Shared description
The Bridgewater Canal
Often considered to be the first "true" canal, the Bridgewater Canal was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley. The section from Worsley to Manchester opened on 17th July 1761; it was later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh. Coal was needed in large quantities to fuel the industrial revolution and the canal enabled coal and other goods to be transported efficiently and cheaply to the rapidly expanding towns and cities. Its success helped inspire a period of intense canal building although it later faced intense competition from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Macclesfield Canal.
The canal is connected to the Rochdale Canal (Link ) in Manchester, the Trent and Mersey Canal at Preston Brook, south-east of Runcorn, and to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Leigh. It once connected with the River Mersey at Runcorn but has since been cut off by a slip road to the Silver Jubilee Bridge.
Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Commercial traffic continued on the canal until 1974. By this time, canals were becoming more important as a leisure facility and pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring circular canal route.
For many years, the canal around Worsley was noted for the distinctive bright orange colouring of the water. This was a result of iron oxide from the mines tainting the water as the canal passes through Worsley. A £2.5 million remedial scheme was undertaken in 2013 to remove this colouration.
The Bridgewater Canal is owned and operated by the Manchester Ship Canal Company in conjunction with the Bridgewater Canal Trust.
Link
Bridgewater Canal Company
Link Pennine Waterways
Link Wikipedia
The canal is connected to the Rochdale Canal (Link ) in Manchester, the Trent and Mersey Canal at Preston Brook, south-east of Runcorn, and to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Leigh. It once connected with the River Mersey at Runcorn but has since been cut off by a slip road to the Silver Jubilee Bridge.
Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Commercial traffic continued on the canal until 1974. By this time, canals were becoming more important as a leisure facility and pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring circular canal route.
For many years, the canal around Worsley was noted for the distinctive bright orange colouring of the water. This was a result of iron oxide from the mines tainting the water as the canal passes through Worsley. A £2.5 million remedial scheme was undertaken in 2013 to remove this colouration.
The Bridgewater Canal is owned and operated by the Manchester Ship Canal Company in conjunction with the Bridgewater Canal Trust.
Link
Bridgewater Canal CompanyLink
Pennine WaterwaysLink
Wikipediaby David Dixon
Created: Sat, 26 Feb 2011, Updated: Sun, 19 Feb 2017
769 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:
2020
2017
2017
2017
2016
2011
2012
2016
2017
2017
2020
2020
2017
2015
2014
2017
2017
2012
2019
2022
2022
2022
2021
2011
2017
... and 744 more images.
Shared descriptions
This shared description
The 'Shared Description' text on this page is © copyright 2011 David Dixon.
Shared descriptions are specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse them on their own images, without restriction.
About shared descriptions
These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images.
For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.
Explore images
View images using this "The Bridgewater Canal" Shared Description
View images mentioning the words [The Bridgewater Canal] anywhere in text
Other shared descriptions
Related descriptions
- Bridges over the Mersey at Runcorn
By Dave Dunford. Used on 10 images
- Cheshire Ring Canal Walk
By N Chadwick. Used on 72 images
- Trent and Mersey Canal
By Roger D Kidd. Used on 1,572 images
- Bridgewater Way
By N Chadwick. Used on 38 images
- RHS Garden Bridgewater
By David Dixon. Used on 49 images
- Deansgate Locks Open Weekend 2017
By David Dixon. Used on 28 images
- The Manchester Ship Canal
By David Dixon. Used on 429 images
The above selections are automatic and approximate, it might not always select closely matching descriptions
