The Rochdale Canal In The South Pennines - Luddendenfoot, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The board was erected as part of a regeneration project to improve parts of the tow path and to install a series of sculptures and notice boards like this one.

This board has historical information about the canal, the town of Luddenden Foot and also information about a nearby sculpture installed as part of the regeneration.

The board has a combination of text, photographs, an illustration of a canal boat and a map.

The information on the board is as follows.

The                          | Rochdale                          | Canal                          | in the South Pennines                          |  Luddendenfoot Canal Boats The Rochdale Canal is a broad canal. Its bridges and locks can accommodate boats up to 72 feet long and 14 feet wide. ROCHDALE FLATS HORSE POWER The wide Rochdale Canal boats were based on the 'Mersey 'Flat', a wide, flat bottomed sailing barge., used on the River Mersey. The boats were known as 'cut flats' : 'cut' being the name for the canal. They were initially horse-drawn, though in later years steam-powered barges, called steam packets , were alos used. These were able to tow another boat behind them. A single packhorse could carry a load of up to 2 hundredweight (100 kg) but a boat horse could pull a load of up to 500 times this amount. NARROW BOATS FLY BOATS Narrowboats also used the canal. Two narrowboats could be pulled by one horse. These were able to travel onto some of the narrower waterways outside Yorkshire. Horse-drawn fly boats operated an express service. They had special privileges, including permission to pass locks at night. The boats carried only 20 tons and required a change of horses every few miles, making them expensive to run. A fly boat service was run from Sowerby Bridge by William Jackson. ROCHDALE CANAL COMPANY THE FINAL CARGO? The Rochdale Canal Company owned and operated its own boats enabling it to make full use of the vessels and maximise its income. By 1892 the company had fifteen steam packets (named after rivers), fifteen keels and flats (many named after flowers) and thirty eight narrowboats. Very few boats used the canal after 1927. The final cargo was said to be in September 1937. A Yorkshire keel took 23 tons of myrobalans, an Indian dried fruit, from Manchester Docks to Dewsbury for the dyeing and tanning trades.   ICEBREAKERS A picture on the notice board shows boats trapped in the ice on the Rochdale Canal. Ice-boats had rounded hulls, reinforced with iron. Teams of up to 10 horses pulled the heavy boats up onto the ice. The crew then violently rocked the boats to help break it up.

FENDER POOL AND SPLICE An artwork for the canal by Joss Smith FENDERS The design is based on the woven rope fenders which were used by boats on the Rochdale Canal. Fenders were attached to the front of boats to protect them from impact and to preserve the lock gates. The sculpture is carved in Kilkenny Limestone. CANAL BASIN On the opposite side of the canal was a canal basin where boats moored to load and unload their cargo. The black stone in the paving represents the outline of the canal basin on a much smaller scale. Maps of the area show that the basin had been filled in by 1900. It is now covered by the building on the opposite bank. SEATING The shape of the seats is taken from the Rochdale Canal boats. The fenders were positioned at different heights to make contact with lock gates when the boat is empty or full. Find out more by visiting www.myrochdalecanal.org.uk

At the bottom of the board underneath all the information is an underground style map showing towns along the length of the canal, and indicates which have a train station or Metrolink tram stop.

It also indicates the time to reach the nearest towns along the canal whether walking, cycling or travelling by boat.

Type of Historic Marker: Information board at the side of the canal towpath Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Canal and River Trust Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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