Manchester Ship Canal facts for kids
The Manchester Ship Canal is a wide, 36-mile (58 km) long, river navigation in North West England, opened on 21 May 1894. At the time of its completion, it was the largest navigation canal in the world.
The "Big Ditch", as it is sometimes known, consists of the rivers Irwell and Mersey made navigable for seagoing ships from the Mersey Estuary to Salford Docks in Greater Manchester. It transformed Manchester from a landlocked city into a major sea port.
Images for kids
-
A cartoon published in the satirical magazine Punch in 1882, ridiculing the idea that Manchester could become a major seaport
-
The Excavation of the Manchester Ship Canal: Eastham Cutting with Mount Manisty in the Distance (1891), by Benjamin Williams Leader, brother of the canal's engineer
-
The Queen at Manchester, Her Majesty, in the Admiralty Yacht Enchantress, opening the Ship Canal, by William Heysham Overend
-
The ship canal alongside the Mersey between Stanlow and Runcorn, looking east
-
A preserved Manchester Ship Canal Railway 0-6-0T locomotive, now on display at The Engine House in Highley
-
Woolston Eyes nature reserve, near Thelwall
See also
In Spanish: Canal marítimo de Mánchester para niños