Yorkshire and Lancashire Boundary Sign On The Rochdale Canal – Walsden, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 40.665 W 002° 05.019
30U E 560528 N 5948058
This boundary stone was erected on the Rochdale Canal in 1990 after this part of the canal was restored to working use for leisure boating.
Waymark Code: WMEVHJ
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/10/2012
Views: 6
The Canal History
The Rochdale canal is 32 miles long and connected Manchester in Lancashire on the west side of the Pennine Hills and Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire on the east side.
The Rochdale Canal was completed in 1804 and is one of three canals that cross the Pennine hills. This is the only one that doesn’t use tunnels. In addition it was a broad canal with bridges and locks that allowed boats of 14 feet width to pass through.
The one downside of not using tunnels is that it originally had 92 locks. These days two of them have been combined into one deep lock.
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.
Details of the boundary
The boundary is marked by a simple stone with the words Yorkshire and Lancashire vertically on the appropriate sides of the stone. It stands near to lock 35 and next to Warland Gate swing bridge.
For anyone that has travelled from Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire, they will have navigated 34 locks. Anyone who has travelled from Manchester in Lancashire will have navigated 57 locks.
In essence the marker is depicting a boundary across water, but you don't have to use a boat but simply cross it on the canal tow path.
On the canal wall that supports the bridge is a metal plaque describing the fact that the boundary marker was erected in recognition of the restoration work on that part of the canal. The left hand side of this plaque has a white rose, the symbol of the County of Yorkshire, and the right hand side, a red rose, the symbol of the County of Lancashire.
The text on the plaque is as follows.
IN RECOGNITION OF ALL WHO
WORKED FOR THE RESTORATION
OF THE
ROCHDALE CANAL
ACROSS THE
YORKSHIRE – LANCASHIRE
BOUNDARY
1972 - 1990
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