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Tuesday, 29th July 2003

The Quays and Manchester Ship Canal

Aerial view of the Quays with the Lowry on the left and the Imperial War Museum on the right. The plan at the bottom shows the original suggested route of the Ship Canal

In 1882 Daniel Adamson, an eminent Manchester engineer, organised a campaign for the construction of a canal to allow sea-going traffic to travel inland as far as the city. In 1885 Parliament approved the Ship Canal Act despite strong opposition from Liverpool Docks and from the railway companies. It was these bodies that had given the impetus for the canal through the tariffs they'd imposed on Manchester products, e.g. it cost 19s 3d to send a ton of cotton from Manchester to Calcutta in 1856 of which 12s 6d was incurred getting it to Liverpool and through the port. Indeed the origin of the rivalry between the cities, and thus Manchester United and Liverpool football clubs, lies in the import and export of cotton more than a century ago.

The lift footbridge at the Quays

The Ship Canal was the biggest engineering product undertaken in Britain in the C19. It took more than 16,000 navvies and six years to excavate the 35m (56km), eight metre deep canal. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, the trade the canal generated together with the large industrial area of Trafford Park, which grew along the south bank, delayed industrial decay for many years. But eventually the headwaters became redundant as container vessels grew too large - the last commercial visit was in 1982. Yet around its lower reaches at the Mersey Estuary the canal is busier than ever. Superlative engineering is still an element. The 92m span lift footbridge at the Quays was designed by Spanish engineer Casado in partnership with Salford company Parkman.

Sunset over the Quays

A visit to the refurbished Quays - the old headwaters - is an essential part of coming to Manchester. The large expanse of water and the natural bowl within which the Quays lie, provides the purest quality of light in the region and some of the best sunsets too.

The Lowry

Above all there are the cultural attractions of The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum North which together make this a major centre in which to visit monumental modern architecture.

The Salford Watersports Centre (0161 877 7252) with its range of activities for hire, provides another excuse to visit, and nearby you'll find the Tourist Information Centre (0161 848 8601) which has an exhibition devoted to the history of the Ship Canal and maps if you wish to navigate the area.

On the Manchester United/Trafford site there is a very enjoyable sculpture from SITE - Silent Cargoes - celebrating the former industries of Trafford Park. The sculpture consists of items such as full sized engines, railway wheels and cotton bales with hats and gloves apparently discarded by workers at the end of their shift.

A splash in the Quays in preparation for the Salford Triathlon

The change from the busy industrial wharves to the calm of today is dramatic. Where all was work and grime, the area has two cultural centres, housing, offices, restaurants, pubs, hotels, a multi-screen cinema and the Designer Outlet shopping mall. Unfortunately much of this is poor quality with the worst offender the lumpen Anchorage office from the late '80s. The number 1 planning disaster comes courtesy of the shopping mall and its attendant sub-Torremolinos apartment block, which deny a good straight on view of The Lowry. Dock 9 here, hosted the swimming section of the Triathlon for the Commonwealth Games in 2002, attended by around 100,000 spectators.

A good place to get a hint of the Ship Canal in former times is at Barton Bridge and Aqueduct, five miles west from the city on B5211, close to the Trafford Centre. Here, in spectacular arrangement, you can see the Barton Aqueduct swing 800 tons of water as it carries the Bridgewater Canal across the Ship Canal. This masterpiece of civil engineering is from 1894 by Edward Leader Williams and uses an island in the Ship Canal as a pivot.

By the way whilst walking the Ship Canal waterside don't worry too much about falling in. As the Canal was being constructed a navvy by the name of Laurance fell in and drowned. He was from the Ladywell area and became known as Ladywell Larry. His spirit has rescued many from a watery grave.

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