Macclesfield Canal
Encyclopedia
The Macclesfield Canal is a canal
in east Cheshire
, England
, one of the six that make up the Cheshire Ring
.
The canal runs 26 miles (42 km) from Marple Junction
at Marple
, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal
, 16 miles (26 km), southwards (through Bollington
and Macclesfield
), before arriving at Bosley
.
Having descended the 12 Bosley Locks
over the course of about a mile (1.6 km), the canal continues through Congleton
to a junction with the Hall Green Branch
of the Trent & Mersey Canal at Hall Green stop lock (the branch itself joins the main line a mile further on at Hardings Wood Junction
, near Kidsgrove
).
By the time the canal gained its Act of Parliament
in 1826, the estimated cost of building the canal (to be funded by shareholders) was put at £295,000. The authorised share capital was £300,000, and the company had powers to borrow a further £100,000.
By the autumn of 1829, when engineer Thomas Telford
inspected the works, he pronounced himself satisfied with the works.
The formal opening took place on 9 November 1831, with ceremonial processions of boats from Congleton and Marple proceeding towards Macclesfield, meticulously timed such that boats would arrive at Macclesfield from both directions at the same time, upon arrival, a salute was fired, and the Band of the Macclesfield Cavalry played God Save the King, before the proprietors and dignitaries retired to the Town Hall for dinner.
By 1838, the canal company was looking to expansion, and sought to build a branch from Buglawton
to Biddulph
, to serve the coal mines. Initially proposed as a canal, and later as a railway, the plan was eventually dropped after it met with a less than enthusiastic reception from shareholders who were seeking a more substantial dividend, rather than re-investment of profits, and from the mine owners.
In the same year, the company joined forces with the Trent and Mersey Canal Company
in a successful move to oppose a move to open a new canal from Middlewich
to Altrincham
.
By 1845, the spectre of railway competition was looming large, and the proposals for the Trent and Mersey Company to merge with a railway company were causing concern.
At the same time, the canal had already begun its diversification into the leisure market, which would form such a large part of its future, with swift packet boats carrying leisure traffic from the (now closed) Dukinfield
railway station, close to Dukinfield Junction
on the Peak Forest Canal
to Disley, Lyme Park
and Macclesfield at fares of 1-1½d per mile.
The company, seeing that engaging in head to head competition with the railways, was doomed to failure, opened negotiations with the North Staffordshire Railway
in October 1845. The proposals from that company were rejected by the shareholders.
By June 1846, however, the company had negotiated an alternative arrangement with the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
. Under the terms of this agreement, the railway company took out a perpetual lease of the canal at an annual rate of £2 10s per share (broadly equivalent to the dividend hitherto paid by the canal company).
(later renamed Great Central Railway
).
On 29 February 1912, the canal burst its banks at Kerridge, flooding several nearby streets.
Finally, in 1922, under grouping
, the canal passed into the ownership of the London and North Eastern Railway
.
, in common with many other canals, the canal started to suffer from a lack of maintenance, although commercial carrying on the canal continued into the 1960s.
The threat of closure hung over it until the 1968 Transport Act
came into force.
, on the Trent and Mersey Canal, might have to close permanently because of mining subsidence, one of the solutions mooted was to make a connection between the Leek Branch of the Caldon canal and the Macclesfield canal at Bosley, via Leek and possibly Rudyard Lake; however Harecastle Tunnel remains open to navigation.
, whilst originally built by the Trent & Mersey Canal Canal Company, is often considered as part of the Macclesfield Canal in modern maps and guidebooks. Hall Green Stop Lock survives, with its rise and fall of about a foot; this was to prevent the Trent & Mersey losing water to the Macclesfield in the event of a breach in the latter. There was also a Stop Lock at Marple, although both canals were built to the same level, and the lock was provided only for cases where water shortages might have resulted in a temporary difference. The lock has long been de-gated, having become unnecessary once the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals came into common ownership. The site of the lock remains as a narrows just in front of the junction bridge, as seen in the accompanying picture, overhung by a loading canopy.
The only flight of locks on the canal, at Bosley, are unusual for a narrow canal in having mitre gates at both ends, rather than the usual arrangement of a single top gate.
There are no tunnels on the Macclesfield Canal, but there are several impressive embankments, e.g. at Bollington and High Lane
on the upper section, and over the River Dane
on the lower section, close to Bosley bottom lock.
The Macclesfield Canal is renowned for its elegant roving bridge
s, locally known as Snake Bridges.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in east Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, one of the six that make up the Cheshire Ring
Cheshire Ring
The Cheshire Ring is a popular canal cruising circuit, or canal ring which includes six of the canals in and around Cheshire, England.Because it takes approximately a week to complete, it is suited to narrowboat holidays which start and return to the same location. The route has 92 locks and is long...
.
Route
Marple Junction
Marple Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Macclesfield Canal terminates and meets the Peak Forest Canal at Marple, Greater Manchester, England....
at Marple
Marple, Greater Manchester
Marple is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Goyt southeast of Stockport.Historically part of Cheshire, Marple has a population of 23,480 .-Toponymy:...
, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal, is a narrow locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.-General description:...
, 16 miles (26 km), southwards (through Bollington
Bollington
Bollington is a small rural town and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, , England, in the unitary authority of Cheshire East. It is located east of Prestbury. In the Middle Ages it was part of the Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield., and the ancient parish of Prestbury...
and Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
), before arriving at Bosley
Bosley
Bosley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 406. The village is on the A523 road about six miles south of Macclesfield...
.
Having descended the 12 Bosley Locks
Bosley Lock Flight
Bosley Lock Flight is a flight of twelve canal locks, situated on the Macclesfield Canal at Bosley, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, England.Except for the stop lock at Hall Green , these are the only locks on the canal...
over the course of about a mile (1.6 km), the canal continues through Congleton
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
to a junction with the Hall Green Branch
Hall Green Branch
The Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. It runs for one mile from Kidsgrove to Hall Green, where it makes an end-on junction with the Macclesfield Canal at Hall Green Stop Lock....
of the Trent & Mersey Canal at Hall Green stop lock (the branch itself joins the main line a mile further on at Hardings Wood Junction
Hardings Wood Junction
Hardings Wood Junction is a canal junction near Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England and the point at which the Macclesfield Canal joins the Trent and Mersey Canal....
, near Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove
Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112...
).
Proposals
The canal was initially proposed at a public meeting held on 22 September 1824 at the Macclesfield Arms in Macclesfield. Unlike earlier canals, the spectre of the arrival of the railways was already in sight, and at least one present at the first meeting suggested that a railway might be built.By the time the canal gained its Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1826, the estimated cost of building the canal (to be funded by shareholders) was put at £295,000. The authorised share capital was £300,000, and the company had powers to borrow a further £100,000.
Construction
Construction of the canal began at Bollington on 4 December 1826, with the ceremonial cutting of the first sod, and progressed steadily.By the autumn of 1829, when engineer Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
inspected the works, he pronounced himself satisfied with the works.
Opening
The canal was completed in 1831 at a cost of £320,000 (the shareholders having authorised borrowings of up to £50,000 to expedite works.)The formal opening took place on 9 November 1831, with ceremonial processions of boats from Congleton and Marple proceeding towards Macclesfield, meticulously timed such that boats would arrive at Macclesfield from both directions at the same time, upon arrival, a salute was fired, and the Band of the Macclesfield Cavalry played God Save the King, before the proprietors and dignitaries retired to the Town Hall for dinner.
Early years
The canal was a success, and in its first full year of operation (March 1832-March 1833) the income was over £6,000.By 1838, the canal company was looking to expansion, and sought to build a branch from Buglawton
Buglawton
Buglawton is a suburb of Congleton, in the south-east of Cheshire. It was a parish and an urban district from 1894 until 1936, when it was incorporated in Congleton borough....
to Biddulph
Biddulph
Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south east of Congleton, Cheshire.-Origin of the name:Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry"...
, to serve the coal mines. Initially proposed as a canal, and later as a railway, the plan was eventually dropped after it met with a less than enthusiastic reception from shareholders who were seeking a more substantial dividend, rather than re-investment of profits, and from the mine owners.
In the same year, the company joined forces with the Trent and Mersey Canal Company
Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and North West of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities—east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich—it is a wide canal....
in a successful move to oppose a move to open a new canal from Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
to Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
.
The arrival of the railways
As with so many UK canals, the arrival of the railways led to the decline of the canal.By 1845, the spectre of railway competition was looming large, and the proposals for the Trent and Mersey Company to merge with a railway company were causing concern.
At the same time, the canal had already begun its diversification into the leisure market, which would form such a large part of its future, with swift packet boats carrying leisure traffic from the (now closed) Dukinfield
Dukinfield
Dukinfield is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in central Tameside on the south bank of the River Tame, opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, and is east of the city of Manchester...
railway station, close to Dukinfield Junction
Dukinfield Junction
Dukinfield Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Peak Forest Canal terminates and meets the Ashton Canal near Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England...
on the Peak Forest Canal
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal, is a narrow locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.-General description:...
to Disley, Lyme Park
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park...
and Macclesfield at fares of 1-1½d per mile.
The company, seeing that engaging in head to head competition with the railways, was doomed to failure, opened negotiations with the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
in October 1845. The proposals from that company were rejected by the shareholders.
By June 1846, however, the company had negotiated an alternative arrangement with the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne...
. Under the terms of this agreement, the railway company took out a perpetual lease of the canal at an annual rate of £2 10s per share (broadly equivalent to the dividend hitherto paid by the canal company).
Changes in ownership
At the time it took out its lease, the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was itself at an advanced stage in negotiating a merger with other railway companies, and on 1 January 1847, ownership of the canal passed to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
(later renamed Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
).
On 29 February 1912, the canal burst its banks at Kerridge, flooding several nearby streets.
Finally, in 1922, under grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, the canal passed into the ownership of the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
.
Nationalisation and decline
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in common with many other canals, the canal started to suffer from a lack of maintenance, although commercial carrying on the canal continued into the 1960s.
The threat of closure hung over it until the 1968 Transport Act
Transport Act 1968
The Transport Act 1968 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.-National Bus Company:The Act...
came into force.
Proposed connection
When it appeared that Harecastle TunnelHarecastle Tunnel
Harecastle Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire. It is made up of two separate, parallel, tunnels described as Brindley and the later Telford after the engineers that constructed them. Today only the Telford tunnel is navigable...
, on the Trent and Mersey Canal, might have to close permanently because of mining subsidence, one of the solutions mooted was to make a connection between the Leek Branch of the Caldon canal and the Macclesfield canal at Bosley, via Leek and possibly Rudyard Lake; however Harecastle Tunnel remains open to navigation.
Organisations associated with the canal
The canal is home to Britain's oldest canal cruising club, the North Cheshire Cruising Club. It was formally founded in 1943 although it has pre-war origins. The cruising club played an important role in preventing the canal from closing.Features
The Hall Green BranchHall Green Branch
The Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. It runs for one mile from Kidsgrove to Hall Green, where it makes an end-on junction with the Macclesfield Canal at Hall Green Stop Lock....
, whilst originally built by the Trent & Mersey Canal Canal Company, is often considered as part of the Macclesfield Canal in modern maps and guidebooks. Hall Green Stop Lock survives, with its rise and fall of about a foot; this was to prevent the Trent & Mersey losing water to the Macclesfield in the event of a breach in the latter. There was also a Stop Lock at Marple, although both canals were built to the same level, and the lock was provided only for cases where water shortages might have resulted in a temporary difference. The lock has long been de-gated, having become unnecessary once the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals came into common ownership. The site of the lock remains as a narrows just in front of the junction bridge, as seen in the accompanying picture, overhung by a loading canopy.
The only flight of locks on the canal, at Bosley, are unusual for a narrow canal in having mitre gates at both ends, rather than the usual arrangement of a single top gate.
There are no tunnels on the Macclesfield Canal, but there are several impressive embankments, e.g. at Bollington and High Lane
High Lane
High Lane is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Cheshire, it is five miles from Stockport, on the Macclesfield Canal. It has a population of 5852.-Governance:...
on the upper section, and over the River Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
on the lower section, close to Bosley bottom lock.
The Macclesfield Canal is renowned for its elegant roving bridge
Roving bridge
A roving bridge, changeline bridge or turnover bridge is a bridge over a canal constructed to allow a horse towing a boat to cross the canal when the towpath changes sides...
s, locally known as Snake Bridges.