Rochdale Canal Lock 83 - Manchester, UK - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

Long Description:

The Canal History
The Rochdale Canal was completed in 1804 and is one of three canals that cross the Pennine hills. This is the only one that doesn’t use long tunnels. In addition it was a broad canal with bridges and locks that allowed boats of 14 feet width to pass through.

The one downside of not using tunnels is that it originally had 92 locks. These days the original locks 3 and 4 have been combined into one deep lock.

Competition from railways and roads subsequently led to a decline in goods being carried and by 1937 the only section left in operation was at the Manchester end of the canal.

In 1965 there was talk of abandoning the canal but by this time leisure boating had become very popular in the UK and there was a campaign to keep it open. Work was started and the canal slowly re-opened in a number of different stages. The whole length finally reopened in September 2002.

Details of this lock
This lock used to be the last one on the canal and not far from here are a series of wharves where the canal boats were loaded and unloaded. At a later point a further 9 locks were built to pass through the centre of Manchester and connect with the Bridgewater Canal. This lock is known as Brownsfield Lock, and named after a nearby mill.

The locks on this canal have a double set of gates at each end and at 14 feet are wide enough to allow 2 narrow boats to use the lock side by side.

The paddles to control the water flow are built into the bottom gates and are on the canal bank for the top gates.

Some of the locks in Manchester have very restricted access to the canal banks. Boat owners using the lock have to walk along the gate arms themselves on the top gate and there is a metal handrail for use when crossing to the other side. This lock is particularly restricted with a wall on one side and a fence on the other.

This lock is an English Heritage Grade II listed building. The lock became listed in 1994 when it was unused and before the canal reopened.

Waterway Name: The Rochdale Canal Connected Points: Connects to the Bridgewater Canal at Manchester on the west side of the Pennine Hills and the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Sowerby Bridge on the east side. There is also a junction with the Ashton Canal on the east side of Manchester. Type: Lock Date Opened: 1/1/1799 Elevation Difference (meters): 2.00 Site Status: Operational Web Site: [Web Link] Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed

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