 In 1816 Thomas Hazlehurst senior (27 February 1779 – 18 February 1842) established a soapery (a factory making soap) on the north bank of the Bridgewater Canal between the canal and High Street in Runcorn, called Camden Works.Initially the alkali necessary for the production of soap would have been made from natural sources, such as kelp.However by 1830 it was manufactured synthetically by the Leblanc process.