| Administrative History | Widnes Local Board was established in 1865 under the Local Government Act 1858. The question of a survey and map of the District was first raised at a meeting of the Board in August 1873, when it was agreed that the Surveyor should draw up a specification for what was required; by the end of the month the specification was agreed and advertisements for tenders placed in suitable journals. The detail of the specification may be doubted since it attracted 40 tenders ranging from £262 to £4,300. In October the Board gave final consideration to 2 tenders and settled on that of Henry C Roper of Dudley, whose tender was £1,450. Progress was slow; a year later, in the following October, Roper was warned of the penalty clause in his contract for non-completion, and in June 1875 the matter was referred to the Highways Committee to "take such other steps as they may think desirable to facilitate the completion of the survey with as little delay as possible." The Committee appointed Mr Copland as an assistant to Roper, to check his work. Although the title sheet bears the date 1875, the survey was still not complete in November 1877.In June 1878 the Committee heard that Mr Roper had handed in the plan, but the Board surveyor reported that there were still "some small particulars to be added." Finally in July 1878 the Board was able to advertise the contract for engraving and copying the completed survey, and the contract was awarded to Isaac W Petty and Son of Manchester, subject only to an enquiry about the cost of 250 rather than the originally proposed total of 1000. |