2009

SJ9097 : Fairfield Locks

taken 15 years ago, near to Droylsden, Tameside, England

Fairfield Locks
Fairfield Locks
Originally at the junction of the Ashton canal and the Hollinwood Canal, LinkExternal link Fairfield Locks provide access to the Droylsden Marina currently under construction. SJ9098 : Marina under construction
Ashton Canal

The Ashton Canal runs eastwards from Manchester to Ashton under Lyne. It links the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Peak Forest Canal with the Rochdale Canal and Bridgewater Canal and forms part of the "Cheshire Ring".

The original scheme was completed in 1796, running from a large basin behind what is now Piccadilly Station in Manchester, climbing gradually eastwards via 18 locks to Fairfield, Droylsden. From there one level section continued eastward to Whitelands Basin, Ashton under Lyne, while another arm headed north through what is now Daisy Nook, climbing another eight locks to Hollinwood, with a branch running east from Daisy Nook towards Park Bridge. A short arm from Portland Basin crossed the River Tame to Dukinfield. A year later an additional branch from Clayton to Stockport was opened.

The short link between Ashton Canal Basin at Piccadilly and the Rochdale Canal was not opened until 1800, when disputes about canal tolls and responsibility for paving the streets around the basins were resolved.

The Peak Forest Canal, opened in 1800, joined the Ashton Canal by way of the Dukinfield spur across the aqueduct over the Tame at Portland Basin.

The Hollinwood Branch Canal closed in sections between 1932 and 1961. The Stockport Branch Canal was closed in 1962.

History: LinkExternal link

Hollinwood Branch Canal :: SJ9199

The Hollinwood Branch of the Ashton Canal was opened in 1797 to transport coal from the collieries that lay between Ashton under Lyne and Oldham to Manchester and the many mills and factories in the neighbourhood of the Ashton Canal.

Apart from mills and factories at Droylsden, The canal was comparatively rural in character. Leaving the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18, it ran for just over 4½ miles through Droylsden and Waterhouses to terminate at Hollinwood Basin (Hollinwood Top Wharf).

The Hollinwood Branch Canal was extensively used until the late 1920s when trade began to decline rapidly due to competition from railways and roads. It remained open and operational as far as the Butterworth Green basin until 1932, when subsidence problems caused the closure of the remaining collieries in the area and the canal was closed north of Crime Lake. Parts of the canal remained navigable but most was officially closed in 1955 with the last remaining section from the main line at Fairfield Junction closing in 1961.

The central part of the canal, in the Daisy Nook area, is still in water and has been made a feature of the Daisy Nook Country Park.

LinkExternal link Pennine Waterways


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Gerald England and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Canal locks
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Droylsden Marina [35] · Fairfield Lock [31] · Junction on the Ashton Canal [22] · Construction [7] ·
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SJ9097, 220 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Gerald England   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Wednesday, 6 May, 2009   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 6 May, 2009
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 901 978 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:28.6423N 2:9.0379W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 900 978
View Direction
Northeast (about 45 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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