Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
30
Macclesfield Canal
Distance
42km from Marple Junction to Hall Green
Highlights
Marple, one of the most attractive spots in terms of canal architecture
The Goyt and other cotton and silk mills
Bosley Locks and the Cloud
Exemplary Elizabethan Little Morton Hall
Navigation Authority
Canal & River Trust
Canal Society
Macclesfield Canal Society
OS 1:50,000 Sheets
109 Manchester
118 Stoke-on-Trent & Macclesfield
The Macclesfield Canal was one of the later canals to be built and one of the last narrow
canals, being opened in 1831. It was designed to act as a shortcut around part of the Trent
& Mersey and Bridgewater Canals. Thomas Telford selected the line and used bold embank-
ments and cuttings to produce a shorter journey time, rather than using the more economical
construction method of following contours. This produced a canal with dramatic views, helped
by the proximity of the Peak District, whereas the Trent & Mersey had kept to more even and
lower ground further to the west. Notwithstanding the extensive cut and fill, engineer Willi-
am Crosley managed to cut a couple of kilometres off Telford's line. He produced landscaping
that was advanced for its time and often the surrounding land blends up or down to the canal
edge in a way not achieved by most of our motorways.
To enthusiasts of canal architecture, the most attractive spot on the canal comes immediately
at Marple, with stone buildings adjacent to a stop lock, which was probably never used be-
