Wakefield's Wharf and the Gatebeck Gunpowder Tramway - Crooklands, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Although this stretch of canal from Tewitfield to Stainton which is still in water, and from Stainton to Kendal which has been drained and filed in is no longer used, the canal towpath is still maintained. It is popular with walkers and cyclists and well signposted so is still easily accessible.

Wakefield's Wharf and the Gatebeck Gunpowder Tramway

Wakefield's Wharf was built in the nineteenth century to serve the gunpowder manufactory of C. W. H. Wakefield and Company founded in 1852 at nearby Gatecheck (1). In order to facilitate the Company's ever increasing import and export of goods, a small horse drawn tramway was built in 1874 to link the factory with their wharf at Crooklands and thence to Milnthorpe railway station, a distance of 3.5 miles.

The route of the tramway, following closely the line of the Peasey Beck (2) a tributary of the River Bela, ran south from the factory down the valley past the Kaker corn mill (3) and on to Crooklands where branch lines were run to the bobbin mill and the coal and timber wharfs on the canal. Meanwhile the main route continued on to cross the Lancaster Canal, on a small skew bridge immediately south of the present Crooklands Bridge (4), where the abutment of the former can still be seen. At this point the tramway turned right to run along the side of Milnthorpe Lane. Wagons had easy access to Wakefield's Wharf (5) via a siding 160 metres north of the canal crossing.

From the wharf the tramway then continued southwards, following the line of the present B6385 road to Milnthorpe railway station (6) where explosives were offloaded into a special warehouse.

The gauge of the tramway is thought to have been somewhere between 1.06m (3ft 6ins) and 1.22m (4ft), the wagons being strongly constructed of timber. Those carrying explosive material were covered while others intended for non-hazardous freight such as coal were left open. They weighed on average about 1.5 tons and were capable of carrying loads of between two and three tons. The horses responsible for pulling them, which during the early years of the 20th century numbered about a dozen or so, were shod with copper so as to minimise the risk of accidentally striking sparks, while in transit, and each had its special "handler".

With the closure of the Gatebeck Works in 1937 Wakefield's Wharf became derelict and the gunpowder tramway was abandoned and removed. A small section of rail can be seen in the road surface just outside the coal yard on the A65 road at Crooklands.

The Wharf was cleared of vegetation by Lancaster Canal Trust members in the early 1990's and is regularly maintained by Trust working parties.

This panel was erected by the
Lancaster Canal trust and in memory
of Ian Macbean by family, friends and
the Inland Waterways Association
2003

Type of Historic Marker: Standalone metal board on a stone base Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Lancaster Canal Trust Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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