Bridgewater Canal

Bridgewater Canal
The Packet House at Worsley, on the canal
Specifications
Length	41 miles (66 km)
Maximum boat length	72 ft 0 in (21.95 m)
Maximum boat beam	14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Locks	0 (originally 10 at Runcorn) (See article)
Status	Open
Navigation authority	Peel Holdings
History
Principal engineer	John Gilbert, James Brindley
Date of act	1759, 1760, 1762, 1766, 1795
Date of first use	1761
Date completed	1761
Date extended	1762
Geography
Start point	Worsley
End point	Runcorn (originally Manchester) (See article)
Connects to	Rochdale Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal, Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Manchester Ship Canal
Route map

v t e Bridgewater Canal map
Legend
Leeds and Liverpool Canal Leigh Bridge (St Helens Road) start of Bridgewater Canal Leigh to Worsley Leigh to Worsley Crane Bedford Basin Mather Lane Bridge Butt's Bridge Butt's Basin Hall House Bridge Great Fold Bridge (Surrey Avenue) Marsland Green Bridge  A580  East Lancs Road Lingard's Footbridge Astley Bridge Astley Green Colliery Museum Vicar's Hall Bridge Boothshall Bridge Boothstown Bridge Boothstown Basin Bittern Pits Wood  M60  J13 slip road  M60  motorway Barton Road Worsley Packet House Worsley Worsley Delph branch entrance to mines Worsley to Waters Meeting Worsley to Waters Meeting Iron Footbridge Worsley Dry Dock Parrin Lane Bridge Lighthouse  M602  motorway railway viaduct  A57  Liverpool Road Barton Lane Barton Swing Aqueduct over Manchester Ship Canal Ashburton Road West Parkway Bridge Thirlmere Aqueduct Mosley Road Bridge Moss Road Taylor's Footbridge Waters Meeting Manchester Branch Manchester Branch disused railway viaduct Europa Gate Old Trafford Football Ground Sir Matt Busby Way  A5081  Wharfside Way Trafford Road Throstle's Nest Bridge Manchester Metrolink to Manchester Ship Canal Pomona Strand Manchester Metrolink railway viaduct Hulme Hall Road Hulme Locks Branch Canal  A57  Dawson Street Castlefield Basin Merchant's Bridge meeting with Rochdale Canal Waters Meeting to Runcorn Waters Meeting to Runcorn railway viaduct railway viaduct  A56  Chester Road Stretford Edge Lane Hawthorn Road River Mersey  M60  motorway Dane Road Northenden Road Marsland Road Park Road railway viaduct railway viaduct (closed) Spring Lane Seamon's Road School Lane Back Lane Woodhouse Lane River Bollin Park Lane Spring Lane Burford Lane Oughtrington Lane  A6144  New Road Whitbarrow Road Brookfield Road Barsbank Lane  A56  Camsley Lane  M6  motorway Halfacre Lane Cliff Lane  A50  Knutsford Road Church Lane Church Lane Lumb Brook Road  A49  London Road Red Lane Hough's Lane Walton Hall Warrington Road  A56  Chester Road Underbridge Lane Mill Lane Holly Hedge Lane Canal Side  A558  Daresbury Expressway Keckwick Lane Delph Lane Red Brow Lane Preston Brook junction to Trent & Mersey Canal  M56  motorway  A56  Chester Road Preston Brook tunnel meeting with Trent & Mersey Canal to Runcorn to Runcorn Chester–Manchester line Red Brow Lane West Coast Main Line Gooseberry Lane Windmill Hill Avenue North Sandymoore Lane busway Astmoor (Astmore) Road Astmoor (Astmore) Bridge Lane Slip road to Central Expressway  A533  Viaduct to Mersey Gateway Bridge Slip road from Central Expressway Sea Lane  A558  Bridgewater Expressway  B5155  Victoria Road/Delph Bridge Leiria Way  B5155  Devonshire Place/Doctor's Bridge  A557  Approach to Silver Jubilee Bridge bridge approach basin Station Road/Waterloo Bridge section missing due to now demolished  A557  junction with Manchester Ship Canal

The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh.

The canal is connected to the Manchester Ship Canal via a lock at Cornbrook; to the Rochdale Canal in Manchester; to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Preston Brook, southeast 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. Following the re-routing of roads to the Silver Jubilee Bridge, the Runcorn Locks Restoration Society campaigns to reinstate the flight of locks.^[1]

The Bridgewater Canal is described as the first great achievement of the canal age, although the Sankey Canal opened earlier. Bridgewater captured the public imagination because of its engineering feats; it required the construction of an aqueduct to cross the River Irwell, and a tunnel at Worsley. Its success helped inspire a period of intense canal building in Britain, known as Canal Mania. It later faced intense competition from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Macclesfield Canal. Navigable throughout its history, it is one of the few canals in Britain not to have been nationalised, and remains privately owned. Pleasure craft now use the canal which forms part of the Cheshire Ring network of canals.