Carr Mill Dam is situated north of St Helens town centre, on the A571 (Carr Mill Road), in

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...

. It is the county's largest body of inland water, and offers picturesque lakeside trails and walks, as well as national competitive powerboating and angling events. It is home of Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club established in 1923 where club, national and international powerboat racing takes place. The name Carr Mill traditionally came from the Norse word 'Carr' meaning marsh or fen. Once simply a mill pond built to power a corn mill the dam is shown on William Yates's 1786 Map of Lancashire, with the mill adjacent. The land itself belonged to the Gerard family and a lease details the permissions and extent of use of the occupants. The waters were expanded significantly in the 1750s in order to provide water to the

Sankey Brook Navigation The Sankey Canal in North West England, initially known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and later the St Helens Canal, is a former industrial canal, which when opened in 1757 was England's first of the Industrial revolution, and the first modern ...

, about a mile away. The dam was further enlarged by the

London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom. In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lo ...

during construction and cast iron marker posts are still visible at two points around the dam. Carr Mill Dam - geograph

References

External links

Lancashire Powerboat Racing ClubGPS Routes
{{Areas of St Helens, Merseyside St Helens, Merseyside Buildings and structures in St Helens, Merseyside