Rochdale Canal Mile 1 – Sowerby Bridge, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 42.740 W 001° 55.299
30U E 571170 N 5952056
This milestone marks the 1st mile from the start of the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge.
Waymark Code: WMEEEY
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/16/2012
Views: 3
The Rochdale Canal was the first canal built to cross the Pennines to connect Lancashire with Yorkshire.
It was completed in 1804 and connected Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire with Manchester in Lancashire 32 miles away.
Competition from railways and roads subsequently led to a decline in goods being carried and by 1937 the only section left in operation was at the Manchester end of the canal.
In 1965 there was talk of abandoning the canal but by this time leisure boating had become very popular in the UK and there was a campaign to keep it open. Work was started and the canal slowly re-opened in a number of different stages. The whole length finally reopened in September 2007.
A new set of cast iron milestones was installed by the Rochdale Canal Society to mark the restoration of the canal.
Normally one of the arms shows the distance to Manchester, but in this case it shows the distance to the village of Summit, so named because it’s at the highest point on the canal.
Condition: Immaculate
Material: Metal
Inscription: 1
ROCHDALE CANAL TRUST
SOWERBY SUMMIT
BRIDGE
1 MILE 12 MILES
Name of road: Rochdale Canal
Date placed: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Tell us about your visit. Please supply a couple of photographs. Do you know any historical information about this milestone?