Ashton Canal

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Ashton Canal
AshtonCanalDroylsden.jpg
The Ashton Canal at Droylsden
Specifications
Length6 miles (9.7 km)
Maximum boat length 70 ft 0 in (21.34 m)
Maximum boat beam 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Locks18
StatusNavigable
Navigation authority Canal & River Trust
History
Principal engineerBenjamin Outram
Date of act1792
Date of first use1796
Date completed1797
Date closed1961
Date restored1974
Geography
Start pointAshton-under-Lyne
End pointDucie St Jn, Manchester
Branch(es)Hollinwood Branch Canal, Stockport Branch, Islington Branch Canal
Connects toHuddersfield Narrow Canal, Peak Forest Canal, Rochdale Canal
Ashton Canal
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-- Huddersfield Narrow Canal
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Dukinfield Jn
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-- Peak Forest Canal
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A6140
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UK-Motorway-icon.svg M60
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Hollinwood Branch Canal
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A635
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17-18
Fairfield locks
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Clockhouse swing bridge
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Grimshaws swing bridge
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13-16
Clayton locks
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Crabtree swing bridge
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11-12
Clayton locks
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Clayton Jn
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Stockport Branch
(5 miles)
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8-10
Clayton locks
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A635
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7
Beswick lock
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A6010
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4-6
Beswick locks
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2-3
Ancoats locks
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Islington Branch Canal
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1
Ancoats locks
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A665
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Thomas Telford basin
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Store Street Aqueduct
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-- Rochdale Canal
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Ducie St Jn
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-- Rochdale Canal
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The Ashton Canal is a canal in Greater Manchester, England, linking Manchester with Ashton-under-Lyne.

Contents

Route

Map of Ashton Canal and its branches Ashton Canal Map.png
Map of Ashton Canal and its branches

The Ashton leaves the Rochdale Canal at Ducie St. Junction in central Manchester, and climbs for 6 miles (9.7 km) through 18  locks, [1] passing through Ancoats, Holt Town, Bradford, Clayton, Openshaw, Droylsden, Fairfield and Audenshaw to make a head-on junction with the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (formerly the Huddersfield Canal) at Whitelands Basin in the centre of Ashton-under-Lyne. At Bradford, the canal passes very close to the City of Manchester Stadium (currently known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons), which was originally built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Apart from the Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow canals, the Ashton Canal only currently connects with one other canal. Just short of Whitelands, at Dukinfield Junction/Portland Basin a short arm crosses the river Tame on the Tame Aqueduct, and makes a head-on junction with the Peak Forest Canal. [2]

There used to be four other important connections to branch canals: the Islington Branch Canal in Ancoats; the Stockport Branch Canal from Clayton to Stockport (Heaton Norris); the Hollinwood Branch Canal from Fairfield to Hollinwood; and the Fairbottom Branch Canal (itself a branch of the Hollinwood Branch Canal) from Waterhouses to Fairbottom. There was to have been a fifth branch, namely the Beat Bank Branch Canal (itself a branch of Stockport Branch Canal) from Reddish to Beat Bank in Denton, but this was abandoned before completion.

Many of the canal locks are now listed buildings. [3]

History

Manchester and Oldham Canal Act 1792
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1714-1801).svg
Long title An Act for making a Navigable Canal from Manchester, to or near Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham, in the County Palatine of Lancaster.
Citation 32 Geo. 3. c. 84
Dates
Royal assent 11 June 1792

The canal received its act of Parliament, the Manchester and Oldham Canal Act 1792 (32 Geo. 3. c. 84) in 1792. It was built to supply coal from Oldham and Ashton under Lyne to Manchester. [4] The first section between Ancoats Lane to Ashton-under-Lyne and Hollinwood was completed in 1796, followed by the lines to Heaton Norris and Fairbottom in 1797. Although there were plans to link it to the Rochdale Canal, it opened as an isolated waterway.

Benjamin Outram was retained to complete the final section between Ancoats Lane and the Rochdale Canal including the Piccadilly Basin. It included the unique Store Street Aqueduct, built on a 45 degree skew and believed to be the first major such structure in Britain and the oldest still in use today.

The section was completed by 1798, but the necessary extension by the Rochdale proprietors to the Bridgewater Canal was not built until 1800. Although the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was open as far as Woolroad by 1798, neither it, nor the Peak Forest Canal were complete. In fact it was another ten years before the former connected to Yorkshire and the east coast.

With little but local trade in its early years, the canal struggled financially and a dividend was not paid until 1806.

It then prospered until competition from railways, and later road transport, greatly diminished traffic, and through traffic had ended by 1945. Traffic on the branches ended in the 1930s. Following nationalisation in 1947–48, traffic did not revive, and all traffic had ceased by 1958, after which maintenance was run down. By 1961, combined with vandalism, the canal had become unnavigable, and its retention for pleasure use seemed unlikely.

The Ashton Canal was one of seven stretches of canal, formerly designated as remainder waterways, that were re-classified by the British Waterways Act 1983 (c. ii) of 8 February 1983. Under the act, a total of 82 miles (132 km) of canal were upgraded to Cruising Waterway Standard. [5]

In October 2021, lock numbers 13 and 15 were one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government's Culture Recovery Fund. [6]

Leisure use

Pressure from the Inland Waterways Association, combined with the formation of the Peak Forest Canal Society, led to a campaign to reopen the Ashton, with the major organised volunteer clearance of the section though Droylsden in September 1968, known as Operation Ashton. Further campaigning, and the growth of local authority support, led to its restoration, along with the adjacent lower Peak Forest Canal, and reopening on 1 April 1974. [1]

The restoration of these two canals opened up the Cheshire Ring, an immediately (and still) popular one-week leisure cruise circling much of east Cheshire. With the opening of the Southern Pennine canals, the Ashton is now also part of the South Pennine Ring (Rochdale and Huddersfield Narrow) and the longest Pennine Ring of all (Outer Pennine Ring - Leeds & Liverpool and Huddersfield Narrow).

It used to be common to hear reports of unfortunate incidents along the Ashton, such as thefts from boats and intimidating, or at least unnerving, behaviour on the part of some local youths and children. This, for a time, caused boats to go through in convoys. [7] [8] [9] Today the Ashton Canal is increasingly valued by the communities through which it passes, and although many boaters still advise others to cover the Ashton during early hours, and not in school holidays, reports of problems often turn out to be the repeated telling of old stories. However, incidents do still occur, as in August 2014 when a number of boats were attacked by hooded youths. [10]

The locks are renowned for debris (shopping trolleys, wheely bins, rocks etc.) which can result in blocked lock gates, but Canal & River Trust workers are soon on site to clear any reported incidents. Portland Basin is a good overnight mooring after ascending the Ashton locks, for those who do not wish to proceed beyond Romiley.

There are current campaigns to restore the Hollinwood Branch and Stockport Branches.

Listed structures

The following structures along the canal are Grade II listed: [11]

Points of interest

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

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The Calder and Hebble Navigation is a broad inland waterway, with locks and bridge holes that are suitable for 14-foot-wide (4.3 m) boats, in West Yorkshire, England. Construction to improve the River Calder and the River Hebble began in 1759, and the initial scheme, which included 5.7 miles (9.2 km) of new cuts, was completed in 1770 and has remained navigable since it was opened. Significant improvements were made, including the Salterhebble branch to Halifax, opened in 1828, and ever-longer cuts to bypass river sections. Trade was assisted by the opening of the Rochdale Canal in 1804, which provided a through route from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester. There were plans to abandon the river sections completely in the 1830s, but these were modified as the needs of mill owners and other riparian landowners were recognised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tameside</span> Borough in Greater Manchester, England

Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, named after the River Tame, which flows through it, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Tameside is bordered by the metropolitan boroughs of Stockport to the south, Oldham to the north and northeast, Manchester to the west, and to the east by the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire. As of 2022, the population of Tameside was 232,753, making it the 8th-most populous borough of Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huddersfield Narrow Canal</span> Navigable channel in England

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland waterway in northern England. It runs just under 20 miles (32 km) from Lock 1E at the rear of the University of Huddersfield campus, near Aspley Basin in Huddersfield, to the junction with the Ashton Canal at Whitelands Basin in Ashton-under-Lyne. It crosses the Pennines by means of 74 locks and the Standedge Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canals of the United Kingdom</span> Network of inland waterways

The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in the United Kingdom is again increasing in use, with abandoned and derelict canals being reopened, and the construction of some new routes. Canals in England and Wales are maintained by navigation authorities. The biggest navigation authorities are the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, but other canals are managed by companies, local authorities or charitable trusts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huddersfield Broad Canal</span> Navigation canal in West Yorkshire, England

The Huddersfield Broad Canal or Sir John Ramsden's Canal, is a wide-locked navigable canal in West Yorkshire in northern England. The waterway is 3.75 miles (6 km) long and has 9 wide locks. It follows the valley of the River Colne and connects the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Cooper Bridge junction with the Huddersfield Narrow Canal near Aspley Basin in Huddersfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochdale Canal</span> Trans-Pennine navigable channel in northern England

The Rochdale Canal is in Northern England, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes.

The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway was opened in 1846 to connect the industrial town of Ashton-under-Lyne to the developing railway network, and in particular to the port of Liverpool. It was a short line, joining the Manchester and Leeds Railway at Miles Platting and the connection to Liverpool was over that line and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macclesfield Canal</span> Canal in Cheshire, England

The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There were already suggestions by that date that a railway would be better, but the committee that had been formed elected for a canal and the engineer Thomas Telford endorsed the decision. The canal as built was a typical Telford canal, constructed using cut and fill, with numerous cuttings and embankments to enable it to follow as straight a course as possible, although Telford had little to do with its construction, which was managed by William Crosley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islington Branch Canal</span>

The Islington Branch Canal was a short canal branch at Ancoats in north-west England, which joined the main line of the Ashton Canal between locks 1 and 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockport Branch Canal</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Stockport Branch Canal was a 5-mile (8 km) branch of the Ashton Canal from Clayton to Stockport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollinwood Branch Canal</span>

The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and went through Droylsden and Waterhouses to terminate at Hollinwood Basin. It rose through four locks at Waterhouses (19–22) and another four at Hollinwood (23–26). Immediately above lock 22 at Waterhouses was Fairbottom Junction where the Fairbottom Branch Canal started. Beyond Hollinwood Basin there was a lock free private branch, known as the Werneth Branch Canal, to Old Lane Colliery, which opened in 1797. It is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve.

The Fairbottom Branch Canal was a canal near Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester, England.

The Beat Bank Branch Canal was an abortive canal near Manchester, England. It was to leave the Stockport Branch Canal in South Reddish and it was to be lock free but with a short tunnel. It was to follow the contour above the right bank of the River Tame, firstly in a northerly direction and then easterly as it followed the meandering course of the river upstream. It was to terminate at or near to the coalmining hamlet of Beat Bank in Denton where it could also secure supplies of coal from nearby mines at Haughton Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheshire Ring</span> Canal ring in North West England

The Cheshire Ring is a canal cruising circuit or canal ring, which includes sections of six canals in and around Cheshire and Greater Manchester in North West England: the Ashton Canal, Peak Forest Canal, Macclesfield Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal, Bridgewater Canal and Rochdale Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pennine Ring</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pennine Ring</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outer Pennine Ring</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dukinfield Junction</span>

Dukinfield Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Peak Forest Canal, the Ashton Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal meet near Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. The area has been designated by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council as a conservation area.

Manchester is a city in Northwest England. The M4 postcode area is to the northeast of the city centre, and includes part of the Northern Quarter, part of New Islington, and the area of Ancoats. This postcode area contains 67 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, eight are listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade.

References

  1. 1 2 Cumberlidge 2009 , pp. 61–62
  2. Dean 2001
  3. "Listed Buildings in Manchester". Manchester UK. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. Ashton Canal, Engineering Timelines, archived from the original on 19 May 2012, retrieved 11 December 2011
  5. Edwards 1985 , p. 33
  6. "Heritage and Craft Workers Across England Given a Helping Hand"Historic England, 22 October 2021
  7. "Cops Ahoy in new canal cruiser". Manchester Evening News. 13 July 1996.
  8. "Bicentenary of Ashton Canal may help to return it to its former glory". Manchester Evening News. 17 March 1997.
  9. "Pirates ahoy on urban waterway". Manchester Evening News. 2 November 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2006.
  10. "Boats attacked in wrecking spree". Narrowboat World. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  11. Good Stuff IT Services. "Search: +Ashton +Canal - British Listed Buildings". British Listed Buildings.

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53°28′58″N2°06′00″W / 53.4828°N 2.0999°W / 53.4828; -2.0999