29 replies to this topic

[jl744]

I am very interested in any technical information on the composition of the 'burgies'.

Its part of a Open university project which will culminate in a published web page, so any information at all would be valuable.

I live just over the road from the hills in Haresfinch road, so what happens to the bergies will have a direct impact on myself, family and neighbours.

I will be looking at the composition of the soil and the flora and fauna.

Any help will be much appreciated

[BillBren]

My husband went on the Burgies years ago with Liverpool University and he couldn't beleive all the different wild flowers growing there, there was even 3 different kinds of orchids. It would be awful if they were allowed to build houses there. St. Helens would loose a beautiful wild life paradise.

[Alan]

Forty odd years ago before float glass had been invented, the glass was rolled between iron rollers when semi-molten. When it had been cooled, the rough finish was ground off with sand in a process known as the "Continuous Grinders". This used mixture of fine glass dust and sand ended up on the burgie banks along with impurities (mainly peat) from the sand-wash that was used to produce clean sand for the actual glass making. This mixture of fine sand, peat and soil creates an ideal habitat for rabbits and a whole host of plants that thrive on that free draining land. There's probably cerium oxide (known to all Pilks workers as cerrie rouge) there as well as it was used to give the ground glass its final polish.

For a more detailed explanation I would have thought the staff at the Glass Museum could help. You could also PM a member called HORT who worked there until his semi-retirement

[andyr00]

i lived on there as a kid, some parts hadnt set and were sinky and the top was dotted with these chimneys that went deep down into the burgeys. They had steel steps set in the corner of the brickwork and were between4 and 7 feet above the ground, he inner hole was about 3ft square and they had metal covers. Were they vents or simply for examining the 'setting' of the waste?
With us lot messing and others we eventually got to open them, some were shallow some you couldnt see the bottom or hear a stone land. some had water at the bottom.
Along Merton bank, at the bottom of the laffak bank there is a concrete channel filled with the kind of oily black water you knew to avoid, when it rains heavy the water goes over the side and onto the road at islands brow bridge and makes the road treacherous, where it has passed over the years and dried it has left a crusty white residue along the ledge under the channel this is apparent on the pavement and finally on the road too right at the corner of the bank. The channel goes all the way round but the rest of the way it is a trough along the rail way and the back of Hinckley road were it culminates in that dirty great lake of black on laffak fields behind the shops.
i'd like to know why all this gathered here and what is in it because its not simply a natural water hollow.

the redness in the chalky claylike substance that ruined many clothes must have been that rouge stuff .

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St. Helens would loose a beautiful wild life paradise.

actually anyone on the burgeys without permission of pilks is trespassing, its private property so its not like st helens is allowed to go there anyway

[splus]

We went there doing research when I was at uni. It is a very specific ecological environment with many specialised plant species growing there.

[jl744]

do you have any details, anything would do.

regards

john lavelle

[splus]

Not any more I don't. PM me with deatils of your course and what you want. I might be able to give you a contact.

[daven]

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do you have any details, anything would do.

regards

john lavelle

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

John
The land is likely to be designated as contaminated land under Part II A of the Environment Protection act 1991. The agency responsible is St Helens MBC Environmental Heath department (tele 01744 456000) Who should be able to assist with general enquiries. I suggest you write to them with a specific information request.

Regards

Daven

[Veronica]

My father worked in the mixing room and on the continuous grinder, those Burgie Banks were there for as long as I can remember. used to be dangerous place, sinky sands as well - there are ways onto there now, and there are a lot of lovely wild flowers up there including orchids, but the soil/waste will be heavily contaminated, as they used heavy metals, arsenic, strycchnine, and others in the mixing of the glass.

I wouldn't want to live on such polluted land, and to clean it up would be uneconomical as well. The other thing is if they start digging on them the polluted dust will contaminate the houses in Haresfinch end of College Street and Islands Brow.

There is a similar piece of contaminated land going to be used for housing where the gas holder and gas and Electric Club used to be next to the Black Bull in KNowsley Road. The Council said years ago when the site was cleared that is was too expensive to clean up now there is a site office for housing, they took the top surface off and put down a layer of crushed brick but once they start digging the foundations the problems could still be there.

[NIMROD]

Please note planning application turned down by ST.MBC.on 21/6/2005

NIMROD

[Ledi]

What planning application is that? The one for Burgey Hills or the one of Knowsley Road?

[Alan]

It'd be interesting to find out why they're called the Burgies. My best guess is that, like other old glassmaking words such as lehr and tuyere etc that it's originally a Flemish word. Maybe the Flemish word for mountain is similar to the German word "berg"

[Alan]

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From a contributor who seems to want to remain annon.  Out yourself oh knowledgable member. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good shout that. I'd googled it and all the possible spelling variants to death

[NIMROD]

I do not wish to remain anonymous.I have been involved with
stopping any form of building on the BURGHY BANKS since 1981

NIMROD