Experts unlock a vital piece of canal history
THESE images show the painstaking work being done to preserve the route through one of Manchester’s most picturesque canals.
Marple Lock Flight, on the Peak Forest Canal, is an important stretch of waterway. The busiest lock flight in the region, it includes the historic Marple Aqueduct, and is the gateway to the North West for barges travelling from the south.
But the flight has been shut since January after a section of the stone wall of Lock 15 moved due to wear and tear, making it too narrow for boats to pass safely.
A team of engineers, masons, joiners and steel-fixers have been working to get it operating again.
But as the wall is Grade II listed, the 213-year-old original has to be replicated as closely as possible. With the help from heritage experts, masonry blocks are now being put back in the exact place they were first installed in 1805.
During this work, the team noticed some of the older stones were crumbling away and splitting, which was causing the wall to lean in from the bottom. Sixty new blocks were needed, but they had to match the old ones. A quarry was located in Macclesfield and new sandstones were made to replicate the originals.
It has been a huge project involving a team of 20 workers and has cost £2.5m, funded by the Canal and River Trust Charity. The People’s Postcode Lottery has also given a £1.4m donation.
Lock 15 was initially due to reopen at Easter, but bad weather in February delayed the work and the flight is now expected to be open to barges this Friday. All work is due to finish early next month.
Clive Mitchell, project team manager, said: “We have had to take the old stone away one by one, number them, and put them back in he exact same place – 200 stones in the exact same place. Some of them are a ton. Although we have had disappointment about the flight being closed, the boating community and the public will notice the difference.”
While the lock flight has been closed the trust have made improvements to the towpath.
More than 1.2km of path has been upgraded between locks 12 and 13 and a pothole-free walking route has been created between lock nine to bridge 16. A stainless steel safety railing, designed to look like cotton weave, has been installed on the aqueduct.
Tracey Jackson, operations supervisor, has led a team of volunteers on tasks such as clearing vegetation from the locks and replacing lock paddles.
Rob Jowitt, project manager, said: “We’re really progressing well and with the amazing help from volunteers we’re really giving the lock flight a complete makeover.”