The Rochdale Nine, Manchester

Showing the Sanitary Station as you approach Castlefield.

Source: Personal Collection.

See that brick arch? Well yer water points are there, on the towpath, one each side!

Source: Personal Collection.

Background

The Rochdale Canal was completed in 1804 having first met with resistance from the Duke of Bridgewater who did not want it to connect to his canal. Eventually when he realised that he would lose trade if he continued to resist he agreed to a connection, but that he should have control over that connection,hence "The Dukes Lock" as he built and controlled the first lock on the flight.

After a long history the canal closed to traffic in 1952 apart from the short section making up the Rochdale Nine. The Ashton Canal fell into disuse and the Rochdale Nine quickly became unusable until the restoration of the Ashton in 1974 when the Nine was made usable again to complete the Cheshire Ring.

The restoration of the complete Rochdale Canal took many years longer, not being completed until 2002!

Although not really relevant to the Rochdale Nine, on the right are shown the Sanitary Station and water points.

The bottom gates of lock 92 are just visible in the foremost bridge hole.

Source: Personal Collection

How many of you remember the sign on the wall instructing all boaters to leave the lock empty to avoid flooding the cellar in the lock keepers cottage?

Source: Personal Collection

Lock 92, Dukes Lock and the beginning of the flight.

Situated in the heart of Manchester the Rochdale Nine is a flight of locks spread over about a mile and a quarter connecting the Bridgewater Canal to the Rochdale Canal and the Ashton Canal. It starts at Castlefield Basin with lock 92, The Dukes Lock,

Called the Dukes Lock because when the Rochdale was built the Duke of Bridgewater insisted on building and having control of the entrance to the Rochdale Canal.

Even though this lock appears to have a by-wash it actually leads to a tunnel that diverts the water either to a point beyond Hulme Lock or to the Medlock tunnel under the basin.

The base of the lock is cut directly into the local sandstone with an interesting shape and a bricked up exit by the lock cottage.

There is a profusion of bars in Castlefield, in fact you have to walk through the outside seating area of one to gain access to the lock - Catalan Square, I ask you,what's that all about? Is Manchester ashamed of its heritage?

The remains of the Grocers Tunnel. Note the very low water level and compare with other photographs taken on the same day of water cascading over lock gates.

Source: Personal Collection

The Grocers Tunnel

Before 1804 a short tunnel ran from the Grocers Warehouse in Castlefield to the Grocers Company yard on Bridgewater Street where boats were unloaded by hoist. When the Rochdale Canal was cut it bisected this tunnel leaving a short open length to the north of the Rochdale Canal.

In the 1970s I recall seeing several hulks rotting in this stretch of the cut, it was also around here where a restaurant boat made its home.

Source: Personal Collection

Lock 91, Tunnel Lock

Although there remains a short tunnel under Deansgate this was once much longer but opened out.

Out of all the locks in the flight this one probably has the least changed environs. Although now surrounded by bars they have not noticeably changed the structure of the buildings they inhabit.

There is no by-wash at this lock leading to rather large quantities of water passing over the top gates at times.

Source: PersonalCollection

Lock 90, Albion Mills Lock.

Also known as Blue Pass Lock

Originally the two locks here (90 and 91) were called Gaythorne Locks. For some inexplicable reason the City Council decided to spread confusion and help to get visitors lost by renaming them Deansgate Locks! They aren't of course on Deansgate and anybody searching for them on Deansgate would fail to find them as they are several hundred yards up Whitworth Street! As the area is made up of bars it is of interest to many others than boaters.

The by-wash here works.

Source: Personal Collection.

Lock 89, Tib Lock.

Called Tib Lock because the River Tib runs nearby it in a culvert.

There is a drain here used to drain the canal into the River Tib.

Some claim the river was called the Tib by homesick Roman soldiers in honour of the much larger Tiber, others point out that Tib is Gaelic for water. You decide which you prefer.

Source: Personal Collection

Source: Personal Collection

The Bridgewater Basin.

Originally a short arm giving access to the back of premises on Oxford Road and to the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, this arm now leads nowhere.

There is a small basin by the Bridgewater Hall but there is a chain across the entrance, so no entrance for boaters.

The Bridgewater Hall was built to replace the Manchester Free Trade Hall, the home of the Halle.

The Free Trade Hall being built on the site of the Peterloo Massacre whereas the Bridgewater Hall was built on the site of Lower Moseley Street Bus station!

Buried away at the bottom of this picture is lock 88

Source: Private Collection

Lock 88, Oxford Street Lock.

Just below lock 88 there is a flight of steps going up to Oxford Street where there are several newsagents and a right turn will take you in a hundred yards or so to a branch of Sainsbury's local for those essential forgotten items like tea bags and milk.

When the Palace Theatre was extended a new by-wash was built to alleviate flooding of the theatre basement. It is rather vicious!

Source: Personal Collection

Lock 87, Princess Street Lock.

Also known as Clock Lock

At the start of the Gay Village, the heart of Manchester's club land, you will be engaged in plenty of light hearted banter and maybe even get a hand with the gates - useful if you aren't King Kong or an Olympic Athlete. You'll no doubt be bombarded with basic questions, like how much does it cost and where are you going, can I come too. There again, you may just be totally ignored on a quiet day. Neither situation will do you any harm.

Source: Personal Collection.

Lock 86, Chorlton Street Lock.

There is no longer land access to this lock, the rather difficult stone steps having been blocked off by the glass screens fitted to prevent visitors to the Gay Village from falling into the canal and inevitably drowning, a fate real enough for some to make the screens a necessity rather than a precaution. A landing pontoon has been installed at the head of the lock.

Make sure you collect all crew before leaving the area of the lock, unless you either want to get rid of them or they are very agile, or strong swimmers.

Yes, that is actually daylight on the right of the picture!

Source: Personal Collection

Lock 85, Piccadilly Lock

Originally Lead Mills Lock thenRodwell Towers Lock

Piccadilly lock is embedded in the bowels of the earth,or so it seems! It wasn't always so but in the 1960s an office block, Rodwell Towers, was built straddling the lock and environs leaving a not very welcoming dark space full of blind corners. After the running of the Rochdale Canal was taken over by British Waterways much was done to improve this section by building a straight causeway to eliminate the blind corners and dark pillars and the lighting was improved. There is also supposed to be CCTV monitoring of the area.

It can be a bit smelly at times in an area where public urinals are not common, and the inevitable drinkers who hang around most of the day can be a little intimidating though they are just as likely to help you lock through as anything worse.

This lock has no by-wash.

Dale Street 1849.

Piccadilly Lock (85) is just visible at the centre left hand edge. The 1849 plan also shows some of the rather more extensive basin than exists now.

Compare the amount of water overflowing the gates and compare with the empty pound above lock 92 taken about an hour earlier in the day.

Source: Personal Collection

A bright mid week August afternoon and not a boat to be seen in Dale Street (Piccadilly) Basin!

Source: Personal Collection

Lock 84, Dale Street Lock.

Finally you emerge from the Stygian gloom that is Piccadilly straight into Dale Street Lock and the prospect of continuing on to Rochdale and beyond or moving on to the narrow Ashton Canal.

This lock has no by-wash.

There are moorings at Piccadilly (formerly Dale Street) basin though no facilities, the nearest water and sanitation points being back where you stated at Castlefield. Being only five minutes walk from Piccadilly Gardens it is handy for the shops and for those who enjoy a beer, plenty of pubs frpm low dives to top of the market bistros!

There are no shops or other outlets at Dale Street apart from a cafe which unfortunately although in a basin side building turns its back.

Carry on up the Rochdale Canal for short distance to beyond lock 82 and on your right you will see a brand spanking new Marina with water and self service pump out along with boaters facilities including a shower block, a washing machine and of course toilets.

Dale Street Basin used to be a lot bigger but the owners found it more profitable to fill it in and use it for car parking, leaving the magnificent stone warehouse with boat holes totally land locked. Just around the corner the Ashton basin faired even worse being largely filled in for London Road (later Piccadilly) Station.