Stockport Branch Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stockport Branch Canal
Many of the canal's structures have survived, including this bridge at Abbey Hey Lane
Specifications
Status	mostly a footpath
History
Original owner	Ashton Canal Company
Date of act	1793
Date of first use	1797
Date closed	1962
Geography
Start point	Clayton
End point	Stockport
Connects to	Ashton Canal

The Stockport Branch Canal was a waterway that connected Clayton to Stockport in England. It was about 5 miles (8 km) long and was a branch of the Ashton Canal. This canal was very important for moving goods during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Canal Route

The Stockport Branch Canal started at Stockport Junction in Clayton. This was between locks 10 and 11 of the main Ashton Canal. The canal then ended at Stockport Basin, which was just past Lancashire Hill.

Journey Through Towns

The canal was just under five miles long (7.87 km). It was special because it had no locks, which are like water elevators for boats. It passed through several towns, including Gorton, Abbey Hey, and Reddish. The canal officially opened for trade in January 1797.

Unfinished Branch

At Reddish, there were plans to build another branch called the Beat Bank Branch Canal. Work actually started on this branch. However, only a small part of it was ever built. This section was isolated and never connected to the Stockport Branch Canal.

Canal's Purpose

The Stockport Branch Canal mostly ran through busy city areas. These areas were full of factories and industries.

Industrial Hub

Between Clayton and Gorton, there were many engineering factories and ironworks. The Canal Company also had its main depot in Gorton. Further along, through Reddish, cotton mills were the main type of factory. The canal helped these industries by moving raw materials and finished products.

How the Canal Worked

The main Ashton Canal was approved by a special law in June 1792. In March 1793, the canal owners got another law passed. This new law allowed them to build three branches:

• The branch to Stockport.
• A branch from Reddish (the Beat Bank branch) to serve coal mines.
• A separate branch to Hollinwood.

Building the Canal

The company was allowed to raise an extra £30,000 to pay for these three branches. They looked for an engineer, but couldn't find one. So, their agent, James Meadows, likely managed the building work. The Hollinwood branch was finished first in late 1796. The Stockport branch opened very soon after, in January 1797.

Coal and Trade

The Hollinwood branch helped bring lots of coal from mines in Werneth. Building the Beat Bank branch was difficult because it was on a clay slope. So, the company decided to stop working on it. They told William Hulton, who owned the coal mines at Denton, that they couldn't afford to continue. A law was passed in 1798 to officially stop the project.

In the same year, the Canal Company built warehouses in Stockport. They also set up special areas for boats (wharves) to help the Werneth Colliery sell its coal. This helped bring more boats and goods to the canal.

Canal and Railways

When railways became popular, fewer goods were carried on the canal. By 1842, the money shareholders earned from the canal had dropped. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway offered to buy the canal. They offered to pay £12,364 each year, which was a good deal for the canal shareholders. The Canal Company happily accepted in 1846.

A new law in 1848 made the railway takeover official. This law said the Railway Company had to keep the canal in good condition. They did this for many years, even running their own boats until 1892. The Canal Company officially closed in 1883. Its shareholders were given shares in the Railway Company instead.

What the Canal Carried

The canal was mainly used to carry general goods. This included bringing raw cotton to the mills and taking finished products away. It also carried coal for the mills and for people living nearby. Another important cargo was grain for William Nelstrop & Company’s Albion Corn Mill at Stockport Basin. In its early days, people could even travel by boat on the Ashton Canal, with one route going between Manchester and Stockport.

Canal's Decline and Closure

The canal started to be used less and less because of competition from railways and roads. By 1922, it was already described as being in a very poor state.

End of Commercial Use

Boats stopped carrying goods for business in the 1930s. However, the canal remained open, though barely usable, into the 1950s. At one point in the 1950s, the canal was cleaned out (dredged). But this improvement did not bring any new boat traffic.

Stockport Basin was the first part of the canal to be filled in. The canal was officially closed in 1962 by the British Transport Commission. They had been in charge of it since 1948. It took many years to fill in the canal, which was a difficult process for people living along its path.

Efforts to Restore the Canal

Most of the old canal route is still there today. In the early 2000s, there were ideas to reopen it as a leisure canal. Local councils supported these plans. A report by British Waterways said that reopening the canal was possible from a technical point of view.

Manchester and Stockport Canal Society

The Manchester and Stockport Canal Society was started in 2004. This group has worked to improve the remaining parts of the canal. They also want to make more people aware of its history. They have put up nine green plaques on important structures along the route. They also organize regular clean-up days for the footpath that follows the old canal line.

The Society's main goal is to see the canal reopened for boats. However, they know this might take a very long time. So, they are focusing on smaller, more achievable projects for now.