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. It runs from the north side of the Wirral Peninsula at Eastham, where Eastham Locks open out into the River Mersey, for 36 miles (57 km) eastwards to link the city of Manchester to the Irish Sea. Unlike Britain's other canals, the MSC was designed specifically to carry ocean-going ships, and made landlocked Manchester into an important seaport. Manchester Ship Canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford. ... Manchester Ship Canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford. ... Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom, famous for being the worlds first industrial city and considered by many to be UKs second city [1][2]. It is a centre of the arts, the media and big business. ... Old Trafford is an area of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... North West England is one of the regions of England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... The Wirral is a peninsula in North West England bounded by the River Dee to the west and the River Mersey to the east. ... Eastham is a small town, located in the Wirral area of Merseyside, England. ... Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005 The River Mersey is a river in north-western England. ... A mile is any of a number of units of distance, each in the magnitude of 1–10 km. ... Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom, famous for being the worlds first industrial city and considered by many to be UKs second city [1][2]. It is a centre of the arts, the media and big business. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ...

Early history

The canal was built as a way to reverse the economic decline that Manchester suffered during the late 19th century, by ensuring the city had direct access to the sea to export its manufactured goods, and so would not have to rely for sea access on the nearby Port of Liverpool. It was championed by Manchester manufacturer Daniel Adamson. He arranged a meeting at his home (The Towers, in Didsbury) on 27 June 1882, inviting representatives of several Lancashire towns, Manchester businessmen, local politicians and two civil engineers, Hamilton Fulton and Edward Leader Williams. Both engineers were invited to submit proposals, and Williams' plans were selected to form the basis of a Bill submitted to Parliament in November 1882. However, due to intense opposition by Liverpool and railway companies, the Act of Parliament enabling the canal was not passed until 6 August 1885. The promoters then had two years in which to raise £5 million to cover initial construction costs, and to purchase the Bridgewater Canal. Construction of the ship canal eventually started on 11 November 1887. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed dock system that runs from Herculaneum Dock to Seaforth Dock, on the east side of the River Mersey, combined with the facilities built around the Great Float on the west side of the river. ... 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. ... Location within the British Isles Didsbury Village Didsbury is a suburb of Manchester, England about 5 miles south of the city centre, intersected by the busy thoroughfare of Wilmslow Road. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Lancashire is a county and duchy palatine in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... The term civil engineer refers to an individual who practices civil engineering. ... 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. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and red—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... 1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England, near Manchester. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Large portions of the eventual cost of building were borne by Manchester rate-payers, via Manchester City Corporation. Loans were arranged during the early 1890s on condition that the Corporation held 11 of the 21 seats on the Canal Company's board of directors led by John Aird, an engineering contractor and MP. Following the death of the previous contractor (Thomas Walker), Aird's firm completed the Ship Canal. Sir John Aird (3 December 1833 - 6 January 1911) was a notable English civil engineering contractor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ...

Construction

More than 54 million cubic yards (41,000,000 m³) of material were excavated for the canal, including 12 million cubic yards (9,000,000 m³) of sandstone rock. At its peak, the project involved some 17,000 workers. In terms of machinery, the scheme called upon 228 miles (367 km) of temporary rail track, 173 locomotives, 6,300 trucks and wagons, 124 steam-powered cranes and 192 other steam engines (mainly used for pumping purposes). Work was twice delayed by water flooding into sections of the excavation, in November 1890 and December 1891. Sandstone near Stadtroda, Germany Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... A steam engine is an external combustion heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

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. Barton Swing Aqueduct in the open position to allow shipping through on the Manchester Ship Canal, early 1970s. ... A swing bridge is a bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring at or near to its center, about which it can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration below. ... Barton or Barton-upon-Irwell is an area of Eccles, Greater Manchester. ...

The canal was finally completely filled with water in November 1893, and opened to its first traffic on 1 January 1894. 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The construction of the canal was overseen by the chief engineer and designer Edward Leader Williams, who was knighted by Queen Victoria at the official opening on 21 May 1894. 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. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the eminent Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June, 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January, 1877, until her death in 1901. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ...

North-west of Ellesmere Port, on a narrow stretch of land between the Canal and the River Mersey, Mount Manisty is a huge mound of earth created from extracted soil from the construction of the Canal. Its name - and that of the adjacent Manisty Cutting - came from the contractor's agent on the Eastham section, Mr Manisty, who was well liked by the navvies due to the entertainments he and his wife provided for the workers.[1] Arms of the former Ellesmere Port Borough Council Location within the British Isles Ellesmere Port is an industrial town in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England, situated in the south of the Wirral Peninsula on the estuary of the River Mersey, to the north of Chester. ...

Route

From Eastham, the canal runs parallel to, and along the south side of, the River Mersey, past Ellesmere Port and, having intercepted flows from the River Weaver, then passes around Runcorn. Between Warrington and Flixton the canal borrows the route of the Mersey, and between there and Salford follows the course of the River Irwell. Arms of the former Ellesmere Port Borough Council Location within the British Isles Ellesmere Port is an industrial town in the district of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Cheshire, England, situated in the south of the Wirral Peninsula on the estuary of the River Mersey, to the north of Chester. ... The River Weaver The River Weaver is a watercourse running a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, England. ... 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. ... Alternate uses: see Warrington (disambiguation). ... Flixton could refer to: Flixton, Greater Manchester Flixton, North Yorkshire It can also refer to two places in the Waveney district of Suffolk: Flixton (Lothingland Ward) Flixton (All Saints Ward) This article consisting of geographical locations is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same... Some of the 1960s built high rise apartment blocks that have had recent multi-million Pound refurbishment Salford is a city in Northwest England, UK. It is part of the City of Salford - a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, historically part of the county of Lancashire. ... The River Irwell is a river in Lancashire in England that flows through central Manchester before joining the River Mersey, and one of the rivers that drove the Industrial Revolution. ...

The canal terminates just past Pomona Docks, Manchester. Today, a fixed road bridge separates Pomona Docks from Salford Quays, meaning only some boats can make the full trip to Pomona Docks. Most vessels have to terminate at Salford Quays. Pomona Docks is the official terminus of the Manchester Ship Canal. ... Categories: Stub | Greater Manchester ...

The MSC is the eighth-longest ship canal in the world, being only slightly shorter than the Panama Canal in Central America. A ship canal is a canal especially constructed to carry ocean-going ships, as opposed to barges. ... A canal tug, making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal, waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... Map of Central America Central America is a central region of the Americas. ...

Upon completion, the MSC ensured that Manchester became Britain's third busiest port, despite being 40 miles (60 km) inland.

Today

Unlike most British canals, the MSC and the Bridgewater Canal were never nationalised and remain in the ownership of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, a subsidiary of Peel Holdings. Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... The Peel Group is a collection of property and transport companies based in the United Kingdom. ...

Today, due largely to the decline in manufacturing industry and the fact that many ocean-going ships are too large to fit in the MSC, the amount of freight carried on the MSC has declined, although around eight million tonnes are still transported on the canal each year.

Maximum size

While the canal was built for ocean-going ships, ship sizes have long outgrown the canal.

In 2005 the maximum length of ship accepted into the canal was 170.68 m with a beam of 21.94 m. However, beams of around 23 m are acceptable with a smaller length. Maximum draught is 8.78 m. In nautical parlance, draft or draught is the depth below waters surface of the lowest part of a ship or boat. ...

The QEII Dock at the entrance to the canal can accept vessels up to 208.79 m long with a 28 m beam, maximum draught 10 m.

While many ships are designed specifically to fit the Suez and Panama canals (Suezmax, Panamax), the narrower MSC is not of major importance for shipping. 1881 drawing of the Suez Canal. ... A canal tug, making its way down to the Caribbean end of the canal, waits to be joined by a ship in the uppermost chamber of the Gatun Locks. ... Suezmax is a naval architecture term for the largest ships capable of fitting through the Suez Canal. ... The two ships seen here seem almost to be touching the walls of the Miraflores Locks. ...

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom
• Waterways in the United Kingdom

For canals of Northern Ireland see the Canals of Ireland article // History See History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ... Waterways in the United Kingdom is a link page for any river, canal, firth or estuary in the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Manchester Ship Canal homepage
• Virtual Tour
• The Manchester Ship Canal by W.T. Perkins