Updated 16th November 2007
New wash walls above Lock 3
Work is now underway re-constructiing the Manchester Bolton and Bury canal through the new Middlewood Locks development in Salford.
The section of the canal route from the junction with the River Irwell, through East Ordsall Lane Bridge, almost to Oldfield Road is being restored as part of the redevelopment of the area.
A single deep lock situated to the west of the railway will replace the original first two locks of the canal, to enable the canal to pass under the Salford Inner Relief Road.
A new tunnel beneath the Inner Relief Road is to be named the Margaret Fletcher Tunnel, after the late chairman of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society, who successfully secured funding for its design and construction.
The canal between the River Irwell and Oldfield Road is expected to be complete by Summer 2008, but construction work alongside the canal route means that the canal will not be open to boats straight away.
A complete set of photos of the restoration progress can be seen here.
Updated 10th September 2006
A rainy morning does nothing to dampen the spirits at the launch of the Middlewood Locks restoration project in 2005. Celebrating from left to right: Frank White, Mayor of Bolton, Derek Antrobus, Lead Member for Planning, Salford City Council, the late Margaret Fletcher, Chairman of Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society, Martin Clarke, Restoration Manager of British Waterways North West and Steven Treadgold, Mayor of Bury. In the background an excavator has been clearing surface vegetation on the site.
Work is about to start on re-construction of the Manchester Bolton and Bury canal through the new Middlewood Locks development in Salford.
A change in plan means that Salford will have the third deepest canal lock in the country!
In October 2005, excavators moved onto a site in Salford, signalling the start of work that will see 500 metres of canal re-opened as the centrepiece of the stunning new Middlewood Locks development!
This will be the first phase of the restoration of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal. This landmark was celebrated by British Waterways and their partners, Bolton, Bury and Salford councils and the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society.
The section of canal to be restored in this first phase will start at the junction with the River Irwell, through a tunnel beneath the Inner Relief Road, and will terminate near Oldfield Road.
The first two locks of the canal, which formed a staircase coming up from the river, had to make way for the Inner Relief Road, so a single deep lock will now be situated to the west of the railway.
It had originally been planned to construct two single locks west of the railway but the discovery of a major Victorian sewer running across the site at a depth where the new channel would have cut through meant that the plans had to be revised.
An artist's impression of part of the Middlewood Locks development.
The new deep lock will be nearly as deep as Tuel Lane Lock on the Rochdale Canal.
The third lock, west of East Ordsall Lane, is still in place and will be restored to working order (see photo below). Water will be back-pumped up the locks to ensure that the levels in the pounds above are maintained.
The original masonry of the wash walls between East Ordsall Lane and Oldfield Road is still in place and will be re-used as far as possible.
The £600 million Middlewood Locks development is one of the largest in the area and will include apartments, hotels, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities..
The canal restoration will include a new canal channel, restoration of a stretch of old canal channel, two new locks, restoration of an old lock, a footbridge and a tunnel below the Inner Relief Road, provision for which was made when the road was constructed.
Diagram of the Middlewood Locks proposals, looking north west, with the River Irwell at the bottom of the picture. Lock 2 will be replaced by a deeper Lock 1.
The canal work will cost £4.2 million and funding will come from European Objective Two Funding, the Northwest Development Agency and Salford City Council.
Work on the Middlewood development started in October 2005 and work on reconstructing the canal should begin by the end of 2006.
The late Margaret Fletcher, Chairman of Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society for nearly 20 years, said at the launch in 2005: "After many years of campaigning, our aspirations are being realised. We begin to move from dream to reality."
Derek Antrobus, Lead Member for Planning, Salford City Council, said: "Waterside regeneration is central to Salford's rejuvenation. The restored section of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal at Middlewood, and all the development that ensues, will undoubtedly become yet another powerful symbol of the new city."
The canal channel and Lock 3 at Middlewood before restoration work begins.
For more photos of the canal route before work started, follow these links:
River Irwell to East Ordsall Lane
East Ordsall Lane to Oldfield Road
September 2004
Hopes of restoring the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal have moved a step closer with a grant of £300,000 from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, announced at the end of September.
The final section of the Manchester and Salford Inner Relief Road, due to be built shortly, will run parallel to the River Irwell, crossing the Manchester. Bolton and Bury Canal a few yards from its southern end, close to Prince's Bridge. The new road would have completely cut off the canal but the extra money will pay for the additional work needed to protect the route of the canal.
The work involves driving a row of piles along each side of the canal route, with a concrete slab forming a roof across the route. The road will will constructed above that. At a future date, the ground between the rows of piles can be excavated, forming a tunnel for the canal.
Dave Fletcher, head of British Waterways, praised the decision, saying: "The Government recognises that road building schemes should not threaten viable canal restoration projects and today's decision is a crucial milestone - this news shows that the theory is being put into practice.
Head of British Waterways' north-west area, Derek Cochrane, stated: "I am delighted that the Government is supporting Manchester's canals in this way. We believe that restoring this historic waterway will act as an important catalyst for further regeneration in Salford, Bolton and Bury.
"This is the start of a new era for the canal which has the potential to bring a new identity and quality to central Salford and the Chapel Street area, attracting new investment, generating jobs and creating a wonderful environment for local communities.
"This news is a tribute to all those who have been working so hard to restore the Manchester, Bolton & Bury to its former glory."
External Links:
The Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society
The Manchester, Bolton &Bury Canal
