Welcome To The Rochdale Canal - Smithy Bridge, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Smithy Bridge

The Rochdale Canal was the first canal to cross the Pennines from Lancashire to Yorkshire. Completed in 1804 under the guidance of William Jessop it extends from Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire to the Castlefield area of Manchester, a distance of 32 miles and has 91 locks.

Following a restoration programme and over 30 years of campaigning and £50 million pounds of investment, the canal was re-opened in 2002 to enable navigation over its whole length.

Local History

Smithy Bridge is today mainly a residential settlement covering the land between Hollingworth Lake and the railway line. There is a cluster of old stone cottages in the heart of the village which were originally weavers' cottages. The upper floors of these three storey buildings contained hand looms, an industry that pre-dates the cotton mills by up to 200 years and where the end product was quite often wool.

Above Smithy Bridge is Hollingworth Lake - a popular leisure destination attracting over half a million visitors every year. The lake was originally built in 1801 as a reservoir to maintain the water levels in the Rochdale Canal, but soon became known as the 'Weighvers' Seaport' where local mill workers would bring their families to enjoy their limited leisure time.

A short distance South West of Smithy Bridge and overlooking the Rochdale Canal lies Clegg Hall, a Grade II listed building built by Theophilus Assheton. The hall was left deserted after the Second World War and fell into a state of disrepair, but a local developer who purchased the building in 2005 for a home has managed to restore the hall to its former glory.

The operation of a canal lock

The Rochdale Canal is one of three trans-Pennine routes, with its high summit level meaning lots of locks - but wonderful views.

Boats climbing the gradient enter the lock chamber.

The bottom gates are closed and the ground paddles at the top of the lock are opened. The chamber fills and the boat rises.

When the water levels between the lock chamber and the canal are equal the top gates are opened and the boat proceeds.

On the way down, boats enter the full chamber and the top gates are closed. Paddles on the bottom gates allow the chamber to empty until the boat reaches the level of the lower canal.

Wildlife

Although the Rochdale Canal was dug by hand more than 200 years ago, it provides an ideal habitat for a diverse range of flora and fauna and has been identified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Bird Species
See if you can spot a kingfisher. The regularly visit the canal to feed on fish and aquatic insects and are unmistakable bright blue and orange birds. The kingfisher will hunt fish from canal perches and can be seen to fly rapidly, low over the water, or sometimes even hovering above the water's surface to catch its food.

Plant Life
Orchids, cuckooflower, ferns and yellow flags are just a few of the beautiful flora growing along the towpath and banking of the Rochdale Canal. Aquatic plants such as pondweeds, water violets, water forget-me-nots and the nationally scarce floating water plantain are also emergent within the canal.

Bug Life
Bugs, butterflies and insects are plentiful in the habitats of the canal environment. The most common insects include the Dragon Fly, Damselfly Larvae, Caddis Fly Larvae and Larval Water Beetles. A rare species called the Pea Mussell is not found in any other Greater Manchester Canal.