Download - Sankey Canal History Trail Leaflet
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8/16/2019 Sankey Canal History Trail Leaflet
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Sankey Bridges - original
confluence of Canal and Brook
Welcome to Sankey Bridges
This area has seen many changes through the industrial age right
through to the most recent rehabilitation works. The construction
of the Sankey Canal from 1757 marked the beginning of a period
of transformation. Commercial industries relating to the canal,
housing and social provision for the workers all developed making
the area lively and prosperous.
Private wharves, a coal yard and a public house called the
‘Resolution Sloop’ existed here in 1756. A boat yard and dry
dock followed. Originally belonging to the Clare family the yard
starting building ‘Mersey flats’ in 1807 and continued for most
of the century. The Sankey Bridges boatyard had a spell of
financial difficulties about 1848. However, in 1855 their fortunes
began to improve and the order book was full until at least
1881.Today the boat yard is the site of the builders merchants
and the BMX track is on top of the dry dock.
Originally the canal ended at Sankey Bridges with boats locking
out into the Sankey Brook and then downstream to the Mersey.
However, there were difficulties and delays due to tides and the
winding nature of the Brook. An extension of the canal wasauthorised in 1762 up to Fiddlers Ferry to alleviate these problems,
although Sankey Lock continued in use until at least 1830 with
boats attempting to jump the queues at Fiddlers Ferry. No trace
of Sankey Lock remains today.
The advent of the railway marked significant change for the
fortunes of the canal. By the 1830s canal dividends were falling.
In 1845 the St Helens Canal and Railway Company were formed
to amalgamate the commercial interests of the both the canal and
the railway. The area became more complex with houses,
factories, storage yards, watercourses, locks, bridges, road
crossings, railways lines and the station all crammed in.
In the early days canal traffic had pr iority over both road and rail
traffic. It was custom to leave all the bridges open so boats could
sail through uninterrupted. If a road crossing were required the
bridges would be swung over. The railway bridge was controlled
by a signal box on the bank at the end of the station platform and
red warning lights shone to remind trains to stop.
On a foggy night in November 1858 the locomotive “Actaoen’’
ran into the canal at Sankey Bridges. The engine was required to
return the same night but nobody remembered to tell the Station
Master whom, after the passage of the train, swung the bridge to
allow canal traffic to pass during the night, and retired to bed as
usual. On returning the driver missed the danger s ignal in the fog
and the engine plunged into the canal. It took several days to
haul it out of the water.
There were some concerns about deterioration of the lock gates
and brickwork caused by the pollution from the chemical plants
of St Helens. In 1881 lock walls were collapsing and a
maintenance dredger was bought in 1881 and tried out at Sankey
Bridges to keep the canal useable.
In 1913 the last boat was built at Sankey Bridges with repairfacilities being maintained until after World War One. The hand
operated swing bridge for road traffic was replaced in 1915 by
an electrically worked bascule bridge. In 1930 the bridge was
strengthened and in 1972 it was replaced by a fixed bridge.
The recent works in this area have been funded by the North
West Development Agency. Their Land Reclamation Scheme
aims to reclaim derelict and underused old industrial land creating
parkland, woodland and nature reserves.
Sankey Bridges and the Mersey White Lead Company (left) 1900s.
‘Santa Rosa’ being launched at Sankey Bridges in 1906.
Sankey Bridges railway bridge turning to allow the barge “Ellesborough”
through, about 1955. This steel barge, built by Yarwoods of Northwich,
was owned by Wolverhampton Corrugated Iron Company.
North of Sankey Bridges - Bridge on the left is across the entrance to the
dry dock. The bascule bridge can be seen next to the Mersey White Lead
works and the Clare Ridgeway boatyard.
Sankey Bridges railway platform 1950.
“Ellesweir” at Sankey Bridges in 1961at theside of the Mersey White
Lead works. In the background can be seen the ‘swing type’railway bridge
and Sankey Bridges signal box.Photographs courtesy Warrington Museum, Peter A. Norton Archives and SCARS website www.scars.org.uk
Sankey Bridges - 1754
with proposed Sankey Canal
This sign was dsigned by Warrington Borough Council Ranger Service in conjunction with
The Sankey Canal Restoration Society - 2003.
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Winwick Maintenance Yard
This complex was vital for the efficient operation of the canal and much of the
elaborately constructed buildings remain. The main building, built in 1841, was a large
wood and metal workshop. Timber bridges, gates, decking and fencing were all made
and repaired here. The important forge produced countless items of ironwork needed
to keep the canal and its vessels functional. The yard was a resting and feeding point
for horses and mules hauling their boats
to St Helens so horse fodder was also
stored here.
A crane lifted boats into the building
from the canal so they could be worked
on under cover. A massive timber beam
was used to lift and move boats around
inside and was supported on the hugeroof trusses.
The yard had its own narrow gauge
railway which was used to move coal
from the canal boats to a storage area
beside the railway sidings, until it was
needed by the locomotives.
Quay Fold cottages to the north
provided a variety of general services.
One is reputed to have been a public
house known as the Ship Inn, whilst
another had a room for public prayers.
Winwick Dry Dock
This important feature is the only remaining dry dock on the Sankey Canal. It was
built entirely of sandstone with stepped sides and curved ends. Notice the stepsallowing workers to get down to the floor and the sleepers for the traditional Mersey
Flat boats to rest on. The one metre ‘threshold depth’ from the canal allowed the
Mersey Flats access for repair. Once the boat was inside, the dock gates were closed
and the water drained off via a small culvert in the western wall. This simple but
highly efficient system used no machinery, just the lie of the land. Once repair work
had taken place the dock was filled and the boat floated out.
Winwick Dry Dock Bridge
The present bridge spanning the entrance to the dry dock is the third to occupy the
site. No information has been traced of the original or how it moved to allow the
boats to enter. The second bridge may have had some form of lifting mechanism but
again no evidence has survived. In the latter days of the dry dock’s operation the
steam dredger ‘Winwick’ was brought to site and its crane used to remove the bridge
whenever access was required.
Steeped in history, the 15 mile Sankey Valley Park follows the course of England’s
oldest canal. The Warrington section combines the old and the new with rivers, ponds,
woodlands and meadows all forming a superb backdrop to a variety of recreational and
historic features.
The area where you are now was once a hive of canal activity. If you can, imagine the
canal full of water, people living and working here, the horses pulling boats and all the
sounds and smells of a busy repair yard - voices, hammering, wood cutting, metalworking, coal burning and steaming timbers. Although the canal is now in-filled, the
workshop and dry dock complex still remain.
Winwick Lock
This lock lowered the canal by
about two metres. It has the best
preserved by-wash channel left at
any lock on the canal, and much of
the stonework of the lock chamber
survives in good condition. The
lock keepers cottage, which was
located on the west bank, was last
occupied by the Hedgewick family
and was vacated just before World
War 2 during which it was destroyed
by German bombers.
Hulme Lock
This lock and cottage were
completely hidden by in-fill
following the demolition of the
cottage in the late 1970’s.
Excavation and restoration by
SCARS volunteers and WBChave revealed both the floor plan
of the building and the structure
of the lock and the by-wash
channel. A variety of building
materials including brick, slate,
ceramic tiles and massive timber
uprights in the lock wall have
been used. The cottage was
originally of two rooms at lock
level with cellars below but was
later extended to include a
further room at each level.
Dallam Sluices
All the way from St Helens, the
Sankey Brook flowed at a lower level than the canal, making it a
convenient overflow at times of heavy rain. Just south of Hulme Lock, Sankey Brook
flowed into the canal then excess water drained through the sluices into the brook’s
original course. The remains of the sluice gates and the stone lined channel can still be
seen. From here on, the brook was at a higher level than the canal, causing widespread
flooding to the Dallam area on a regular basis. To eliminate this problem the brook
was diverted into the canal’s deepened channel at the lower level.
Sankey Canal - Sugar Barge. 1935 Approaching Hulme Lock photo courtesyof SCARS
Welcome to Sankey Valley Park - Winwick Quay
The Dredger ‘WIDNES’ in the Dry Dock 1959 Looking towards Hulme Lock
photocourtesyP.Norton
photocourtesyBarkerArchive
Maintenance Yard Workers
photocourtesyofSCARS
Winwick Lock 1970 photo courtesyPeterHarris collection
Winwick Maintenance Yard photo courtesyWarrington Development Corporation
Early 19th Century Map
Dallam Sluice photo courtesy Barker Archive
Approaching Hulme Lock photo courtesyBarkerArchive
Sankey Sluices
Hulme Lock
& Cottage
Dry Dock
Draw
Bridge
Swing Bridge
Boat HouseMaintenance Yard
Ship Inn
Swing Bridge
Winwick Lock ▼
Today the local authorities of Warrington, St Helens and Halton,
together with the Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS), are
developing the Sankey Canal Trail as a 15 mile greenway for walkers
and cyclists, whilst working towards the restoration of navigation.
This sign was produced by Warrington Borough Council Ranger
Service in conjunction with SCARS and was funded by the
Environment Agency. If you want to know more about the Sankey
Canal, its history or plans for the future please contact the Rangers at
Sankey Valley Park. Tel : 01925 571836.
Wakefield Record Office