2013

SJ5694 : Newton Common Lock, Sankey Canal

taken 11 years ago, near to Earlestown, St Helens, England

Newton Common Lock, Sankey Canal
Newton Common Lock, Sankey Canal
The remains of Newton Common Lock are on the outskirts of Earlestown, situated about ½ a mile south of the A572 at a point where Wharf Road comes alongside the canal.

The lock was constructed in 1755 and rebuilt in 1885. The last barges passed here in 1919 and the lock was infilled in 1976 causing the lock to become completely buried but it has been partly uncovered by SCARS (the canal's restoration society) volunteers the chamber edges can now be seen.

A notice board stands over the lock (behind the lock in this photograph) giving information about the area. According to that notice, a project is being developed to excavate the area (SJ5694 : Newton Common Lock Information Board).
The Sankey Canal

First opened in 1757, the Sankey Canal (which is also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and the St Helens Canal) runs for about 15 miles along the valley of the Sankey Brook from the point where the brook joined the River Mersey, to a location to the north east of St Helens, with short branches to Blackbrook and Gerrard's Bridge. Only two short sections at Widnes and Fiddler's Ferry are open for navigation. Much of the canal is in water although some sections have been infilled.

Built primarily to take coal down to the Mersey and Liverpool, the final traffic on The Sankey was very different, and in the opposite direction; raw sugar for the Sankey Sugar Works at Earlestown, from Liverpool. The ending of the sugar traffic in 1959 led to the closure of the Canal in 1963 after which, the canal was left neglected. It was dirty and ran through an area of chemical works and other industries.

in 1985, The Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS) was formed with the help and encouragement of the St. Helens Groundwork Trust. The principal aim of the Society is to achieve the full restoration of the Canal (LinkExternal link SCARS website).


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Newton [7] · Earlestown [4] · Newton Common Lock [4] Other Photos: · Newton Common Lock Information Board ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
SJ5694, 44 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 2 February, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 4 February, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 5656 9486 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:26.9221N 2:39.3327W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 5655 9486
View Direction
East-northeast (about 67 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image classification(about): Geograph
This page has been viewed about 129 times
You are not logged in login | register