I just can't help myself when it comes to the junction canal, i was wondering through town with my mate just before christmas looking for a place i ve been reading about (which turned out to be nothing), as we walked down deansgate i was telling him about what lays beneith out feet. had my gear with me minus the tripod so next min there we were.
appologies for the pictures they aint great!
We have quite a few new members on here recently so instead of assuming everyone already knows about it i ll do a little history report.
The Manchester and Salford Junction Canal is Manchester's almost forgotten waterway. It was built in 1839 to link the River Irwell and the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal to the Rochdale Canal. The canal was less than a mile long, with 4 locks and a tunnel below the Deansgate area. It was built to let boats get between the Irwell and the Rochdale Canal without having to pass through the Bridgewater Canal's Hulme link, the tolls for which were high.
The canal was never a great success as it never carried as much traffic as anticipated, partly because the Bridgewater company retaliated by reducing their own tolls. Loading wharves were constructed in the tunnel section with goods being hoisted through shafts to and from the railway warehouse later built above.
The canal was closed in 1922 and part of it has been filled in but in the second World War the tunnel was used as an air-raid shelter.
Thanks for looking