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 River Weaver.

To meet the needs for transport of the expansion of the salt industry in the Northwich and Winsfod area between 1730 and 1732 the River Weaver was first made navigable from the River Mersey up to Winsford a distance of 20 miles using 11 locks made of timber and capable of taking boats up to 40 tons.

Over the next 200 years it was continually improved, locks being enlarged many times and artificial cuts replacing many sections of the river. Today small ships can use the river and in many places there are ship locks alongside smaller locks, themselves quite large by canal standards.

In 1760 control was passed to a group of county trustees which continued to be responsible for the navigation till the transport act of 1947. They were very active and the continual improvements they made enabled the canal to keep its traffic and remain very profitable.

One of the first acts of the new trustees in 1760 was to built a lock at Fordsham so boats could enter the navigation off the River Mersey at most stages of the tide. Then in 1810 a new cut led to the entrance being moved to West Point and Weston Point docks started to develop at this location. By 1819 the docks were so busy that a full-time harbour master was appointed as well as the lock keeper.

In 1792 a horse towing path was built so that towing by teams of men could be done away with.

The Trent and Mersey canal passed very close to the River Weaver at Anderton in 1793 a basin was opened here and chutes were set up to enable transfer of cargoes, mainly salt. Then in 1799 a tramway was provided, and in 1800 a second tramroad.

In 1830, with the Middlewich branch being built to the Trent & Mersey there was a proposal to build a connecting link to it from the River Weaver but nothing was done.

In 1830 430,000 tons of salt and 124,000 tons of coal were carried.

From 1832 major works were carried out to increase the depth already increased from 4 ft 6 inches to 6 ft, now to 7 ft 6 inches. The locks were enlarged by another 18 ft to 88 ft.

Cuts were also made first at Burnton and then at Crunton and at Aston Grange.

Then from the late 1840's to 1870's the locks were reduced to just 9, and new large locks of 100 ft by 22ft were built alongside and the depth increased to 1 ft.

In 1833 the trustees enlarged Weston Docks and again in n1837 and in 1844.

In 1841 the trustees built Christ Church at Weston Point with a parsonage and funded the choir. Then in 1842 they built Holy Trinity Northwich and in 1843 Christchurch Winsford.

In 1859 the Runcorn and Weston canal linked Weston Point docks with those at Runcorn on the end of the Bridgewater canal.

In the early 1870's new locks were built alongside the largest of the first four pairs of locks. They were 220 ft by 42 ft and the depth increased to 15 ft. This was completed by 1875

In 1875 a boat lift was built at Anderton. By the end of the 19th century the high salt content of the water had caused corrosion problems so it was rebuilt totally in 1908. Closed for safety reasons in the 1980's it has recently been reopened.

Salt carriage had grown from 14,000 tons in 1732 to 1,250,500 tons in 1880.

In 1947 Nationalisation saw control pass from the County to the British Transport Commission.

Sources.

Nicholson Guides to the Waterways.

Roots & Routes, Peter Hardcastle's Website
http://www.canals.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm

Some pictures of this river?

Pictures of the River

General information on the river.

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

We will not be on this river in 2008

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