some info on the Chemical industry in 19th C Widnes from Wikipaedia:
The chemical industry in Widnes started with the arrival of John Hutchinson (1825-1865) from St Helens in 1847. He constructed the first chemical factory at Spike Island which made alkali by the Leblanc process. Further chemical factories were soon built nearby by entrepreneurs including William Gossage (1799-1877), John McClelland, Frederick Muspratt (son of James), Holbrook Gaskell (1813-1909) and Henry Deacon. The town grew rapidly as housing and social provision was made for the factory workers. Soon the villages of Farnworth, Appleton, Ditton and Upton were subsumed within the developing town of Widnes. Woodend became known as West Bank. By 1862 the town was producing more alkali than any other centre in the world. The substances produced included soap, borax, soda ash, salt cake and bleaching powder. Other industries developed including iron and copper works. The town became heavily polluted with smoke and the by-products of the chemical processes. Later prominent businessmen and chemists who worked in Widnes include John Brunner (1842-1919) and Ludwig Mond (1839-1909).
The demand for workers meant that, in addition to people from other areas of the United Kingdom, large numbers of workers came from other countries. Initially these were Irish but in the 1880s significant numbers arrived from Poland and Lithuania who were fleeing from persecution in their home countries. In 1890 the chemical companies making alkali by the Leblanc process combined to form the United Alkali Company. Widnes was considered to be the principal centre of this company. In 1905 the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge was opened which gave the first direct vehicular link to Runcorn.