The Bridgewater Canal was constructed when Lord Ellesmere, the Duke of Bridgewater, wanted to transport his coal from his underground mines in Farnworth and Bolton, some 10 miles away. The present structure of the Barton Swing Aqueduct was built in 1894 to replace the original stone arches (although one still remains).
Worsley is widely recognized as the place where the seeds of the canal age were sown. At Worsley, take your time to look at the boat house and Packet House.
The boat house was built by Lord Ellesmere to house the royal barge built for Queen Victoria’s visit in 1851. The Packet House, a half-timbered building, sits at the head of the canal where the navigation swings left. It was originally built in 1760. It is so named because it was where the packet boats left on their journey to Manchester.
Before continuing, paddle to the right of the Packet House and under an arch into the small shallow basin of Worsley Delph. Here you see the entrances to two tunnels which lead into 46 miles of underground canal networks. The left one is completely blocked off, but the right one still allows the water from the now-defunct coal mines to drain freely into the canal.
Once clear of this, the canal heads west through open country through Boothstown. The area’s mining heritage is never far away, and as you approach Astley, the pit-head gear of the Colliery Museum is clearly visible. From here, an industrial wasteland is entered, but soon the mill chimneys of Leigh appear. At Leigh Bridge, the Bridgewater becomes the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, but our journey continues beyond Leigh towards Pennington Flash, now a sailing and water activity centre. You get out at Planks Lane Bridge just beyond the Flash.
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