The Canal
The Bridgewater Canal is described as the first great achievement of the canal age. Although the Sankey Canal was built earlier, the Bridgewater was the first canal that did not follow and existing waterway. Built by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, it first opened in 1761 as the solution to efficiently move coal from his mines in Worsley to the new factories of the industrial revolution in Manchester. The canal’s impact on the price of coal sparked a raft of imitators in a period of frenetic canal building between the 1790s and 1810s which would become known as ‘canal mania’.
In March 1762 a further Act of Parliament was passed which allowed for an extension of the canal from Manchester to Runcorn, allowing access to the Port of Liverpool. The building of the extension was delayed due to objections from local landowners, most notably Sir Richard Brooke of Norton Priory who insisted the route of the canal be altered. The extension to Runcorn was finally completed in 1776 when the Duke was only 36 years old.
The ‘Old Line’ of Locks
At the Runcorn Terminus, which is now the area around Waterloo Bridge, the canal had to drop some 27m to the River Mersey. The Manchester Ship Canal was over one hundred years from being started at this point. This was achieved by descending through five sets of double staircase locks, now commonly referred to as the “old line”. The first nine locks had a fall of 2 metres (7 ft.), with a fall at the river lock of more than 6 metres (20 ft.) at low water. It allowed vessels to enter and leave the canal on any tide.
The route of the old line is largely intact and it is this that the charity is aiming to restore to provide the link between the Bridgewater and Manchester Ship Canals.
The ‘New Line’ of Locks
As the years passed the canal carried increasing amounts of cargo to a point that old line had reached capacity. In 1828 a second flight of locks was created at Runcorn, now referred to as the ‘new line’. This consisted of 8 separate locks with a double staircase lock where it joined the River Mersey. Once in operation the both lines of locks operated as a one way system with boats going down the new line and up the old line. Sadly, after they were abandoned, the new line was developed over and is now a housing estate.
Bridgewater House
Bridgewater House was built in 1771 and stands at the bottom of the old line of ten locks leading from Waterloo Bridge down to the River Mersey. It was used by the Duke of Bridgewater when he was supervising the building and operation of the Runcorn branch of the canal until its completion in 1776.
Despite a fire in 1998 the house is restored and used mainly as commercial office space. It stands a mere 25 metres from the route of the canal where you can see the remains of the final set of lock gates.