Which engineer built the Bridgewater canal?
History of the British canal system point out that the last quarter-mile (400 m) of the navigation is indeed a canalised stretch of the Brook, and that it was the Bridgewater Canal (less obviously associated with an existing river) that captured the popular imagination and inspired further canals. In the mid-18th century the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, who owned a number of coal mines in northern England, wanted a reliable way to transport his coal to the rapidly industrialising city of Manchester. He commissioned the engineer James Brindley to build a canal to do just that. Brindley's design included an aqueduct carrying the canal over the
Bridgewater Canal for leisure boats involving the Trent and Mersey Canal, the Anderton Boat Lift and the River Weaver. The Hulme Locks Branch Canal in Manchester is now disused, and on 26 May 1995 was replaced by the nearby Pomona Lock. The Bridgewater Way is a scheme to redevelop the canal and make it more accessible to users, particularly cyclists. The 40-mile development, which includes a new towpath, will form part of the National Cycle and Footpath Network as Regional Route number 82. Notes Citations Bibliography Further reading Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England.