The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two level pounds, separated by a
flight of 16 locks that raise the canal by over the course of .
The two pounds of the canal are generally known as the Upper Peak Forest Canal and Lower Peak Forest Canal. Whilst there is no evidence that these names were used historically, the designation Lower Peak Forest Canal was used in the
British Waterways Act 1983, which redesignated the lower part of the canal as a cruising waterway.
Route
The Lower Peak Forest Canal heads south from
Dukinfield Junction
Dukinfield Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Peak Forest Canal, the Ashton Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal meet near Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. The area has been designated by Tameside Metropol ...
at
Dukinfield
Dukinfield is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, on the south bank of the River Tame opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, east of Manchester. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 19,306.
Within the boundaries of the historic co ...
in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, where it makes a junction with the
Ashton Canal
The Ashton Canal is a canal in Greater Manchester, England, linking Manchester with Ashton-under-Lyne.
Route
The Ashton leaves the Rochdale Canal at Ducie St. Junction in central Manchester, and climbs for through 18 locks, passing thro ...
at the southern end of the
Tame Aqueduct () through
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
,
Hyde,
Woodley,
Bredbury
Bredbury is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, east of Stockport and south-west of Hyde. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 16,721.
It is on the lower southern ...
and
Romiley
Romiley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it borders Marple, Bredbury and Woodley. At the 2011 census, the Romiley ward, which includes Compstall, Bredbury Green an ...
, before crossing the
River Goyt
The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England.
Etymology
The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the Middle English ''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has bee ...
on
Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct (also known as Goyt Aqueduct) at Marple, Greater Manchester, in north-west England was built to carry the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt (treated as part of the River Mersey until 1896).
The company's ...
, alongside the railway's Marple Viaduct, to the foot of Marple Locks, a distance of . The environs are largely rural, passing woods and fields, with some industrial premises encroaching towards the Dukinfield end of the pound.
Whilst the section through
Marple Locks is legally a part of the Lower Peak Forest Canal it is often considered as a separate section, raising the canal through in a partly woodland, partly municipal park and partly urban setting through the centre of Marple, to connect with the
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 ...
at
Marple Marple may refer to:
Places
* Marple, Greater Manchester, a town close to Stockport, in England
** Marple Bridge, a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester
** Marple railway station in Marple, Greater Manches ...
junction.
The Upper Peak Forest Canal is on the same level as that of the upper
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 ...
, allowing boats to cruise from
Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge () is a town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It is situated on the River Goyt, south-east of Manchester, north of Buxton, north-east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield. It had a population ...
or
Bugsworth
Buxworth is a village in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. The area, which was once an important centre for the limestone industry, became the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal. Its pub, the Navigation Inn, was once owned by '' Coronation St ...
all the way to the top lock at Bosley without having to use a lock. The canal is perched halfway up the valley-side with extensive views of
Furness Vale
Furness Vale is a village in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, between New Mills and Whaley Bridge. It is bisected by the A6 road and the Peak Forest Canal, whose towpath is followed by the Goyt Way, part of the Midshires Way. It co ...
, and the Peak District beyond from Marple through
Strines
Strines is a village in Greater Manchester, in the valley of the River Goyt. It is located midway between Marple and New Mills, about six miles south-east of Stockport. The village falls within the Marple parish and the Metropolitan Borough of St ...
,
Disley
Disley is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. It is located on the edge of the Peak District in the Goyt valley, south of Stockport and close to the county boundary with Derbyshire at New Mills. The population at the 2011 Census ...
,
New Mills
New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut thro ...
, Furness Vale and
Bridgemont. It terminates at
Bugsworth Basin
Bugsworth Basin is a canal basin at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal at Buxworth (formerly Bugsworth) in the valley of the Black Brook, close to Whaley Bridge. It was once a busy interchange with the Peak Forest Tramway, for the transpor ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
(), a distance of . The village was renamed Buxworth in Victorian times. Recently, the extensive basin has been reopened, and is now a popular venue for visiting boats. There is also a short branch from Bridgemont to the centre of Whaley Bridge, once the site of a connection to the
Cromford and High Peak Railway, which ran across the Peak District and joined up with the
Cromford Canal
The Cromford Canal ran from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton. Built by William Jessop with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, its alignment included four tunnels and 14 locks.
From Cromford it ran ...
.
Cruising rings
The section from Dukinfield Junction to Marple Junction is part of the
Cheshire Ring
The Cheshire Ring is a canal cruising circuit or canal ring, which includes sections of six canals in and around Cheshire and Greater Manchester in North West England: the Ashton Canal, Peak Forest Canal, Macclesfield Canal, Trent and Mersey Ca ...
route.
History
Authorisation
The canal was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1794 and its purpose was to provide an outlet for the vast limestone deposits around
Dove Holes
Dove Holes is a village in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. It has a population of about 1,200 (2001), shown in the 2011 Census as being included in the population of Chapel-en-le-Frith. It straddles the A6 road approximately thr ...
. As Dove Holes is over above sea level, the canal was terminated in a basin at
Bugsworth
Buxworth is a village in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. The area, which was once an important centre for the limestone industry, became the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal. Its pub, the Navigation Inn, was once owned by '' Coronation St ...
in Derbyshire and the line was continued up to the quarries by means of a gravity-operated feeder tramway, known as the
Peak Forest Tramway
The Peak Forest Tramway was an early horse- and gravity-powered industrial railway (or tramway (industrial), tramway) system in Derbyshire, England. Opened for trade on 31 August 1796, it remained in operation until the 1920s. Much of the rout ...
, which was long.
Construction
The construction of the canal and tramway was promoted by
Samuel Oldknow
Samuel Oldknow (1756–1828) was an English cotton manufacturer.
Samuel Oldknow Jnr, the eldest son of Samuel Oldknow Sr and Margery Foster, was born 5 October 1756 in Anderton, near Chorley, Lancashire, and died 18 September 1828 at Mellor ...
(the largest shareholder) with much of the finance being provided by
Richard Arkwright Junior
Richard Arkwright junior (19 December 1755 – 23 April 1843), the son of Sir Richard Arkwright of Cromford, Derbyshire, was a mills owner, turned banker, investor and financier (creditor) of many successful state and private entreprises of the ...
of
Cromford
Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is north of Derby, south of Matlock and south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Do ...
, Derbyshire. The line was surveyed by
Thomas Brown and the consulting engineer and resident engineer were
Benjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram (1 April 1764 – 22 May 1805) was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways.
Life
Born at Alfreton in Derbyshire, he began his career assisting his father ...
and Thomas Brown, respectively.
Work was begun first on the section between Ashton and Hyde Hall, where new coal-pits were being opened, so as to derive some income as soon as possible. Outram was somewhat delayed by a request from the committee to report on ideas by
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...
who had been awarded the contract for the cuttings at
Werneth. These would have replaced the stone construction of Marple Aqueduct by a somewhat flimsy cast iron trough. Outram, who was experiencing problems with the Holmes Aqueduct on the
Derby Canal
The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, in Derbyshire, England. The canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 179 ...
, was well aware of potential weaknesses. Fulton had also suggested the use of small tub boats rather than conventional narrow boats, and an inclined plane at Marple instead of locks. Outram having privately voiced his disquiet, Fulton's plans were quietly dropped.
At the same time as Outram was working on the lower end, he came under pressure to make progress on the section Bugsworth to Marple, and Samuel Oldknow's coal-pits and lime kilns. Splitting the work in this way possibly contributed to the £1100 overspend recorded in 1795, though there were problems getting the shareholders to meet their commitments. By 1796 this had risen to £4000, but in August the tramway and the canal opened to Marple.
Nevertheless, at the end of 1796, funds from investors were still insufficient to finish the locks and the aqueduct at Marple and Outram was asked to suggest a temporary alternative. He produced two solutions, one to cross the arches of the aqueduct, the other assuming that the arches were unfinished. It was decided not to interfere with the ongoing construction of the aqueduct, so the railway ran from its Marple end to the proposed top lock. The arches of the aqueduct were completed in November 1798—and the workers were given a "handsome treat" in celebration—being finally completed towards the end of 1799.
However, there was still a great of work to be done at the lower end—the driving of Hyde Bank Tunnel proving a particular problem—and the railway and aqueduct saw little use until the canal finally opened along its full length in 1800.
Operation
The upper level of the canal and tramway opened for trade on 31 August 1796 and
Bugsworth Basin
Bugsworth Basin is a canal basin at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal at Buxworth (formerly Bugsworth) in the valley of the Black Brook, close to Whaley Bridge. It was once a busy interchange with the Peak Forest Tramway, for the transpor ...
soon became a bustling interchange between the tramway and canal.
Brown and Outram's efforts were much assisted by the appointment of Gernan Wheatcroft to manage the canal at Bugsworth and Whaley Bridge. He proved so efficient that he was able to use the threat of resignation to gain the addition of £30 to his £75 a year salary to keep and maintain a horse to assist him in his duties. In a move that would not disgrace a modern marketing organisation, the quarry owners retained Outram's future father-in-law, Dr. James Anderson, the Scottish agricultural expert, to write a treatise on the benefits of lime in farming, which they published.
Trade increased rapidly and it was becoming necessary to double the railways. Attracting suitable labour was also a problem. Cottages were rented to convert into dormitories, and Wheatcroft opened a shop where goods could be purchased cheaply. At one point, the employers offered "a good flannel waistcoat and trousers" for each worker, plus a jug of ale each day.
The Marple railway was still a serious bottleneck. The canal company still lacked funds to complete the Marple locks and the
Combs Reservoir that would be necessary. A petition to Parliament was considered but, finally, £24,000 was borrowed from
Samuel Oldknow
Samuel Oldknow (1756–1828) was an English cotton manufacturer.
Samuel Oldknow Jnr, the eldest son of Samuel Oldknow Sr and Margery Foster, was born 5 October 1756 in Anderton, near Chorley, Lancashire, and died 18 September 1828 at Mellor ...
and Arkwright and the work was completed in 1805.
At Bugsworth, limestone brought down the tramway was either put into boats to be taken to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
and beyond or it was put into lime kilns to be burnt to produce
quick lime. The trade in limestone and quick lime (also known as burnt lime), as well as the transport of coal into the basin for firing the kilns, accounted for the greatest proportion of the Canal Company's income.
Decline
With the coming of the railways, the canal began to lose its business and in the 1920s the Peak Forest Tramway and Bugsworth Basin closed. Later, the lower level of the canal and Marple locks fell into disuse, to the extent that by the early 1960s the lower part of the canal was impassable.
Restoration
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Peak Forest Canal Society and the
Inland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and was formed in 1946 to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations.
Not ...
campaigned for the restoration of the Peak Forest and Ashton Canals, and they reopened on 1 April 1974. The Lower Peak Forest Canal, from Dukinfield Junction to Marple, was one of seven stretches of canal formally designated as remainder waterways that were re-classified by the British Waterways Act of 8 February 1983. Under the act, a total of 82 route miles (132 km) were upgraded to Cruising Waterway Standard.
Bugsworth Basin remained derelict for much longer, but was the subject of long-term restoration attempts by the Inland Waterways Protection Society. It was finally re-opened to navigation in 2003 after professional restoration work was undertaken by
British Waterways
British Waterways, often shortened to BW, was a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom. It served as the navigation authority for the majority of canals and a number of rivers and docks in England, Scotland ...
.
In October 2021, lock numbers 5, 7, 9 and 16 were among 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million grant from the government's
Culture Recovery Fund
The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...
.
See also
*
Narrowboat
A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...
References
* Schofield, R.B., (2000) ''Benjamin Outram,'' Cardiff: Merton Priory Press
* Ripley, D., (1989) "The Peak Forest Tramway including the Peak Forest Canal" Oakwood Press
*
External links
Virtual Tourimages & map of mile markers seen along the Peak Forest canals
{{Authority control
Canals in England
Canals opened in 1796
Canals in Cheshire
Canals in Derbyshire
Canals in Manchester
Canals in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
Canals in Tameside
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
1796 establishments in England
New Mills
Marple, Greater Manchester
Whaley Bridge