Heywood Branch Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Heywood Branch Canal
The Rochdale Canal as it heads north under the M62 motorway. The branch was on the now disused route on the left.
Specifications
Status	Abandoned
History
Date of first use	1834
Date closed	1952
Geography
Start point	Heywood
End point	Castleton
Connects to	Rochdale Canal

The Heywood Branch Canal was a smaller waterway that connected to the Rochdale Canal. It ran from Castleton to the town of Heywood. This canal opened in 1834 and was used to transport goods until 1937.

It was officially closed in 1952, along with most of the Rochdale Canal. Even though the Rochdale Canal has been reopened, the spot where the Heywood branch joined is now covered by the M62 motorway.

A Canal's Story

The main Rochdale Canal opened on December 21, 1804. It took ten years to build. This canal was very important because it linked Manchester with Sowerby Bridge. In Manchester, it connected to the Bridgewater Canal. In Sowerby Bridge, it joined the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

Building the Rochdale Canal was expensive. It was estimated to cost about £291,900, but it ended up costing around £600,000. Still, it was a busy waterway. Between 1827 and 1829, it carried nearly 500,000 tons of goods each year. This brought in a lot of money from tolls.

Because the canal was doing so well, its committee thought about adding a branch to Heywood. This idea came up in August 1832. They checked how much it would cost and how much traffic it might get. The results were positive.

So, the canal's owners agreed to build it on August 3, 1833. They didn't need a special law from Parliament because they could buy all the land without any problems. The new branch canal was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and was flat, with no locks.

It ended at a special loading area, called a wharf, in Heywood. A warehouse was also built there. The Heywood Branch Canal officially opened on April 10, 1834. The committee members celebrated by traveling along the new canal in a boat named The Rochdale.

Later, a railway line opened from Manchester to Littleborough in July 1839. The railway company started a passenger boat service. It ran from Bluepits Station in Castleton to Heywood Wharf. This service didn't last long, ending in late 1840.

The railway company was building its own branch line. This new line included a station in Heywood, very close to the canal wharf. The railway station opened in April 1841.

The Heywood Branch Canal was no longer used after 1937. In 1952, a new law was passed. This law officially removed the right for boats to use most of the Rochdale Canal, including the Heywood branch.

Where the Canal Went

The Heywood Branch Canal started at a place called Maden Fold Junction. This was where it left the main Rochdale Canal. The path next to the canal, called the towpath, was on the east side. A swing bridge allowed people to cross to the west side.

Another swing bridge was at the entrance to the Heywood Branch itself. The towpath for the branch was on its north side. The canal then went straight west. It passed under the railway line that belonged to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Today, the M62 motorway passes under the railway at the same spot.

The canal continued south of where the motorway is now. Then, it turned towards the north-west. It reached a bridge at Hope Street. Hope Mill, a cotton mill, was located near this bridge. By 1937, it was no longer used.

Further along, near Canal Street bridge, was High Street Cotton Mill. This mill later became a furniture factory. Between Canal Street Bridge and Green Lane Bridge, there were more cotton mills like Bridge Mill and Park Street Mill. By 1937, these areas were cleared.

On the opposite side of the canal from Park Street Mill was Sefton Mill, another cotton mill. Behind it was the Phoenix Brewery. By 1937, both the mill and the brewery were no longer in use.

The last part of the canal, between Green Lane Bridge and the end wharf, had many factories. There were five cotton mills on the west side: Albert Mill, Gregge Street Mill, Princess Mill, Victoria Mill, and Twin Mill. On the east side was the Sun Iron Works.

Near the very end of the canal, there was a wider section. This allowed boats to turn around easily. There were also cranes on both sides of the canal and a covered building for loading and unloading goods.

The Canal Now

A large part of the Heywood Branch Canal still exists today, but it is dry. The place where it joined the Rochdale Canal is gone. The M62 motorway was built over it.

The canal reappears and runs south of the motorway for about 500 meters. Then, the motorway cuts across it again. The canal then runs north of the motorway towards Hope Street. It goes through the area where Hope Street Bridge used to be, but the bridge is gone and the area has been filled in.

From this point, the canal is filled in. It runs under a field until it reaches Canal Street. The bridge here has also been removed. The canal's path is now hidden under a small industrial area, but you can still see its route on maps.

Green Lane Bridge is also gone because the road was made wider. However, the road was never lowered, so there's still a small hump where the bridge used to be. The canal's route is now shown by a road between two buildings, next to Sefton Street.

It continues until it reaches the old wharf at Quay Street. You can still see the wharf area, but it's filled in and used as a car park today.

The main Rochdale Canal has been reopened. However, it doesn't go through the original junction with the Heywood branch. Building a tunnel for boats under the M62 motorway would have been too expensive. Instead, the canal was rerouted through a farm access tunnel. A new road was built for the farm.

Because this tunnel was a bit higher than needed, Lock 53 on the Rochdale Canal was moved. It used to be north of the motorway but is now south of it. Heywood railway station is now part of the historic East Lancashire Railway. It's located a little further east than it was when the canal was open.

Exploring the Canal's Route