Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal | |||||
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Specifications | |||||
Locks | 91 (92 as built; two locks merged) | ||||
Status | Open | ||||
Navigation authority | Canal & River Trust | ||||
History | |||||
Date of act | 1794 | ||||
Date completed | 1804 | ||||
Date closed | 1952 | ||||
Date restored | 2002 | ||||
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Rochdale Canal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rochdale Canal is in
The Rochdale is a broad canal because its
As built, the canal had 92 locks. Whilst the traditional lock numbering has been retained on all restored locks, and on the relocated locks, the canal now has 91. Locks 3 and 4 have been replaced with a single deep lock, Tuel Lane Lock, which is numbered 3/4.
History
The Rochdale Canal was conceived in 1776, when a group of 48 men from Rochdale raised £237 and commissioned James Brindley to conduct a survey of possible routes between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester.[1] Brindley proposed a route similar to the one built, and another more expensive route via Bury.[2] Further progress was not made until 1791, when John Rennie was asked to make a new survey in June, and two months later to make surveys for branches to Rochdale, Oldham and to a limeworks near Todmorden. Rennie at the time had no experience of building canals.[3]
The promoters, unsure as to whether to build a wide or a narrow canal, postponed the decision until an
Rennie's estimated cost in the second bill was £291,000, and the company was empowered to raise the money by issuing shares, with powers to raise a further £100,000 if required. The estimate was for a narrow canal, whereas the act authorised a broad canal, and so the capital was never going to be adequate. The summit tunnel was abandoned in favour of 14 additional locks saving £20,000. Jessop proposed constructing each lock with a drop of 10 feet (3.0 m), resulting in efficient use of water and the need to manufacture only one size of lock gate.[8]
The canal opened in stages as sections were completed, with the Rochdale Branch the first in 1798 and further sections in 1799. The bottom nine locks opened in 1800 and boats using the Ashton Canal could reach Manchester.[9] Officially, the canal opened in 1804, but construction work continued for three more years.[2] A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) branch from Heywood to Castleton opened in 1834.[9]
Operation
As a result of having no summit tunnel, there were more locks, and the summit pound was very short, at just 0.8 miles (1.3 km). To the north and east, 36 locks descended to Sowerby Bridge, while to the south and west, another 56 locks descended to Castlefield Junction, on the edge of Manchester. The summit pound is 600 feet (183 m) above sea level, and is one of the highest summit pounds in Britain.[10] Blackstone Edge Reservoir, covering 50 acres (20 ha) and Chelburn Reservoir, covering 16 acres (6.5 ha), were the first two reservoirs built to supply the water for all these locks. They were completed in 1798, and Hollingworth Lake, covering 130 acres (53 ha), was finished in 1800. It was lower than the summit pound, and so a steam pumping engine was installed to raise the water into a 4-mile (6.4 km) feeder, which connected to the summit.[11] The feeder was about 45 feet (14 m) above the level of the lake, and the pumping engine was used until 1910, when the installation was demolished.[12] Another Act of Parliament obtained in 1807 enabled the 92-acre (37 ha) Whiteholme Reservoir and the 30-acre (12 ha) Light Hazzles Reservoir to be constructed, to ensure that supplies remained adequate as trade increased.[13]
Because of its width, the canal was more successful than the
In 1839, the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal opened, which provided a link between a private branch of the Rochdale Canal and the Mersey and Irwell Navigation. It had been built because around 30,000 tons of goods a year were being transferred between the two waterways by cart, through the streets of Manchester, and the charges for this service did not meet the costs of providing it. It opened on 20 September, but was not a success, as the enabling Act of Parliament had also authorised the Bridgewater Canal to build the Hulme Cut, which linked their canal to the Irwell by three locks, and provided a more convenient route.[15] The eastern end of the canal, with its connection to the Rochdale Canal, closed in 1875, the rest was disused by 1922, and it was abandoned in 1936.[16]
In 1855, the company agreed the terms of a lease with four railway companies, with the largest stake of 73 per cent held by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. The railways paid £37,652 per year for a 21-year period, which allowed the canal company to pay a 4 per cent dividend to its shareholders and still have £15,000 for maintenance work. During the lease period, traffic increased a little, from 754,421 tons to 878,651 tons, and toll revenue also increased, from £23,048 to £28,579. At the end of the 21 years, the arrangement was continued for another fourteen, and four final half-yearly payments of £15,000 were made by way of compensation when the agreement ended.[17] One surprising development was that Hollingworth Lake became a pleasure resort, with steamers operating on it six days a week in 1865. Allegations of "immoralities which it is stated take place in connection with the dancing stages at Hollingworth" in November of that year were strenuously denied by the company in January 1866.[18]
By cutting tolls, the canal managed to retain trade and remain profitable. A series of administrative changes took place, sanctioned by Acts of Parliament. The title of the company changed from the Company of Proprietors of the Rochdale Canal to the Rochdale Canal Company, and they were also empowered to sell water. In 1905, cargo moving between the canal and the
Rochdale Canal Act 1952 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 1 August 1952 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
Apart from a short profitable section in
Restoration
When an Act of Parliament was sought in 1965, to authorise the abandonment of the canal, the Inland Waterways Association petitioned against it, and when it was finally passed, it contained a clause that ensured the owners would maintain it until the adjacent Ashton Canal was abandoned.[20] In early 1971, a boat rally was organised on the canal, and later that year, there was public debate over the high cost of a project which had infilled part of the canal to create a shallow water park, when restoring the section for navigation would have been cheaper.[21] Discussion of the relative merits of restoring the canal or the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in 1973 led the formation of societies to promote both schemes in 1974. The Rochdale Canal Society wanted to see the canal fully re-opened, as part of a proposed Pennine Park.[22] The Ashton Canal, which joins the canal above lock 84, reopened in 1974, and the nine locks on the Rochdale Canal between the junction and the Bridgewater Canal were restored at that time.[23]
The canal benefited from the activities of the Manpower Services Commission in 1975, when £40,000 was allocated under the Job Creation Scheme to fund work on the Rochdale town section of the canal. The following year, another 150 jobs were created when a further £208,000 grant was made.[24] Despite the progress, there were plans to sever the route with a low-level crossing by the proposed M66 motorway in 1979, and to build a supermarket on it at Sowerby Bridge in 1980, both of which were met with opposition.[25] One benefit of the Job Creation Scheme was that the perception of the restoration changed in official circles. The local council was responsible for the young people employed on the scheme, which ran for twelve years, and found itself having to negotiate with the canal company. At its height, there were 450 people working on the canal, and since no-one could work on the scheme for more than a year, several thousand people learnt practical restoration skills, and many retained an interest in canals afterwards. The section from Todmorden to Hebden Bridge was completed in 1983, and opened on 20 May.[26]
The Rochdale Canal Society worked hard both to protect the line of the canal and to begin the process of refurbishing it. A new organisational structure was created in 1984, with the formation of the Rochdale Canal Trust Ltd, who leased the canal from the owning company.
In 1991, an Ecotec Report looked at the costs and benefits of completing the restoration. It estimated that another £15.9 million was needed, but for a total expenditure of £17.3 million, some £30 million of benefits would be gained by the region, including 1,028 full-time jobs. Some of this money would come from Derelict Land Grants.[30] The re-fashioned link with the Calder and Hebble Canal (which had never closed) was funded by £2.5 million from this source. The initial plan included a lock that was only 57.5 feet (17.5 m) long, but space was eventually found for a standard 72-foot (22 m) lock. The first boat to pass between the restored Rochdale Canal and the Calder and Hebble Navigation did so on 11 April 1996, although the official opening did not take place until 3 May.[31] Tuel Lane Lock is nearly 20 feet (6.1 m) deep, making it one of the candidates for the deepest lock on the British canal system.[2]
In 1997, the Rochdale Canal Trust was restructured, in response to announcements that there might be large grants available as part of the millennium celebrations. The canal was still at this point owned by a private company, and the
Today
The Rochdale Canal is significant for leisure boating in that it is one of the three canals which cross the Pennines and thus join north-western canals with the waterways of the North East, as well as opening the possibilities of touring various Pennine Rings (the Huddersfield Narrow Canal had reopened the year before, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal had never closed).
A great attraction of the Rochdale Canal for the leisure boater lies in the fact that (unlike the Leeds and Liverpool and the Huddersfield Narrow) it climbs high over the Pennine moors rather than tunnelling through them, and the boater is surrounded by scenery which is correspondingly more spectacular (with the "penalty" of having to work more locks).[35]
The Rochdale is at the heart of several important leisure boating routes
- In Manchester, the Rochdale Canal connects the Ashton Canal to the Bridgewater Canal, and is thus a short link in the Cheshire Ring, a one- (or better, two-) week canal ring which has been popular for 30 years.
- The Ashton Canal connects to the western end of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, making the Rochdale Canal part of the South Pennine Ring.
- The Bridgewater Canal connects to the western end of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, making the Rochdale Canal part of the North Pennine Ring.
- The Ashton and the Bridgewater connect the Rochdale to all the canals on the west side of England, including the Trent and Mersey Canal and Macclesfield Canal.
East from Manchester, it crosses the Pennines via the hill towns and villages of Littleborough, Summit, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Luddendenfoot (where Branwell Brontë was a railway booking clerk). Finally, at Sowerby Bridge, its connection with the Calder and Hebble gives boats access to all the north-eastern waterways including the Aire and Calder Navigation, the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, and the rivers Ouse and Trent (and, for boaters who wish to do a "ring", the eastern ends of the Huddersfield Narrow and Leeds and Liverpool canals).
The Rochdale has had many problems since reopening (often related to a shortage of water, because the canal's reservoirs had been sold off in 1923). In April 2005 the canal bank was breached between lock 60 and lock 63,[36] near the River Irk. A large volume of water surged down the river towards the nearby town of Middleton, echoing the great Middleton canal tragedy of 1927, when a breach occurred at the aqueduct, and three people were drowned.[37] The canal re-opened in summer 2006, but had problems throughout the season.
The high frequency of navigation restrictions (and the need to book passage through Tuel Lane lock, and across the summit pound) means that anyone planning to use the canal should consult the Canal & River Trust website.[38]
See also
- Canals of the United Kingdom
- History of the British canal system
- Murder of Lindsay Rimer, a 13-year-old girl found murdered in the canal in 1994
Bibliography
- Colligan, A. W. (1977). The Weighver's Seaport – The story of Hollingworth Lake. G Kelsall. ISBN 0-9505577-0-6.
- Cumberlidge, Jane (2009). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (8th ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-1-84623-010-3.
- Hadfield, Charles; Biddle, Gordon (1970a). The Canals of North West England, Vol 1 (pp. 1–236). David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4956-2.
- Hadfield, Charles; Biddle, Gordon (1970b). The Canals of North West England, Vol 2 (pp. 241–496). David and Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4992-9.
- Pearson, Michael (1995). Pearson's Canal Companion; Pennine waters. Tatenhill Common: J. M. Pearson. ISBN 0-9545383-4-X.
- Priestley, Joseph (1831). Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain.
- Squires, Roger (2008). Britain's restored canals. Landmark Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84306-331-5.
References
- ^ a b c "A brief history of the Rochdale Canal". Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010.
- ^ a b c "History of the Rochdale Canal". Jim Shead. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, p. 264
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 265–267
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 267–269
- ^ "Act for Making and Maintaining A Canal, 1794". From Weaver to Web: Online Visual Archive of Calderdale History. Calderdale Council.
- ^ a b Priestley 1831, pp. 542–547
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 270–271
- ^ a b "The Rise, Fall and Rise of the Rochdale Canal". Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, pp. 255–258
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, p. 272
- ^ Colligan 1977, p. 10
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, p. 278
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, p. 432
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970a, pp. 127–128
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 365–366
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 431–433
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, p. 434
- ^ Hadfield & Biddle 1970b, pp. 436–438
- ^ Squires 2008, p. 58
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 74–76
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 80, 83
- ^ "Rochdale Canal History". Pennine Waterways. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 88, 93
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 102, 106
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 110, 113
- ^ a b c Cumberlidge 2009, p. 255
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 115–116
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 120, 125
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 128–130
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 133, 137
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 140–142
- ^ "Thats the way the money went". Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on 4 November 2009.
- ^ Squires 2008, p. 154
- ^ "Rochdale Canal". Waterscape. 1 July 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ Irk Aqueduct Breach from Pennine Waterways
- ^ "Great Flood of Middleton". Rochdale Observer. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009.
- ^ "Rochdale Canal: Boating". Waterscape. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
External links
- Rochdale Canal
- Images and map of mile markers along the Rochdale Canal
- British Waterways Leisure Site