Rochdale Canal Lock 46 – Littleborough, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 38.914 W 002° 05.194
30U E 560377 N 5944809
The Rochdale canal is 32 miles long and connects Manchester on the west side of the Pennine Hills and Sowerby Bridge on the east side.
Waymark Code: WMD3E6
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/13/2011
Views: 4
The Canal History
The Rochdale Canal was completed in 1804 and is one of three canals that cross the Pennine hills. This is the only one that doesn’t use tunnels. In addition it was a broad canal with bridges and locks that allowed boats of 14 feet width to pass through.
The one downside of not using tunnels is that it originally had 92 locks. These days two of them have been combined into one deep lock.
Competition from railways and roads subsequently led to a decline in goods being carried and by 1937 the only section left in operation was at the Manchester end of the canal.
In 1965 there was talk of abandoning the canal but by this time leisure boating had become very popular in the UK and there was a campaign to keep it open. Work was started and the canal slowly re-opened in a number of different stages. The whole length finally reopened in September 2007.
Details of this lock
Lock 46 is on the western side of the summit and is about 1.5 miles from the A58 which crosses over the canal. There is a tow path alongside the western side of the canal.
The lock is next to a small stone arch bridge that was built to provide access to farm fields. These small bridges are usually built near to the locks because the canal at its narrowest at these points.
This particular lock also has a pound coming off the canal where canal boats can be moored. I’ve seen many canal locks, but this is the first one I’ve seen with such a pound.
Waterway Name: Rochdal Canal
Connected Points:
The City of Manchester and the town of Sowerby Bridge.
Type: Lock
Date Opened: 01/01/1804
Elevation Difference (meters): 3.00
Site Status: Operational
Web Site: [Web Link]
Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed
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