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Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There were already suggestions by that date that a railway would be better, but the committee that had been formed elected for a canal and the engineer Thomas Telford endorsed the decision. The canal as built was a typical Telford canal, constructed using cut and fill, with numerous cuttings and embankments to enable it to follow as straight a course as possible, although Telford had little to do with its construction, which was managed by William Crosley.
The canal opened in 1831 and is 26.1 miles (42.0 km) long. All of its twelve locks are concentrated in a single flight at Bosley, which alters the level by 118 feet (36 m). The canal runs from a junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple in the north, in a generally southerly direction, through the towns of Macclesfield and Congleton, to an end-on junction with the Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal. There is a stop lock at the junction, which drops the level by 1 foot (0.30 m), and the branch runs for another 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to Hardings Wood Junction, where it joins the Trent and Mersey main line. This short branch is usually considered to be part of the Macclesfield Canal in modern literature.
Faced with growing threats from railways and the fact that the Trent and Mersey was proposing to merge with a railway company, the management did all they could to cut costs. In 1846, they reached an agreement to sell the canal to a railway company, which became the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway soon afterwards. Under railway ownership, the canal fared better than many and commercial carrying continued until 1954. There had been some leisure use of the canal since the end of the First World War and the North Cheshire Cruising Club, formed in 1943 and based at the High Lane arm, became the first such cruising club on the British inland waterways. There were dangers that the northern end would be isolated under plans to close the Ashton Canal and the lower Peak Forest Canal in the early 1960s, but vigorous campaigning and a growing restoration movement resulted in the Transport Act 1968, which secured the future of those canals. The designation of the canal as part of the Cheshire Ring in 1965 was part of the strategy by the Inland Waterways Association to promote the leisure potential of canals.
The whole canal was designated as a Conservation Area by Macclesfield Borough Council in 1975 and a large number of its structures have been Grade II listed in recognition of their historic importance. This includes a number of elegant roving bridges, which are known locally as snake bridges. Much of the canal is rural, passing through open countryside, and there are a number of impressive embankments and aqueducts, where the canal crosses river valleys. In the centres of population, there are several large mills that were once served by the canal but are now repurposed as small industrial units or apartments.
The canal runs for 26.1 miles (42 km) in a generally north to south direction from Marple Junction at Marple, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal, to a junction with the Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal at Hall Green stop lock. The canal runs along the edge of a tall ridge of hills, to the west of the Pennines, and was built using Telford's "cut and fill" approach, following as straight a course as possible, with many cuttings and embankments constructed to achieve this, rather than the earlier approach of following the contours. It is a narrow canal, designed for boats with a maximum length of 72 feet (22 m) and a width of 7 feet (2.1 m).
It joins the Peak Forest Canal on the eastern edge of Marple, at the top of a flight of 16 locks that raise the lower Peak Forest by 214 feet (65 m) to join the upper section. There was once 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, and is overlooked by a canal warehouse with two storeys, built in 1835. It has a rectangular plan, and includes an internal waterway.
As the canal reaches Hawk Green, just to the south of Marple, a huge mill with six storeys is situated on the east bank. Goyt Mill was built in 1905, and now houses over 50 small businesses. At High Lane, the canal passes through the centre of the village, and the High Lane Branch, which is used as moorings for the North Cheshire Cruising Club, is to the west of the canal. A tall aqueduct carries the canal over a railway line, and beyond it is a large embankment. The next section is isolated and rural, with the canal following the contours, but the route crosses a number of valleys where there are embankments and aqueducts. Near Higher Poynton, the canal is wider, as it has suffered from subsidence from a nearby coal mine, which resulted in the banks and bridges being raised on several occasions. The Peak District Boundary Walk runs along the towpath for about 1 mile near Lyme View Marina.
On the outskirts of Bollington, the canal passes Clarence Mill, another huge building which now houses small industrial units. Two aqueducts and a 60-foot (18 m) embankment carry the canal over the valley of the River Dean and into Bollington. Adelphi Mill is on the west bank at the southern edge of Bollington, and was once a silk mill. It has been converted for use as offices. After another rural section, the canal enters Macclesfield. Hovis Mill, where the famous flour was originally milled, is on the west bank. It was built in the 1820s, and has been converted into apartments. A branch of the canal formerly led into the complex, but only its blocked up entrance remains. Near Gurnett Aqueduct, which carries the canal over the road to Gurnett and the River Bollin, is a cottage with a plaque to commemorate the civil engineer and canal builder James Brindley. He served an apprenticeship to Abraham Bennett between 1733 and 1740 there.
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Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There were already suggestions by that date that a railway would be better, but the committee that had been formed elected for a canal and the engineer Thomas Telford endorsed the decision. The canal as built was a typical Telford canal, constructed using cut and fill, with numerous cuttings and embankments to enable it to follow as straight a course as possible, although Telford had little to do with its construction, which was managed by William Crosley.
The canal opened in 1831 and is 26.1 miles (42.0 km) long. All of its twelve locks are concentrated in a single flight at Bosley, which alters the level by 118 feet (36 m). The canal runs from a junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple in the north, in a generally southerly direction, through the towns of Macclesfield and Congleton, to an end-on junction with the Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal. There is a stop lock at the junction, which drops the level by 1 foot (0.30 m), and the branch runs for another 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to Hardings Wood Junction, where it joins the Trent and Mersey main line. This short branch is usually considered to be part of the Macclesfield Canal in modern literature.
Faced with growing threats from railways and the fact that the Trent and Mersey was proposing to merge with a railway company, the management did all they could to cut costs. In 1846, they reached an agreement to sell the canal to a railway company, which became the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway soon afterwards. Under railway ownership, the canal fared better than many and commercial carrying continued until 1954. There had been some leisure use of the canal since the end of the First World War and the North Cheshire Cruising Club, formed in 1943 and based at the High Lane arm, became the first such cruising club on the British inland waterways. There were dangers that the northern end would be isolated under plans to close the Ashton Canal and the lower Peak Forest Canal in the early 1960s, but vigorous campaigning and a growing restoration movement resulted in the Transport Act 1968, which secured the future of those canals. The designation of the canal as part of the Cheshire Ring in 1965 was part of the strategy by the Inland Waterways Association to promote the leisure potential of canals.
The whole canal was designated as a Conservation Area by Macclesfield Borough Council in 1975 and a large number of its structures have been Grade II listed in recognition of their historic importance. This includes a number of elegant roving bridges, which are known locally as snake bridges. Much of the canal is rural, passing through open countryside, and there are a number of impressive embankments and aqueducts, where the canal crosses river valleys. In the centres of population, there are several large mills that were once served by the canal but are now repurposed as small industrial units or apartments.
The canal runs for 26.1 miles (42 km) in a generally north to south direction from Marple Junction at Marple, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal, to a junction with the Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal at Hall Green stop lock. The canal runs along the edge of a tall ridge of hills, to the west of the Pennines, and was built using Telford's "cut and fill" approach, following as straight a course as possible, with many cuttings and embankments constructed to achieve this, rather than the earlier approach of following the contours. It is a narrow canal, designed for boats with a maximum length of 72 feet (22 m) and a width of 7 feet (2.1 m).
It joins the Peak Forest Canal on the eastern edge of Marple, at the top of a flight of 16 locks that raise the lower Peak Forest by 214 feet (65 m) to join the upper section. There was once 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, and is overlooked by a canal warehouse with two storeys, built in 1835. It has a rectangular plan, and includes an internal waterway.
As the canal reaches Hawk Green, just to the south of Marple, a huge mill with six storeys is situated on the east bank. Goyt Mill was built in 1905, and now houses over 50 small businesses. At High Lane, the canal passes through the centre of the village, and the High Lane Branch, which is used as moorings for the North Cheshire Cruising Club, is to the west of the canal. A tall aqueduct carries the canal over a railway line, and beyond it is a large embankment. The next section is isolated and rural, with the canal following the contours, but the route crosses a number of valleys where there are embankments and aqueducts. Near Higher Poynton, the canal is wider, as it has suffered from subsidence from a nearby coal mine, which resulted in the banks and bridges being raised on several occasions. The Peak District Boundary Walk runs along the towpath for about 1 mile near Lyme View Marina.
On the outskirts of Bollington, the canal passes Clarence Mill, another huge building which now houses small industrial units. Two aqueducts and a 60-foot (18 m) embankment carry the canal over the valley of the River Dean and into Bollington. Adelphi Mill is on the west bank at the southern edge of Bollington, and was once a silk mill. It has been converted for use as offices. After another rural section, the canal enters Macclesfield. Hovis Mill, where the famous flour was originally milled, is on the west bank. It was built in the 1820s, and has been converted into apartments. A branch of the canal formerly led into the complex, but only its blocked up entrance remains. Near Gurnett Aqueduct, which carries the canal over the road to Gurnett and the River Bollin, is a cottage with a plaque to commemorate the civil engineer and canal builder James Brindley. He served an apprenticeship to Abraham Bennett between 1733 and 1740 there.