History of the Ashton Canal

Opened at the turn of the 19th Century, the Manchester & Ashton-under-Lyne Canal (now more usually referred to as the Ashton Canal) spans a little less than 7 miles between the Rochdale and Peak Forest Canals.

It was originally built in 1792 to serve the coal industry around Oldham, Ashton and Hyde and in particular to compete with the Worsley mines. It shared a joint management team with the Peak Forest Canal and therefore they worked closely together throughout its development. The Canal was an important link in the cross Pennine trade between the North West's industrial heartland and the quarries in the High Peak District until the 1950s. Originally the Ashton Canal had a network of wharves and more than 11 miles of branches; sadly, they are all now closed, although it is possible to walk along some of them.

By the 1950s, commercial traffic had deserted the canal, which fell derelict in the ensuing decade. Local people campaigned for its closure on safety grounds, while its owners wanted to be rid of the expense of maintenance. It was threatened with abandonment and infilling in 1961, when a pioneering pleasure cruiser made a passage with great difficulty.

Attempts to save the canal were not helped by a leak in 1964 which rendered it impassable, or the somewhat unsavoury reputation it had gained from bisecting some of the less picturesque elements of a major conurbation. But volunteers had seen the canal's potential as a crucial link in the 'Cheshire Ring', a boating circuit taking in six canals through beautiful countryside, bustling Manchester, and market towns like Congleton and Macclesfield. Hundreds of enthusiasts turned up to muddy gatherings in 1968 and 1972, carting away rubbish by the lorry-load and ensuring the survival of this neglected waterway.

The Ashton Canal reopened in 1974, though its various branches - such as one to Stockport - are all derelict and built over. A reputation for vandalism has diminished in recent years, in no small part due to the canalside Commonwealth Games of 2002.