The Rochdale Canal connects to the Bridgewater Canal at Manchester on the west side of the Pennine Hills and the Calder and Hebble Navigation at Sowerby Bridge on the east side. There is also a junction with the Ashton Canal on the east side of Manchester.
The 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 long 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 the original locks 3 and 4 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 2002.
The Rochdale 9
The Bridgewater Canal was the first canal in the U.K. that was totally purpose built and did not follow the course of a river. It connected Worsley with Manchester and terminated at the Castlefield Basin.
The Duke of Bridgewater would not originally give permission for the Rochdale Canal to join the Bridgewater Canal because he wanted to maintain his monopoly. Because of this the Rochdale Canal was originally going to terminate at the eastern side of Manchester near Piccadilly.
However when other plans were put forward for another canal to bypass Manchester he relented and allowed the canal to join onto the Bridgewater. It was necessary to construct 9 locks between Piccadilly and the junction with the Bridgewater canal and they are known as the Rochdale 9. These 9 locks and the ones from here to Rochdale opened in 1799, 5 yrears before the canal finally reached Sowerby Bridge.
This stretch of canal passes right through the centre of the city of Manchester. In some places it is almost at road level and plainly visible, but for the most part is below street level and between tall buildings and unless you know it's there is easily missed. Apart from one short stretch it is possible to walk along the whole length of the tow path.
Lock 84
Lock 85 - Piccadilly lock (6' 8 1/2")
Lock 86 - Chorlton Street lock (6' 8")
Lock 87 - Princess Street lock
Lock 88 - Oxford Street lock (7' 4")
Lock 89 - Tib Lock (6' 1")
Lock 90 - Albion Mills lock (5' 1")
Lock 91 - Deansgate Tunnel lock (7' 8")
Lock 92 - Dukes lock (7' 3 1'2")
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