|| Wicker Wharf District

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Location
South-east corner along the river and canal junction, just east of the main railway station.
  Land Use
Industrial and logistical. Canal basins, warehouses, coal yards, and a gasworks occupy much of this low-lying area.
  Socioeconomic Profile
Working-class with many canalmen, dockworkers, and warehouse laborers. A few lower middle-class clerks work at the docks. Living quarters are mostly tenements next to the yards.
  Built Environment
Broad canalside wharves lined by high brick storage warehouses and smithies. Canal locks and bridges structure the area. By 1840, rail tracks run alongside the canal; a cramped passenger terminus (Wicker Wharf Station) handles goods and some passengers. Beyond the docks lie rudimentary brick cottages. A tall brick gasometer (gas reservoir) hints at the local gasworks providing city lighting.
  Infrastructure
Cabinet Canal basins form the core here, allowing barges from the coast to offload coal, iron and timber. Multiple locks adjust water levels. The new railway from the south connects here (a curve links it to the northbound line). The major toll gate into town stands at a bridge in this district. The main Stoker depot is here.
  Key Industries
Trans-shipment and heavy trade. Coal from the mines is unloaded at the canal and warehouses. Iron bars and steel rails arrive by canal and rail. Some early engineering shops repair locomotives and wagons. The city’s first gasworks (opened 1819) stands nearby at Scoff Hill; tar byproduct is sent through here. Smithies and foundries process raw iron on a small scale.
  Vice Economy
A gritty mix. Workers’ pubs abound—especially along the canal—and “beerhouses” (cheaper liquor outlets) compete for business. When longshoremen get paid, street brawls sometimes occur. Prostitution is present but more discrete (streetwalkers by night along canal banks). Thieves and debtors drawn to the port area add to its rough character.