The Opening Of The Rochdale Canal - Summit, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Rochdale canal opened in 1804 and although no longer used commercially is still used by leisure boats. Importantly for this sign the tow path is also popular with cyclists and walkers.

The sign was erected as part of a canal improvement scheme, which as well as including improvements to the tow path surface also installed various sculptures to increase interest and awareness in the canal.

The Ribbon
"Lock 39 at Summit – at Lock 39 a 'ribbon' sculpture is laid into the ground, the ribbon idea symbolising the linear nature of the canal. The sculpture represents the unique close interweaving of the canal, the road and the railway in the valley bottom along the whole length of the canal. The words reflect how the opening of the canal changed the South Pennines forever and celebrates the pioneering progressive spirit of the age. The pattern for the ribbon was made and cast by Hargreaves Foundry in Halifax. The project was commissioned by Pennine Prospects in 2011, designed by Imagemakers and IS Group, cast by Hargreaves Foundry and funded by South Pennines Leader." Extracted from this web document about the improvement scheme.

The text on the sign is as follows.

THE OPENING OF THE ROCHDALE CANAL IN 1804 CHANGED THE SOUTH PENNINES FOR EVER...

Pioneering: The Rochdale Canal was the first to cross the challenging
Pennine landscape known as the Backbone of England connecting east and west.

Profitable: The canal was the M62 of its day. Before it was built goods were carried by packhorses.
A single canal boat could transport the same cargo as 450 pack horses.

Powerful: Horse drawn vessels called Flats transported goods along the canal.
Flats were up to 22 metres long - the same size as the lock. They could carry up to 50 tons.

Prosperous: The arrival of the Rochdale Canal stimulated industrial development of this area.
Todays towns grew as people came to work in the mills and factories along the canal.

Type of Historic Marker: Metal art sculpture in shape of a ribbon with historical info cast into it Historical Marker Issuing Authority: South Pennines Leader Related Website: [Web Link] Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed

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