Hardings Wood Junction facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hardings Wood Junction |
|
|---|---|
The junction, viewed from the island between a pair of parallel locks. The Trent and Mersey Canal runs both sides of the camera and ahead. The Macclesfield Canal starts through the side bridge.
|
|
| Specifications | |
| Status | open |
| Navigation authority | British Waterways |
| History | |
| Date completed | 1831 |
Hardings Wood Junction is a special place where two important waterways meet. It's a canal junction located near Kidsgrove, in Staffordshire, England. This is the spot where the Macclesfield Canal (sometimes called the Hall Green Branch) connects with the famous Trent and Mersey Canal. This important junction first opened in 1831, making it easier for boats to travel across the country.
Contents
History of the Canals
Building the Trent and Mersey Canal
The idea for the Trent and Mersey Canal was approved by a special law from Parliament in 1766. Work on building this long canal started right away. It was a huge project! The canal had to climb up through 40 locks from a place called Shardlow on the River Trent.
After climbing, the canal reached a high point, or "summit section." A big part of this summit was through the Harecastle Tunnel, which was about 2,897 yards (2,640 meters) long. After the tunnel, the canal went down through another 36 locks to reach Preston Brook and the Bridgewater Canal. The entire Trent and Mersey Canal was finished in 1777.
Plans for the Macclesfield Canal
Even after the Trent and Mersey Canal opened, people kept talking about building another canal through Macclesfield. But nothing really happened until 1824. A famous engineer named Thomas Telford surveyed the area in 1825.
A new law was passed in 1826 to allow the Macclesfield Canal to be built. Even though the plan was based on Telford's ideas, another engineer named William Crosley was in charge of the actual building work.
New Harecastle Tunnel and the Junction
Around the same time, the original Harecastle Tunnel was having problems. So, in 1823, a new, bigger tunnel was approved, also designed by Telford. This new tunnel was special because it included a towpath, which meant horses could walk alongside the boats through the tunnel. It was a bit longer, about 2,926 yards (2,670 meters), but it was built very quickly, opening on March 16, 1827.
The Trent and Mersey Canal company was worried about losing their precious water supply to the new Macclesfield Canal. So, in 1827, they got another law passed. This law allowed them to build the first 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the Macclesfield Canal themselves, up to a place called Hall Green Stop Lock. They made sure that the water level in the Macclesfield Canal section was kept 1 foot (0.3 meters) higher than their own canal. This way, water would flow from the Macclesfield Canal to the Trent and Mersey, instead of the other way around.
This first section, built by the Trent and Mersey company, became known as the Hall Green Branch. The Macclesfield Canal, and therefore the Hardings Wood Junction, officially opened in 1831.
Where is the Junction?
The Hardings Wood Junction is located very close to the northern entrance of the Harecastle Tunnel. After boats leave the tunnel, the Trent and Mersey Canal turns to the west. The Hall Green Branch, which is part of the Macclesfield Canal, turns off to the south.
The branch then makes a sharp right turn and runs right next to the main Trent and Mersey Canal. The main canal goes down through two locks here. Then, the branch makes another sharp right turn and crosses over the main canal on a special bridge called an aqueduct.
The Macclesfield Canal is about 26.1 miles (42 km) long from the stop lock all the way to Marple Junction. It climbs up through a series of 12 locks, which are located about 9 miles (14.5 km) from the stop lock. Today, both canals are managed by British Waterways, so the Hall Green Branch is usually thought of as just part of the Macclesfield Canal.
The highest part of the Trent and Mersey Canal, called the summit level, is about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long. It ends near the junction at lock 41. If you travel south, the other end of this summit level is at lock 40, just after Etruria Junction, where the Caldon Canal joins the main line.
