Telling the story of our canals ………… a new book in the making

Now if you were born in the first half of the last century, you will have seen our canal network slowly decline, from a once proud and busy set of waterways, to a dismal, neglected and in places dangerous afterthought.

The Rochdale Canal, 1980

But many are now fully restored and while they may not anymore be used to transport goods, they offer up opportunities for recreation, from those who take to the water in colorful boats to those who walk the water or cycle its paths enjoying the scenery and reflecting on the history.

And all of that, has inspired Peter and I  to write a new book, which will feature the much-loved Cheshire Ring.

Like all the other Topping/Simpson books, it will be a mix of original Peter paintings, contemporary and old photographs, along with stories about the canals, the people who worked on and around them, and the buildings and places of interest which survive along the line of each waterway.

The Rochdale Canal, 1979

The chapters will be designed so that they can be walked, cycled, or sailed, with plenty of places to stop off to take in the sites, or the local hostelries.

At this point we are still in the planning stage, and welcome contributions, which can be stories, photographs or memorabilia.*

For our part Peter has already begun painting some of the iconic buildings on the Ring, and I have started the research, which has taken me back to my favourites which are Bradshaw’s The Inland Navigation of England and Wales, and  Joseph Priestley’s Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, published in 1830.

Both are full of maps historical background and wonderful descriptions of the network in its heyday.

Added to which there are some fascinating memories from people who describe the canals when they were still working waterways, children who played along the derelict towpaths, and plenty from those who take to water for holidays or the odd weekend.

All of which leaves me to share my own favourite canal which is the Rochdale, which will be well known to those who take it to cross through the city from the Castlefield to the Dale Street Basins.

Manchester Canals, 1830

"The canal is one of the main links in the chain of inland navigation between the east and west seas, being made for vessels of such size as enables them to navigate the tide way, and to pass between Liverpool and Hull without the expense of reshipping their cargoes, thus affording great advantages to the populous towns of Manchester, Rochdale, Halifax, Wakefield and others on the banks of the intermediate rivers. 

The Baltic produce can thus be readily conveyed into Lancashire and the manufacturers of Lancashire in return exported through the ports of Goole and Hull to Hamburg, Petersburg, Lubeck and other continental markets. 

The Rochdale Canal, 2003 

The stone from Cromwell Bottom and its neighborhoods is hereby also conveyed to Rochdale and Manchester. 

These connections are likely to make it ultimately an undertaking of considerable profit to the proprietors.” **

So, our own international highway and one that carried everything from “corn, timber, woollen cloth, coals and raw materials.”

But like all our canals find it difficult to compete with the railways and finally closed in 1952, although the section through the heart of the city from Castlefield to Piccadilly proved profitable and stayed open.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson, 1979-2003, map of the canal network around Manchester from Bradshaw’s map of 1830, The Inland Navigation of England and Wales, and the extract from Joseph Priestley’s Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, 1830 courtesy of Digital Archives http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/ 

*You can contact us by leaving a comment on the blog, or emailing peter@pubbooks.co.uk or leaving a message at 07521 557888


** Priestley, Joseph, Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, 1830, Page 579