Rochdale Canal

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Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge

Rochdale Canal at Sowerby Bridge

location United Kingdom: England: Greater Manchester , West Yorkshire
length 32 miles (51 km)
Built 1794-1804
Beginning Sowerby Bridge at Calder and Hebble Navigation
53 ° 42 ′ 33 ″  N , 1 ° 54 ′ 19 ″  W
The End Castlefield Junction, Manchester
53 ° 28 ′ 28 "  N , 2 ° 15 ′ 23"  W Coordinates: 53 ° 28 ′ 28 "  N , 2 ° 15 ′ 23"  W
Descent structures 91 (originally 92) locks
Junctions, crossings Ashton Canal , Manchester & Salford Junction Canal
Thickone Lock, Rochdale Canal - geograph.org.uk - 1234492.jpg
Thickone Lock (43rd lock) in the Rochdale Canal

The Rochdale Canal is a navigable canal in northern England . It connects Manchester and Sowerby Bridge and is part of the UK canal system . It is named after the town of Rochdale that it crosses.

The locks of the Rochdale Canal allow the passage of 14 ft (4.27 m) wide vessels and thus correspond to the " widebeam " or double the width of the English narrowboat canal network. The canal begins at Sowerby Bridge on the Calder and Hebble Navigation , traverses the Pennines for 32 miles and reaches the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester's Castlefield Basin .

history

Rochdale Canal Company stock dated May 1, 1805

In 1776, 48 citizens of Rochdales commissioned engineer James Brindley to survey possible routes for a canal between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester. Brindley suggested a route similar to today's, as well as a more complex route via Bury . In 1791, John Rennie Sr. another route for a canal with branches to Rochdale, Oldham and Todmorden .

The decision on the width of the canal and especially the locks (and thus the possible width of the ships) was postponed until a law on construction was passed. A first attempt to do this failed in 1792 because of objections from mill owners. Therefore, investigations were made in September 1792 by William Crosley and John Longbotham to find suitable places for water storage. This resulted in a project for a canal with 11 reservoirs and a 3000 ft (914 m) long apex tunnel, which was again rejected with a majority of one vote. After remeasuring the disputed sections by William Jessop , a law was passed on April 4, 1794, which allowed the establishment of the Rochdale Canal Company and the construction of the canal.

The original estimate was £ 291,000 , but for a canal that only allowed narrow vehicles. But since, according to the approval, wider vehicles were to run and although the company was allowed to raise an additional £ 100,000 through the sale of shares, savings were inevitable. The top tunnel was therefore replaced by 14 locks. All locks were built uniformly with a 10 ft (3 m) head.

The canal was opened in several stages, first the Rochdale Branch Canal in 1798. In 1799 more sections followed and in 1800 the lower part with 9 locks, which made a connection from the Ashton Canal to Manchester. Although the entire canal was opened in 1804, the construction work took more than three years longer. A 1.5 mile (2.4 km) junction from Heywood to Castleton was opened in 1834.

business

Since no apex tunnel was built, the apex posture is very short at 0.8 miles (1.3 km). It is 600 ft (183 m) above sea level at 53 ° 40 ′ 15.9 ″  N , 2 ° 5 ′ 2.8 ″  W and is one of the highest in Great Britain. To the north and east, 36 locks lead down to Sowerby Bridge, and to the west and south 56 locks to Castlefield Junction. The first water reservoirs to supply the canal were Blackstone Edge Reservoir and Chelburn Reservoir, completed in 1798, followed by Hollingworth Lake in 1800 . Since the latter is lower than the apex level, a steam-powered pumping station and a 4-mile (6.4 km) long supply line were built. In 1910 these were demolished. In 1807, Parliament approved the construction of Whiteholme Reservoir and Light Hazzles Reservoir so that the water supply could keep up with the increasing traffic.

Due to its width, the canal was more powerful than the nearby Huddersfield Narrow Canal and became the main route between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Important goods in transit were cotton, wool, coal, limestone, lumber, salt and general goods. Between 1830 and 1832, nearly 540,000 long tons were transported annually and around 40,000 pounds were collected; in 1839 this had risen to over 875,000 long tons and almost 63,000 pounds. The opening of the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1841 caused traffic on the canal to drop to under 670,000 long tons and revenue to just over £ 27,000. Although a reduction in freight charges revived traffic (the maximum was reached in 1845 with almost 980,000 long tons), income remained at a similarly low level for a long time.

In 1839, with the opening of the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, a connection was established between a branch of the Rochdale Canal and the Mersey and Irwell Navigation , which made the road transport of more than 30,000 tons of goods between the two canals unnecessary. However, this connection was not profitable as Parliament also allowed the Bridgewater Canal Company to build the Hulme Cut , a three-lock connection to the Irwell , which proved more convenient. The eastern part of the Junction Canal closed in 1875, the remaining part was closed in 1922 and abandoned in 1936.

In 1855 a lease was signed with four railway companies, of which the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway held the largest share with 73%. The canal company was able to use the lease income to maintain the canal and pay dividends for the shareholders. The contract initially ran for 21 years and was extended by 14 years. During the lease period, the transport volume and income increased. Hollingworth Lake became a popular destination, and in 1865 four steamers operated on the reservoir.

By cutting freight charges, traffic was maintained and the canal remained profitable. The canal company also got the right to sell water. In 1905 nearly 420,000 tons of goods were transported on the Rochdale Canal to the Bridgewater Canal, mostly for onward transport on the Manchester Ship Canal .

During World War I, the British government took control of the canals. When it passed back to the owner companies in 1920, the Rochdale Canal was in financial difficulties, especially given shorter working hours and increased wages. Therefore, in 1923 the eight reservoirs (Blackstone Edge, Easterly Gaddings Dam, Higher and Lower Chelburn, Hollingworth Lake , Light Hazzles, Warland and Whiteholme) were sold to the Corporations of Oldham and Rochdale, from which after payment of compensation to the Manchester Ship Canal, the as a result, a water supply was lost, and a profit of almost £ 300,000 was made. However, under agreed conditions, the Rochdale Canal could continue to receive water from the reservoirs, not just from nearby waters. However, the sale of the reservoirs exacerbated the water shortage.

The traffic continued to decrease. In 1937 the canal was used for the last time across its entire length. With the exception of a still economically operated section in Manchester, which connects Bridgewater Canal and Ashton Canal, most of the canal went out of service in 1952 by a legal regulation. The canal was almost unusable in the mid-1960s and its continuous course was interrupted when the M62 motorway was built.

restoration

In 1965 the Rochdale Canal was to be legally closed. The Inland Waterways Association petitioned against it, and the settlement reached obliged the owners of the canal to maintain it until the subsequent Ashton Canal was closed. A boat rally was held on the canal in early 1971, and in the same year there was a public debate about whether part of the canal should be partially filled in for a water amusement park, or whether this section should be restored for shipping at a lower cost. Discussions as to whether the Rochdale Canal or the Huddersfield Narrow Canal should be restored led in 1974 to the establishment of associations with the respective goals. The Rochdale Canal Society intended its total restoration as part of a Pennine Park .

The reopening of the Ashton Canal took place in 1974, which flows into the Rochdale Canal above lock 84. At the same time, the nine locks between this confluence and the Bridgwater Canal were restored.

A job creation scheme in 1975 set aside £ 40,000 to work on the stretch of canal through the town of Rochdale. The following year, 150 new jobs were created with a further £ 208,000 grant. Plans to cross the proposed M66 motorway and build a supermarket in Sowerby Bridge, which would have cut the canal, met with opposition. The success of the job creation measures (450 people were employed at times, and several thousand people had gained practical experience in reconstruction as a result of the labor rotation) resulted in the canal being viewed with goodwill by the authorities. The section from Todmorden to Hebden Bridge was completed in 1983.

In 1984 the Rochdale Canal Trust Ltd. founded, who leased the canal from the owners. The opening of the canal by an extension of the M66 motorway threatened in 1985, but from 1986 the Greater Manchester Council helped to remove obstacles, namely the dam on the M62 motorway which blocked the way to Failsworth . Calderdale Council, with EU support, helped clear three culverts and restore two locks in 1986 . A tunnel and a deep lock were planned in Sowerby Bridge to pass under streets. This lock at Tuel Lane is nearly 20 ft (6 m) deep, making it one of the deepest in the UK canal network. The entire section between Sowerby Bridge and the apex at Longlees was reopened in 1990, but for the time being without connection to the rest of the canal network.

On April 11, 1996, a boat was able to transfer from the restored Rochdale Canal to the Calder and Hebble Navigation for the first time. At that time, the canal was still owned by a private company. However, in order to be able to receive financial donations for projects of public benefit on the occasion of the celebrations at the turn of the millennium , the Waterway Trust acquired it. With £ 11.3 million from the Millennium Commission and support from other partners including Oldham and Rochdale Councils, a total of £ 33.8 million was invested. The restoration of the sections by Failsworth and Ancoats was an essential part of urban redevelopment in north Manchester. After the restored sections had been connected to the never closed section below the confluence of the Ashton Canal, the Rochdale Canal was opened to traffic in its entire length on July 1, 2002.

In April 2005 a dam broke between locks 60 and 63 near the Irk . It was not until the summer of 2006 that the canal was reopened with difficulties.

Todays use

Today the Rochdale Canal is a popular route for recreational boating. As one of the three canals that cross the Pennines, it connects waterways in the northwest and northeast of England. Since it does not lead through a vertex tunnel, but crosses the heights of the heathland in the Pennines, it is very attractive despite the many locks.

Water shortages often lead to restrictions on shipping. Trips through the apex posture and use of the Tuel Lane lock must be booked in advance.

Course and connections to other waterways

East of Manchester, the Rochdale Canal crosses the Pennines through the parishes of Littleborough , Summit , Todmorden , Hebden Bridge , Mytholmroyd and Luddendenfoot . At Sowerby Bridge, the Calder and Hebble Navigation link provides access to the waterways of North East England, including the Aire and Calder Navigation , Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation and the Ouse and Trent Rivers .

It is part of several recreational shipping routes:

bibliography

Web links

Commons : Rochdale Canal  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A brief history of the Rochdale Canal . Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b Jim Shead, `` History of the Rochdale Canal '' . Jim-shead.com. January 24, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  3. ^ A b Charles Hadfield, Gordon Biddle: The Canals of North West England, Vol 2 (pp. 241-496) . David and Charles, 1970, ISBN 0-7153-4992-9 .
  4. ↑ Calderdale.gov.uk website- Roachdale canal act of Parliament
  5. ^ The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Rochdale Canal . Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on November 5, 2009.
  6. ↑ Jane Cumberlidge: Inland Waterways of Great Britain (8th Ed.) . Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson, 2009, ISBN 978-1-84623-010-3 .
  7. ↑ AW Colligan: The Weighver's Seaport - The story of Hollingworth Lake . G Kelsall, 1977, ISBN 0-9505577-0-6 . , p. 10
  8. ^ Joseph Priestley: Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain 1831.
  9. ↑ a b c d e Roger Squires: Britain's restored canals . Landmark Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84306-331-5 . , p. 58
  10. ^ Rochdale Canal History . Pennine Waterways. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  11. ^ That the way the money went . Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on November 4, 2009.
  12. ^ Irk Aqueduct Breach from Pennine Waterways
  13. ^ Rochdale Canal . Canal & River Trust. Retrieved July 20, 2015.