Sir Edward Leader Williams (1828-1910) was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire. 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1910 in topic: Arts Architecture- Art- Film- Literature- Music- Television Science and technology Aviation- Rail transport- Radio- Science Other topics Australia- Canada- Ireland- South Africa- Sport Births- Deaths Lists of leaders: State leaders - Religious leaders 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... The term civil engineer refers to an individual who practices civil engineering. ... The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford The Manchester Ship Canal (MSC), affectionately known by locals as The Big Ditch, was opened on 21 May 1894, and is a large canal in north-west England. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ... This article is about the English county. ...

Family

Edward Williams was born in Worcester in 1828, the son of a Worcester-based civil engineer also named Edward (responsible for works to make the River Severn navigable; also a keen amateur artist and friend of John Constable) and his Quaker wife Sarah Whiting. His brother Benjamin Williams Leader became a famous landscape artist. The family lived at Diglis House in Worcester (today the Diglis Hotel). The city of Worcester (pronounced ) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Severn Bridges crossing near the mouth of the River Severn The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) is the longest British river, at 354 kilometres (219 miles) long; it rises at an altitude of 610 metres on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, in the Cambrian Mountains, Mid Wales, and it passes through... Categories: Stub | 1776 births | 1837 deaths | British painters | Romantic art | Suffolk | Romanticism ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... Benjamin Williams Leader (1833-1923) was an English artist. ... Artist is a subjective term which describes a person creative in, innovative in, or adept at, their endeavors. ...

Early career

After attending the Royal Grammar School Worcester Edward Williams became an apprentice to his father. In 1856 he was chosen out of 110 applicants to be chief engineer for the development of the navigable northern section of the River Weaver in Cheshire. He began to specialise in canal construction and in 1865 produced plans for enlarging the Weston Canal, a short stretch of canal linking the river near Frodsham to docks at Weston Point, Runcorn. The Royal Rammer School Worcester (RGS Worcester) is a British independent Public School founded before 1291. ... If youre looking for the TV show, see The Apprentice. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The River Weaver The River Weaver is a watercourse running a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, England. ... This article is about the English county. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Map sources for Frodsham at grid reference SJ514780 Frodsham is a small market town in the county of Cheshire in North West England. ... Location within the British Isles Arms of the former Runcorn Urban District Council Runcorn is an industrial town in the unitary authority of Halton, Cheshire, England on the southern banks of the River Mersey at the site of the rivers first bridge crossing. ...

On 1 September 1872, he joined the Bridgewater Navigation Company and worked on the Bridgewater Canal. September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England, near Manchester. ...

The Big Ditch

After submitting proposals in competition with another engineer (Hamilton Fulton), Williams was then appointed by Daniel Adamson in 1882 to design a new ship canal linking Manchester with the Irish Sea. Williams became chief designer and chief engineer, helping the Manchester Ship Canal Company formulate its proposals for the necessary Act of Parliament. From its initial reading in 1883, it took two years for the Bill to receive Royal Assent, and a further two years before the first construction work started, in November 1887. Daniel Adamson (30 April 1820 – 13 January 1890) was a notable English engineer who became a successful manufacturer of boilers and was the driving force behind the inception of the Manchester Ship Canal project during the 1880s. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A ship canal is a canal especially constructed to carry ocean-going ships, as opposed to barges. ... Manchester is a city in the north-west of England. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, or the Sovereigns representative in Commonwealth Realms, completes the process of the enactment of legislation by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

When the canal opened in 1894 it was described as the greatest piece of engineering in the world. As well as the canal itself, major engineering landmarks of the scheme included the Barton Swing Aqueduct (carrying the Bridgewater Canal over the Ship Canal) and a neighbouring swing bridge for road traffic at Barton. 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Barton Swing Aqueduct in the open position to allow shipping through on the Manchester Ship Canal, early 1970s. ... Railway swing bridge A swing bridge is a bridge that has its primary structural support at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally. ... Barton or Barton-upon-Irwell as it is more commonly known is part of the city of Salford, Greater Manchester. ...

At the official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal by Queen Victoria on 21 May 1894, Williams was knighted. Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ...

Williams' other works include the Anderton Boat Lift (1875) near Northwich in Cheshire, which links the navigable stretch of the River Weaver with the Trent and Mersey Canal. Anderton Boat Lift The Anderton Boat Lift provides a link between two navigable waterways: the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal, and is situated near the village of Anderton, near Northwich, in north Cheshire, north_west England. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Location within the British Isles. ... This article is about the English county. ... The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal linking the River Trent at Shardlow in Derbyshire to the River Mersey at Runcorn in Cheshire. ...

See also

• Delamere Dock