A Lock on the Rochdale Canal with water flowing over the gate due to the lack of a side channel.

The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in the North of England, part of the connected system of the Canals of the United Kingdom. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2848x2136, 1455 KB)Lock on rochdale canal with water going over the gates. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2848x2136, 1455 KB)Lock on rochdale canal with water going over the gates. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Channel (geography). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... For canals of Northern Ireland see the Canals of Ireland article // History See History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ... Statistics Population: 94,000 (2001 Census)) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SD893130 Administration District: Rochdale Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which roughly encompasses the conurbation surrounding the City of Manchester, and has a population of 2. ...

The "Rochdale" is a Broad canal because its bridges and 92 locks are wide enough to allow vessels of 14ft width. Its canal runs for 32 miles (51 kilometres) across the Penines from the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield Basin in Manchester to the Hebble Navigation at Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire. Canal locks in England. ... Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, North West England. ... The Calder and Hebble Navigation just before it joins the Rochdale Canal The Calder and Hebble Navigation is a canal system in West Yorkshire, England. ... Sowerby Bridge is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, southwest of Halifax, at the junction between the Rochdale Canal and the Calder and Hebble Navigation, and on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ...

History

The canal gained its act of parliament at its second attempt in 1794 and was completed in 1804. Because of its width, it was more successful than the Huddersfield narrow, but soon faced competition from the Manchester and Leeds Railway (1841). By cutting tolls the canal managed to maintain business and for a time remained profitable but by the start 20th century it was in trouble. In 1923 the canal's reservoirs were sold off. Most of the canal (apart from a short profitable section in Manchester linking the Bridgewater and Ashton Canals) was closed in 1952 (the last complete journey having taken place in 1937) and by the mid '60s the remainder was almost unusable. Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, North West England. ...

With the growth in leisure boating, a campaign was mounted for its re-opening. The first success was a re-fashioned link with the Calder and Hebble Canal (which had never closed) at Sowerby Bridge, involving by far the deepest lock (Tuel Lane: 20ft) on the British Canal System. As restoration proceded, boats could travel further and further west, and the restoration of the sections through Failsworth and Ancoats were a significant part of the re-development of the north Manchester districts. In July 2002, the restored sections joined up with the never-closed section in Manchester, and the canal was re-opened to navigation along its entire length. Location within the British Isles Failsworth is a town in North West England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Today

The significance of the Rochdale Canal for the leisure boater lies partly in the fact that it climbs high over the Pennine moors rather than tunnelling through them, and the scenery is spectacular. It is also important in crossing the Pennines and thus joining North-western canals and waterways of the North East, as well as opening the possibilites of various Pennine Rings (the Huddersfield Narrow Canal had opened the year before, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal had never closed). Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in the north of England running from Liverpool, Merseyside to Leeds, West Yorkshire. ...

In Manchester it connects the Ashton Canal to the Bridgewater Canal, and hence connects to all the canals on the west side of England, including the Lancaster Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal and Macclesfield Canal; and the western ends of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Huddersfield Narrow Canal. On its way across the Pennines it visits the hill towns and villages of Littleborough, Summit, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, and Luddendenfoot (where Bramwell Bronte was a railway booking clerk). At Sowerby Bridge, its connection with the Calder and Hebble gives boats access to all the north-eastern waterways including the Aire and Calder Navigation, the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, and the rivers Ouse and Trent (and, for boaters who wish to do a "ring", the eastern ends of the Huddersfield Narrow and Leeds/Liverpool canals). Jockeys Swivel and Footbridge at Lumb Lane, Droylsden, c1900 Portland Basin, Ashton-under-Lyne, with the Tame Aqueduct in the foreground, 1962 The Ashton Canal runs six miles (10 km) from central Manchester to Ashton-under-Lyne and it rises through 18 locks to make a head-on junction... The Bridgewater Canal is a canal in North West England, near Manchester. ... The Lancaster Canal is a canal in Lancashire in the north of England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria (then in Westmorland). ... The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal linking the River Trent at Shardlow in Derbyshire to the River Mersey at Runcorn in Cheshire. ... Marple Wharf looking towards Marple Junction, 1970s Morriss Change (Roving) Bridge at Congleton, August 1994 The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. ... Branwell Brontë, self portrait, 1840 Patrick Branwell Brontë (26 June 1817 – 24 September 1848) was a painter and poet, the only son of the Brontë family, and the brother of the writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne. ... The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the county of West Yorkshire, England. ... The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation is a series of canal cuttings in the north of England, along the course of the River Don. ...

The Rochdale has had many problems since reopening (often related to a shortage of water, because the canal's reservoirs had been sold off when the canal closed). In April 2005 the canal bank was breached between lock 60 and lock 63, near the River Irk. Thousands of gallons of water surged down the river towards the nearby town of Middleton, echoing the great Middleton canal tragedy of 1927. The canal re-opened in Summer 2006, but had problems throughout the season. The high frequency of navigation restrictions (and the need to book passage through Tuel Lane lock, and across the summit pound) means that anyone planning to use the canal should consult the British Waterways website. The River Irk is a river in Greater Manchester in north-west England that flows through the northern suburbs of Manchester before merging with the River Irwell in the city centre. ... {infobox England place| |Latitude= 53. ...

External links

• Rochdale Canal
• British Waterways Leisure Site

References

• Pearsonson's Canal Companion Pennine waters ISBN 0-9545383-4-X