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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