(Ad 1)
The ideas that led to the creation of The Macclesfield
Canal where first being promoted about 1765, when an attempt to link the
Stockport and Macclesfield to the Weaver met objections from the duke of
Bridgewater, who was no doubt protecting his own interests. This was
followed by a route proposed by John Nuttall in a survey of 1796 for a canal
From Marple ( Peak Forest Canal ) to
Macclesfield and then on tendon ( Caldon Canal ) though this project
did not get off the ground either, nor did several others proposed until the
early part of the 19th Century
Septmber 1824
saw a meeting called by the Major of Macclesfield to discuss the proposition
of building a canal to link the Peak Forest Canal at Marple with the Trent
and Mersey at Lawton. Support for the idea grew and by 30th March
of 1825 the results of a preliminary survey prepared by Thomas Telford were
available to the appointed committee.
An Act of Parliament authorising the project was passed in
1826, with Royal assent duly given.
The first Sod was cut on 4th December 1826
by John Ryle and progress in the first year was good with the first
sections navigable the following year.
Telford’s report of 1829 showed that he was pleased with
the way things were going and generally impressed with both the quality of
materials and workmanship, while suggesting a few alterations.
It was also noted about this time that considerable
savings could be made as the original plans to create 5 reservoirs could now
be reduced to 2.
The aqueduct over the river Dane was completed in October
1830 and the canal itself finally opened in November 1831. This was followed
in 1838 by the proposal to build a
branch canal to Biddulph with the advice of John Rennie being duly sought
though the idea met with some opposition.
In 1845 the subject of the agreement between the Trent and
Mersey Canal company and the North Staffordshire Railways, raised a concern
as the railway company was to take over the canal, which was feared would
have a prejudicial effect on the Macclesfield
canal, to which end the Macclesfield Canal Company proposed a survey for a
Railway line form the terminus of the Macclesfield branch of the Manchester
and Birmingham Railway and the line of proposed railways near Hardcastle
with the intention of preserving the companies interests by building this
line and providing a link to the Southa of England.
1846 saw a proposal for the Sheffield , Ashton-under-Lyne
and Manchester Railway Co to take over the canal, which agreement had been
successfully concluded by
September 1846.
Though by the following year this railway company had
merged with othercompanies to form the Manchester, Sheffield and
Lincolnshire Railway, which became the , Great Central railwayand then part
of the London and North eastern Railway in 1922.
Nationalisation of the railways bought the canal under the
British Transport Commission in 1948 and then into the hands of British
Waterways in 1968, by which time it was in a somewhat neglected, though
still navigable state.
The last commercial traffic was in the 1960’s abot when
Hardcastle Tunnel ( Trent &Mersey)
faced closure due to subsidence which could have had major
implications for the Macclesfield canal, but one of the pair of tunnels was
restored to provide a passage.
Today the tunnel is again navigable to single way traffic
as one of the pair of parallel tunnels had to be closed.
The Macclesfield Canal Society was created in 1980 to
defend the interests of the canal.