archaeological investigation in the 1930s found nothing to confirm this.

[12][13] In 1500 the South Chapel[12] was added to the church and in 1507 a grammar school was established in Farnworth; both were endowments from Bishop William Smyth.

[18] John Hutchinson built his first factory in 1847 on land between the Sankey Canal and the railway making alkali by the Leblanc process.

Further chemical factories were soon built nearby by entrepreneurs including John McClellan, William Gossage, Frederic Muspratt, Holbrook Gaskell and Henry Deacon.

[28] During the early decades of the 20th century there was a revival in the local economy, particularly as the United Alkali Company began to manufacture new products.

[29] Improvements were being made to the structure of the town, in particular the opening of the Widnes–Runcorn Transporter Bridge in 1905 which gave the first direct link over the Mersey for road traffic.

The local authority is Halton Borough Council for which the town is divided into nine electoral wards, each electing three councillors.

The density of housing is generally high but there are some open green areas, including Victoria Park in Appleton and two golf courses which are geographically near the centre of the urban development.

When borings were made in the 1870s prior to the building of chemical works a deep gorge measuring around 100 feet (30 m) was found in the bedrock which was filled with glacial deposits.

From this it was concluded that before the Ice Age the Mersey had flowed in a more northerly course, and when it was blocked by glacial deposits it had made a new channel through Runcorn Gap.

[55][53] Owing to a shortage of Catholic Priests and the "Leaving Safe Harbours" project in effect throughout the Archdiocese St Marie's was closed, the last Mass was celebrated on 6 January 2007.

The Outfit out-of-town chain outlet incorporates fashion brands, including Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Wallis and Burton.

These include Victoria Promenade at West Bank, alongside the River Mersey, and Spike Island, now cleared of industry, which forms an open recreation area leading to footpaths along the former towpath of the Sankey Canal.

[69] Adjacent to Spike Island occupying John Hutchinson's former Tower Building is the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre.

East Midlands Railway link Widnes station at hourly intervals throughout the day to Liverpool, Manchester, Stockport, Sheffield, Nottingham and Norwich.

However passengers to and from London, the Midlands and the South are likely to use Runcorn station and make the short journey across the Mersey Gateway Bridge by bus or taxi.

[citation needed] The two main bus operators providing local services are Arriva North West[73] and Warrington's Own Buses.

The A557 road passes through the town linking Runcorn to the south, via the Silver Jubilee Bridge, with the M62 motorway, some 2.5 miles (4 km) to the north.

It is the home of Lane Tennis Club (Est 1876) which has a number of men's, women's and junior teams playing competitively in the Warrington District League.

After years of campaigning by the volunteer group Loose, and with the support of the Community Assets Fund/Big Lottery Fund and WREN and other donors, it re-opened on 17 April 2010.

Victoria Park is in the Appleton area of the town and has a number of attractions, including a cafeteria and refreshment kiosk, a bandstand, model boating lake, tennis and basketball courts, bowling greens, a skateboarding facility, glasshouses with a pets' corner and a butterfly house.

Pickerings Pasture is an area of wildflower meadows overlooking the River Mersey which was built on the site of a former household and industrial landfill.

Its facilities include Reel Cinema, a five-screen multiplex cinema, a Frankie & Benny's bar and restaurant, Super Bowl UK Widnes containing a 16-lane ten-pin bowling centre, a children's play area, licensed bar, a Nando's restaurant, a Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre pub opened in February 2012 and also a brand new Ice Rink operated by Silverblades opened on 21 December 2012[111] There is no hospital in Widnes.

He played a significant role in transforming Everton into an affluent residential district in the early nineteenth century,[114] and in association with his son-in-law, William Rowson, founded the seaside resort of New Brighton in 1830.

John Hutchinson (1825–1865) was a chemist and industrialist who established the first chemical factory in Widnes in 1847, it manufactured alkali by the Leblanc process.

Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet, (1842–1919) was also a British chemical industrialist at Hutchinson's alkali works in Widnes where he rose to the position of general manager.

[118] Charles Suckling (1920–2013) was a British chemist who first synthesised halothane, a volatile inhalational anesthetic in 1951, while working at the ICI Central Laboratory in Widnes.

Thomas Mottershead (1893–1917), also born in Widnes, joined the Royal Flying Corps during World War I; he was awarded the Victoria Cross and the Distinguished Conduct Medal posthumously for his gallantry.

[119] Another Widnes man, Thomas Wilkinson (1898–1942) of the Royal Naval Reserve, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously during World War II.