Lock 9 On The Ashton Canal – Clayton, UK - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

Long Description:

The Ashton Canal
The Ashton Canal runs between Manchester and Ashton under Lyne, UK. It ascends for 6.7 miles and has 18 locks. It was originally built in 1796 to transport coal to the large industrial city of Manchester. As time went on a number of other short canals were built as branches to feed other goods from surrounding towns into the network. In 1800 the canal was extended slightly within Manchester to join the Rochdale Canal which greatly extended the network of the canals connected to Manchester. At its peak it was a successful canal, but competition from railways and then roads caused its closure in 1958.

During the 1960s and 1970s canals started to become popular with leisure boaters. After a long campaign this canal was restored and reopened in 1974. Most of the other small canal links however remain closed, but with junctions at each end it still forms part of a large network of canals

This canal is a so-called narrow canal and the locks can take boats that have maximum dimensions of 72 feet long and 7 feet wide.

Lock 9
This lock is the ninth one on the canal as it starts its ascent out of Manchester. It is also known as the Clayton Lock 9 and is one of nine locks in Clayton. In 1994 this lock became an English Heritage Grade II listed building.

As is usual with locks on narrow canals the top gate is a single gate whilst the bottom end has a double set of gates. This is unlike locks on broad canals where the gates at both ends of the locks are double ones. The lock chamber at the bottom gates has a flight of stone steps descending from the front of the lock down to the tow path.

There is a plaque on the bottom gates indicating they were replaced in 2004 with gates made at Bradley Workshop. The workshop is located at Bradley Lane, Bilston, West Midlands, WV14 8DW and it is possible to visit this workshop and see how lock gates are made.

There is a road bridge next to the lock that carries Clayton Lane over the canal. Bridges are often built next to locks because they form the narrowest point on the canal and the bridge is cheaper and easier to build. There is also a small metal foot bridge between the double gates and the road bridge to allow boat users to access both sides of the canal to operate the gates.

Waterway Name: The Ashton Canal Connected Points: The canal connects with the Rochdale Canal at Manchester and the Hudderfield Narrow Canal at Ashton-Under-Lyne. There is also a junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Portland Basin in Ashton-Under-Lyne. Type: Lock Date Opened: 1/1/1796 Elevation Difference (meters): 3.00 Site Status: Operational Web Site: [Web Link] Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed

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