1979

SJ9097 : Ashton Canal; Fairfield lock

taken 45 years ago, near to Droylsden, Tameside, England

Ashton Canal; Fairfield lock
Ashton Canal; Fairfield lock
Fairfield Lock is the highest lock on the Ashton Canal. Beyond the lock is Fairfield Junction where the main line of the Ashton Canal turns right while the former Hollinwood Branch continued ahead.

The lock was made into a double lock in the 1820s, to reduce congestion on what was then a busy stretch of waterway. The lock to the left, now disused, was the original lock before the second lock was built to reduce queues.

Compare this photograph with SJ9097 : Fairfield Lock, Ashton Canal taken in 2012 and SJ9097 : Ashton Canal, Fairfield Top Lock (#18). The warehouses have gone and are now replaced by modern houses and apartments. A small section of the Hollinwood Branch has been reopened (where the fence is) to form a small marina.
Ashton Canal

The Ashton Canal runs eastwards from Manchester to Ashton under Lyne. It links the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Peak Forest Canal with the Rochdale Canal and Bridgewater Canal and forms part of the "Cheshire Ring".

The original scheme was completed in 1796, running from a large basin behind what is now Piccadilly Station in Manchester, climbing gradually eastwards via 18 locks to Fairfield, Droylsden. From there one level section continued eastward to Whitelands Basin, Ashton under Lyne, while another arm headed north through what is now Daisy Nook, climbing another eight locks to Hollinwood, with a branch running east from Daisy Nook towards Park Bridge. A short arm from Portland Basin crossed the River Tame to Dukinfield. A year later an additional branch from Clayton to Stockport was opened.

The short link between Ashton Canal Basin at Piccadilly and the Rochdale Canal was not opened until 1800, when disputes about canal tolls and responsibility for paving the streets around the basins were resolved.

The Peak Forest Canal, opened in 1800, joined the Ashton Canal by way of the Dukinfield spur across the aqueduct over the Tame at Portland Basin.

The Hollinwood Branch Canal closed in sections between 1932 and 1961. The Stockport Branch Canal was closed in 1962.

History: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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SJ9097, 220 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
June 1979   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 3 May, 2010
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 901 978 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:28.6623N 2:9.0118W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 900 978
View Direction
East-northeast (about 67 degrees)
Clickable map
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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