Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal

Syd Hulley

Whittaker's No 2 Bridge

On the map of the Towing Path Guide, it shows three bridges, two railway and one foot/vehicular.  In-between the foot and Whittaker's bridge on the northern bank opposite the tow path, adjacent to the number 252 and the letter C there is the remains of a set of coal shutes.  The map clearly shows two railway sidings going into one then on to a wagon turntable and the line running parallel to the canal.  To my knowledge the last time any coal was shot done these was in 1947 when the road to the Little Lever Paper Mill was frozen up and the canal was the means to get coal there.  The Foot bridge used to be used by Radcliffe Fire Brigade to position their pumps for a deep lift test (about 23Ft). At the other Railway Bridge cyclists had to dismount for fear of banging their heads against it. Being pedantic I would like to make a correction to your description of Whittaker's No2 Bridge. The bridge carried the Radcliffe to Bolton railway line over the canal and is the East - West loop of the Radcliffe triangle. The other railway bridge carried the West - North loop of the triangle. All this is shown in the book The Industrial Railways of Bolton, Bury and the Manchester Coalfield Part 1 Bolton and Bury. by C.H.A. Townley, C.A. Appleton. F.D. Smith. J.A. Peden (ISBN 1-870754-30-1) Page 60, this also shows a wharf near Hagside. There is also some inf. on the canal in the book The Book of Radcliffe. By Frank Sunderland. (ISBN 0 86023 561 0) both these books are available at the public library. Syd Hulley 29/03/2000