Rochdale Canal Trust Mile 0 – Sowerby Bridge, UK - Milestones on Waymarking.com

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 to the south west.

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.

This milestone marks mile 0, the start of the Rochadale canal in Sowerby Bridge.

At this point there is a canal basin for mooring boats and a series of old wharves. This is also the junction of the Calder and Hebble canal which goes to Wakefield 21 miles away to the east.

Condition: Immaculate Material: Metal Inscription:                 0 ROCHDALE CANAL TRUST CALDER &     ROCHDALE HEBBLE        CANAL                   32 MILES           ROCHDALE             CANAL           COMPANY Name of road: Calder & Hebble Canal and Rochdale Canal junction Date placed: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/12/2013 hulletteers visited it