The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal

Click on the page you would like to visit:

The history of the canal

Restoration of the canal

The 1936 Breach

Salford - River Irwell to East Ordsall Lane
Salford - Middlewood Locks
New photos showing canal in water, Sep 2008
Middlewood Locks before work began

First boats on the re-opened canal at Middlewood Locks

Clifton Aqueduct

Ringley and Prestolee

Prestolee Aqueduct

Nob End Staircase Locks

Bolton Arm

Bury Arm - Ladyshore and Mount Sion
Bury Arm - Radcliffe
Bury Arm - Withins

Also on Pennine Waterways:

Waterways in Manchester and Salford

The Bridgewater Canal

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal

The Sankey or St Helens Canal

The Rochdale Canal

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal

See the full list of canals covered by this site

Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal

The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal ran from Salford to Prestolee, near Little Lever, from where one arm ran to Bolton and another to Bury.

The 15 miles of canal had 17 locks, including 4 staircases of two or three locks together. Two of its major aqueducts are still standing.

It connected to the River Irwell in Manchester.

A spectacular breach in 1936 led to the canal's eventual closure.

The canal is expected to be restored in the next few years.

The first section of the canal from the River Irwell has now been re-opened as part of the Middlewood development.

Keep Up With Pennine Waterways News

Keep informed of news of canals in the area and about this website.
Join the Pennine Waterways mailing list or see archive of previous newsletters.
Subscribe to the RSS News Feed or receive Email News Alerts in your inbox.

These related books are available from amazon.co.uk - follow links for details:

Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal

by Richard Chester- Browne

On the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal

by Alec Waterson

For more books about these canals,
click here to visit the Pennine Waterways Book and Map Shop