Bridgewater Canal
The 1761 canal that carried coal from Worsley to Manchester and launched the British canal age.
Overview
The Duke of Bridgewater hired engineer James Brindley and agent John Gilbert to move coal from his mines at Worsley, where the canal ran directly into the underground workings. Opened in 1761, it crossed the River Irwell on the Barton Aqueduct and halved the price of coal in Manchester. Its success set off canal mania, as investors raced to build waterways linking the industrial Midlands and the North with ports. The canal was later extended to Runcorn and the Mersey. The Barton Swing Aqueduct replaced the original crossing when the Manchester Ship Canal was cut in the 1890s, and the canal remains navigable today.
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