Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Web Site

The Sleepy Canal

Bolton Evening News July 1936

Problem of an old Waterway

A sleepy horse, making its own leisured way along the towpath, drawing by means of a long rope a heavily laden barge half submerged in the water, a steersman tolling at his ease on a seat at the back of the barge, smoking leisurely and shouting to the pony boy on the path when the pace became too leisured.

A common enough scene this, years ago, but now canals, one of the few remaining links with the early industrial days of this country have sunk into obscurity, before the march of progress.

But this last week canals have been in the news again - because of the two occurrences locally on the Bolton, Bury, and Manchester canal.

In the first, a few days ago, at Little Lever, more water ran loose than bears thinking about; thousands of tons of earth and rocks crashed a hundred feet down a hillside, a man narrowly escaped with his life, and the debris dammed the River Irwell, causing the flooding of a nearby paper mill so that the employees have been idle for some days.

In the second, on Saturday, damage was not so great, but jointly the breaches caused by these landslides will take over two years to repair, and involve an expense of thousands of pounds - which leads to the inquiry whether canals are now worth their upkeep.

The idea has often been mooted that to drain them and fill them up for use as roads would be one of the best means of relieving traffic congestion but it has its opponents.

Lancashire in particular should be concerned with this aspect of the canal problem for it was within her boundaries that the canal movement, made most progress. Indeed at Worsley was constructed the Bridgewater Canal which once was described as the most curious artificial achievement in the world.

Its creator was James Brindley, that eccentric and unlettered genius who never worked from drawing but simply retired to bed and stayed there until he had thought out his problems to his satisfaction.

Earlier knowledge of the Bolton canal dates back to 1791 when the Royal Assent was given by commission for "making and maintaining a navigable canal from Manchester to or near Prestolee bridge ... and from thence by one branch to or near the town of Bolton and by another branch to or near the town of Bury."

The canal became popular for the purpose of pleasure as well as industry. Post chaises were run at intervals from the Swan Inn to Manchester and in the opposite direction to Chorley and Preston, but the boats on the canal became serious competitors, the fares for the passage from Church Wharf, Bolton to Manchester being not more than 18d. in the fore cabin and one shilling "aft." Scenes of stirring animation at Bolton - yes. Particularly was this so at holiday times, when crowds of people thrilled with the prospects of covering many miles by water and set out to see "lands anew."

Jolly days those. Families, sweethearts, lads and lassies, all hurrying to reach in good time the spick and span craft.

The boatmen were as proud of their craft as were the owners of the more highly decorated boats of later years. The man at the tiller had the heart of a full blown captain, and nothing delighted him more than to be complimented on his handling of the boat.

Though the use of boats for pleasure was of secondary importance really, it provided the owners with an agreeable source of remuneration. Little wonder, then, that this side of the operations on the canal continued down to living memory and that there still survive people able to recall the pleasure derived from a day's trip on the canal.

It is interesting to recall that the canal passed through what was then glorious country scenery, and old Lever Hall, Great Lever Hall, Darley Hall and Farnworth and Ringley Parish Churches were some of the attractive landmarks near home.

The experience of being raised or lowered from one level to another in the locks later in the day provided still another thrill at Nob End and Ringley, for there is a difference of 187 feet in the Bolton and Manchester levels that the engineers had to meet by the construction of locks.

To-day, the canal is little used for industrial purposes but the stretch at Ringley is well known over a wide area. On the bank there stand tea gardens, commonly known as "Margaret Barlow's gardens," a former favourite haunt for half-day trippers and those fond of walking.

At one time, too, regattas used to be held on the canal at Ringley.

Prior to a week ago, there had been recorded several bursts in the bank, chiefly at Nob End, Little Lever. The last one took place in 1878, and although no damage was done to property, a woman in Boscow Road, afraid for the safety of her husband, was taken ill and died.