2015

SD9851 : Springs Branch, Skipton

taken 8 years ago, near to Skipton, North Yorkshire, England

Springs Branch, Skipton
Springs Branch, Skipton
Two hire boats from the Pennine Cruisers fleet are seen from under Coach Street Bridge on the short Springs Branch, close to the junction with the main Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Springs Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Skipton

There is a short spur off the Leeds & Liverpool canal in Skipton called the Springs Branch. Originally this branch stopped after just a quarter of a mile at High Corn Mill, just after the Mill Bridge(Bridge No. 2), however later it was extended for a further quarter mile to facilitate bringing limestone quarried from near to Skipton Castle. This extension was created by Lord Thanet, then part owner of Skipton Castle and the limestone mine. This branch line is not only narrow, but has no turning point for boats over 35' in length. It is fed by an interesting network of leats and reservoirs in Skipton Woods with numerous sluices, weirs and conduits ensuring the water supply. The source of all this water is Eller Beck Link which rises to the north of Skipton on Embsay Moor. (Note there are numerous Eller Becks in northern Britain, "eller" meaning willow - a very common streamside tree.)
Of course the water from the Springs Branch then flows into the main Leeds and Liverpool canal helping to keep its level up too.
The Springs Branch was completed to the Castle in 1797, and metal chutes were used to drop quarried limestone 120' from high up by the Castle, down into waiting barges on the canal. This practice finally ceased in 1946 but some relics of these old industrial workings can still be made out.
These days, this little branch line forms a very attractive walk out of Skipton town centre underneath the brooding Norman castle and out into the woods beyond.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Stephen McKay and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Canals Primary Subject: Canal other tags: Narrowboat Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
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SD9851, 1321 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Stephen McKay   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 23 November, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 30 November, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 9880 5166 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:57.6614N 2:1.1866W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 9882 5168
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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