Fairbottom Branch Canal
Encyclopedia
The Fairbottom Branch Canal was a canal near Ashton-under-Lyne
in Greater Manchester
, England
.
at Fairbottom Junction immediately above lock 22. It was just over one mile long (1.82 km) and it was lock free. It terminated at Fenny Fields Bridge, Bardsley, which is situated in the Medlock Valley
between Ashton-under-Lyne
and Oldham
.
Immediately north east of the terminus at Fenny Fields Bridge an industrial community was founded at Park Bridge
and a tramway, which included a small-bore tunnel 150 yards long (137 m), connected the two together. This community was founded in 1783 by Samuel Lees to make rollers for the textile industry. This community expanded rapidly as the demand for textile machinery increased. Following the premature death of Samuel in 1804 the factory was successfully run by his widow Hannah Lees née Buckley and in later years the company was renamed Hannah Lees & Sons in her honour. The last part of this works closed in 1963 due to the decline in the textile industry.
At first, waggon haulage on the tramway was by means of horses but early in the 1840s a steam locomotive called ‘The Ashtonian’ replaced them. Because of the narrow-bore tunnel, the driver needed to be of short stature and even then he had to kneel down to pass through the tunnel. The locomotive’s funnel also had to be removed. This tramway remained operational into the 1880s.
In the early 1930s two leakages occurred that made it necessary to lower the water level in the canal and this, coupled with mining subsidence, caused its unofficial closure in 1932. By 1948 the canal was completely unnavigable but it did remain in water.
Much of the line of the former canal remained intact and there are now plans to re-open part of it again as an amenity canal along with much of the Hollinwood Branch Canal.
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Route
The canal left the Hollinwood Branch CanalHollinwood Branch Canal
The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over long and went through...
at Fairbottom Junction immediately above lock 22. It was just over one mile long (1.82 km) and it was lock free. It terminated at Fenny Fields Bridge, Bardsley, which is situated in the Medlock Valley
River Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
between Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
and Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
.
History
Although this canal was mainly rural, its main purpose was to carry coal so there was a loading stage for coal and a short private branch for the same purpose. There was also a mill.Immediately north east of the terminus at Fenny Fields Bridge an industrial community was founded at Park Bridge
Park Bridge
Park Bridge is an area of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated in the Medlock Valley, by Ashton-under-Lyne's border with Oldham. Park Bridge anciently lay within medieval manor of Ashton, however there is no record of Park Bridge...
and a tramway, which included a small-bore tunnel 150 yards long (137 m), connected the two together. This community was founded in 1783 by Samuel Lees to make rollers for the textile industry. This community expanded rapidly as the demand for textile machinery increased. Following the premature death of Samuel in 1804 the factory was successfully run by his widow Hannah Lees née Buckley and in later years the company was renamed Hannah Lees & Sons in her honour. The last part of this works closed in 1963 due to the decline in the textile industry.
In the early 1930s two leakages occurred that made it necessary to lower the water level in the canal and this, coupled with mining subsidence, caused its unofficial closure in 1932. By 1948 the canal was completely unnavigable but it did remain in water.
Much of the line of the former canal remained intact and there are now plans to re-open part of it again as an amenity canal along with much of the Hollinwood Branch Canal.
See also
- Canals of Great Britain
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...