The Milnsbridge Baa-rge - Milnsbridge, UK - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal
This canal is one of three that crosses the Pennine Hills and built to provide transport between Huddersfield in Yorkshire and Ashton-Under-Lyne in Lancashire.

As the name suggest it is a narrow canal that although was cheaper to build had less carrying capacity compared to the other two broad canals.

Work started on it in 1794 and partly due to the need to construct the longest canal tunnel in the United Kingdom it was completed 17 years later in 1811.

The canal is only 20 miles long and due to the nature of the terrain has 74 locks even though the summit tunnel reduced the required number of locks. The canal climbs 436 feet from Huddersfield and descends 334 feet to Ashton-Under-Lyne.

The name of the town Milnsbridge dates back to the 13th Century when there was a mill near the River Colne. Before the days of the canal when transport was difficult in this upland area the cotton mill was important to the town. However after the canal was built and transport became easier more mills opened and the town became a major centre of the textile industry.

Next to this lock is a wharf that used to be used to load the textile goods from from the mills onto canal barges. The canal closed in 1944 making this wharf redundant.

During the 1970s leisure boating in the U.K. had become popular and there were various campaigns to re-open canals that had lain derelict for a number of years.

Work on restoring this canal started in 1981 and the whole canal was finally reopened by 2001.

The sculpture
This sculpture was placed here as a reminder of the towns history after the canal re-opened.

There is a plaque next to the sculpture with the following text.

'The Milnsbridge Baa-rge'
Celebrating the link between
the canal and the wool
industry within Milnsbridge.
Designed by children from
Crow Lane school, and
created by local sculptor
Mike Disley

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: The Milnsbridge Baa-rge Figure Type: Animal Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Mike Disley Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 2001 Materials used: Stone Location: Milnsbridge Canal Wharf

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