IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Marina Village, RUNCORN, WA7 3DW

On the Runcorn section of the Bridgewater canal. The Runcorn section was originally the main line of the canal, linking Manchester and Liverpool via the tidal Mersey at Runcorn.

View from Cawley's Bridge Image looking SE along the Bridgewater Canal towards its junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal. In the distance is the newly-opened M56 motorway. Since the time of the photo this area has seen massive redevelopment as more recent photos will show. On the left a marina has been excavated & on the right Preston Brook Marina Village has been built. Of the 4 decrepit-looking warehouses only the 3rd along survives; between it & the 4th warehouse lies Norton Basin. Beyond the 4th warehouse the steel sheeting indicates engineering work & a temporary narrowing of the canal which allowed me to take a photo from the opposite direction, see: Image

Looking across Norton Basin onto the SE end of Norton Warehouse - now the only one surviving of the 4 shown on Image This was the moorings of the Anderton Canal Carrying Company's fleet & 4 of its boats can be seen. Nearest, & moored in the basin, is 'Effingham', built in Northwich in 1959 by Pimblotts, see http://hnbc.org.uk/boats/effingham The furthest of the 3 moored together is 'Mountbatten' built in Northwich in 1960 by Yarwoods, see http://hnbc.org.uk/boats/mountbatten the boat alongside it is probably the butty 'Keppel' - they worked together for the last few trading years. By this time the ACCCo's canal carrying activities had more or less come to an end although I believe boating families may still have been living aboard some of their boats. The Company continued in business as road hauliers.

View looking NW along the Bridgewater Canal showing Norton warehouses of which only the 2nd along survives, in front are moored working narrow boats of the Anderton Canal Carrying Company's fleet. At this time its canal carrying activities had more or less come to an end. The outermost of the 3 narrow boats is the 'Mountbatten' see http://hnbc.org.uk/boats/mountbatten & astern of it lies the butty 'Argo', see http://hnbc.org.uk/boats/argo Between the 1st & 2nd warehouses is Norton basin. In the immediate foreground the blurry outline of steel sheeting indicates engineering work & a temporary narrowing of the canal which allowed me to take this photo apparently from the middle of the canal. For a 2011 view from a similar point see Image In the distance is Cawley's Bridge, for my photo from there see: Image

Bridgewater Canal. Former warehouse and canal basin, building now converted to other uses and basin used for long term moorings.

This canal arm goes to Runcorn, where it used to continue down ten wide locks to the River Mersey.

Looking northwest along the Bridgewater canal from the footbridge where the Trent and Mersey joins the Bridgewater

Discreet entrance for a fair-sized marina. On the north bank of the Runcorn section of the Bridgewater Canal.

Looking across Norton Basin onto the rear elevation of Norton Cottages. At the time of the photo these were the only houses near the basin. Since then the area has experienced massive redevelopment as more recent photos here will show. In the immediate foreground is the stern of 'Symbol' - originally a Shropshire Union Railway's & Canal Company horsedrawn 'fly' boat & then one of the few remaining examples. Sadly this historic craft has not survived, a well-meaning restoration plan failed as is described here: http://www.canaljunction.com/mainline/0112.htm