The Manchester,
Bolton and Bury Canal is presently derelict, incomplete and un-navigable
to boating. It originally ran from Salford to Prestolee, between
Kearsley and Little Lever, from where one arm ran to Bolton and
another to Bury. The 15 miles of canal had 17 locks, including
4 staircases locks.
Work started
on the canal in 1791 and a link to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
was originally planned, going westwards from Bolton to Red Moss,
near the present Reebok Stadium, crossing the ridge at Aspull
to the Leeds and Liverpool's Wigan lock flight.
For many years the path of the canal had been abandoned and built
over, but thanks to the formation of a small local group of volunteers,
the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society was formed with
the aim of seeking ways of restoring the canal to full navigation
once more. In May 2002, partnered by British Waterways and others,
plans to restore the canal were launched.
The full restoration
scheme will cost about £32 million and could lead to the
creation of up to 6000 jobs. An independent study has shown that
the restoration of 12 miles of the canal would attract investment,
employment, leisure and housing and lead to the redevelopment
of derelict so-called 'brown field' sites. The proposals include
a new visitor centre at Nob End in Little Lever.
A major step
on the path to ensuring that restoration would be possible came
when extra funding was provided to enable a tunnel to be incorporated
into the construction of the new Manchester and Salford relief
road. This will make it possible for a navigable channel to be
built below this road when restoration gets under way.
If this had
not been done, the canal would have been isolated from the rest
of the waterway system. The tunnel beneath the relief road means
that, when the canal is restored, Locks 1 and 2, originally next
to the junction with the River Irwell, will need to be relocated
further away from the river, probably on the other side of the
railway.
We are indebted
to Margaret Fletcher, Chairman of the Manchester Bolton &
Bury Canal Society, for kindly supplying the photographs shown
on this web page, and whose Copyright © they are.
The MBBCS
is a non-profit Distributing Company Limited by Guarantee No 3074574.
Registered Charity No 104840.7
Registered Office: 36 Trawden Avenue, Bolton, BL1 6JD.
Tel & Fax: 01204 844671. Email: margaret.fletcher1@ntlworld.com.
Website: www.mbbcs.org.uk
The Manchester
Bolton & Bury Canal Society is currently working with British
Waterways, The Waterways Trust, Bolton and Bury Metropolitan Borough
Councils and Salford City Council to restore the Manchester Bolton
and Bury Canal and link it to the national cruising network.
For more information
as well as progress on the restoration of the canal see the following
websites:
