Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

The history of the Peak Forest Canal.

Authorised in 1794 it runs from the Ashton canal at Ashton to Bugsworth and Whaley Bridge. It was designed to provide transport for the limestone quarried at Doveholes high in the Pennines. As planned it ran on the level to Marple, then climbs steeply up a flight of locks, then runs on the level again to Bugsworth Basin. Here the limestone is still 1,000 ft above so a 6 mile tramway connected the quarries.

The canal was completed by 1800 except for the Marple flight of 16 locks. Temporally a tramroad bridged this gap until they were opened in 1804.

It always looked for an outlet to the south and in 1825 the Cromford & High Peak Tramroad was authorised. Opening in 1831 it Whaley Bridge to the Cromford canal on the far side of the Peak District.

Authorised in 1826 in 1830 the Macclesfield canal was completed to run from the top of Marple locks to the Trent and Mersey canal near Harecastle tunnel.

This was always a very busy canal. Limestone was brought down to the interchange basin at Bugsworth, here it was either loaded raw into boats or it was fired in kilns and then the product sent on.

By the 1840's railways started to eat into its trade and a slow decline started. In 1922 trade at Bugsworth finally ceased. Through traffic on the lower Peak Forest stopped by World War II and the canal finally became almost un-navigable
It was then restored in 1974 as part of the Cheshire ring.

After a long campaign Bugsworth basin was finally reopened to boat traffic in 2005.

Sources.

Nicholson Guides to the Waterways.

Some pictures of this canal?

Pictures from Dunkinfield to Marple / Pictures from Marple to Whalley Bridge

General information on the canal.

Find our information about other canals on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk