After passing the Agecroft Road (A6044) and a power station the canal comes to a sudden end on the A-Z map. The word "aqueduct" is marked a few yards further north but there is no sign of the canal at this point. The route reappears on the A-Z about ¾ of a mile further north behind a massive tile & pottery works. Fletcher's Canal leaves the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal just before the route crosses the River Irwell on Clifton Aqueduct. All 3 waterways head north west, running side by side for about 2 miles. However, Ronald Russell said the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal was dry and obscured from view by factories along most of this stretch though a section to the south of the A667 (Kearsley Road) could still be walked. Bridges and cottages still survived on this stretch - and probably still do. After passing under the A667 at Ringley Bridge in Stoneclough the 1978 A-Z marked Ringley Lock but once again this is not marked in 1992. Past here Ronald Russell described the canal as "surprisingly interesting", having visited this area myself in 1997 I can also vouch for this.

Heading north west the canal, which is weedy but full of healthy looking water here, is crossed by Prestolee Road and then an isolated a humped bridge which is in very good condition. Next, a substantial 4-arched aqueduct takes the canal over the River Irwell for a second time. Two massive milestones were near the aqueduct in 1971 though I did not notice them when I was here. Running parallel to the aqueduct I saw a strange looking concrete bridge which I found out later is a pipe bridge carrying sewage! On the far side of the pipe bridge is a third crossing of the river, this is a stone arched footbridge which probably predates the aqueduct. Immediately after the aqueduct the canal widens out, straight ahead is a small iron bridge crossing the entrance of what was once a short arm (now dry) while the main line turns at a right angle to head north east. The reason for the wide stretch of canal just before the turn was to give boats room to manoeuvre. This would certainly have been necessary on busy days because immediately after the turn boats would enter the first of a flight of 6 broad locks heading steeply up the hill towards the junction where the Bolton and Bury arms split the main line into two. From the bottom of the locks it is possible to look down into the wide Irwell valley a long way below. Although the canal is about to rise much higher you realise you are already high up on a hillside.

In 1971 Ronald Russell said the masonry on 4 of the locks could still be seen and there were also the remains of some of the bridges which crossed the locks. When I visited in 1997 I found the locks to be very overgrown with large bushes and trees growing within them, a rough path led up the east side of the locks. The original stone steps could be seen by the side of the locks, some still had their metal hand rails but all the steps led down only into thick undergrowth. To the west of the locks a steep cobbled lane (Prestolee Road) runs up to the top of the flight. There is no water in the locks but I did find the canal water when I was here. It was passing right along the side of the towpath - in a pipe.

At the top of the 6 locks is the 3-way junction known as Nob End, the Manchester line comes up the locks from the south west, the Bury line heads straight on to the north east while the Bolton line takes a very sharp left turn to the west. In 1997 I found the junction totally overgrown with no chance of actually seeing the canal through the bushes though in December the WRG cleared the undergrowth away.

THE BOLTON ARM.

From the junction the Bolton line immediately passes under Prestolee Road (a cobbled humped bridge). On the far side of the bridge the canal is in water and looks as navigable as any fully restored canal. There is an attractive group of cottages on the towpath side which look as though they date back to the earliest days of the canal while on the hill opposite is a large square house in a nice garden which looked to me like a former inn or - more likely - an important canal company building. Higher on the hill, as the Bolton line bends away from the junction, is another house with excellent views of the Bolton line, the junction, the locks and the aqueduct way down below. However, the house looked like it was built exclusively for the "Adams Family"!

The canal then curves right until it is heading north west. Near Little Lever there is a short branch which heads north, now into a housing estate. Just a little further north west the main line comes to an abrupt end. Although my 1978 A-Z shows an aqueduct crossing Hall Lane (A6053), in 1971 Ronald Russell said the crossing has been demolished in the 1960's. In 1997 I found the approach to the aqueduct completely overgrown, Hall Lane has been widened and the aqueduct has long gone. However, at the head of the watered section is a number of large stone blocks which I guess were once part of the aqueduct. Just before the dry approach to the aqueduct there is a wide stretch of canal which is popular with fishermen. There is a small car park next to what looks like the entrance to a former short arm. To the south, way down below the canal embankment, is the very well kept River Croal Valley which has been developed as parkland and includes a caravan site.

West of the former aqueduct the canal bed is dry though its route is marked on the A-Z for almost a mile to Radcliffe Road (B6209) at Darcy Lever. The centre of Bolton is just to the north of here but there is very little trace of the once successful waterway.

THE BURY ARM

The line to Bury runs east on an embankment high up above the north banks of the meandering River Irwell. The towpath runs along the south side of the dry ditch and is frequently used by local people as it provides good access to a garden centre on Boscow Road. Within ½ a mile the dry route is crossed by the dead-end Mytham Road but immediately after the road bridge the canal bed has been blocked by a relatively new works unit. On the far side the watered section begins and continues all the way to Bury. The first stretch after the blockage at Mytham Road was the section which was breached in 1936. During the 1990's this stretch was fully restored and is said to be as beautiful as any stretch of canal in Britain. The scene is helped by the steep slope dropping away from the canal side down into the adjacent Irwell Valley.

As it heads east the canal passes very few roads for its first few miles. Just before it leaves the river and curves north eastwards towards Radcliffe an old rusty canal crane stands on the canal bank.At Water Street in Radcliffe, the main road (A6053) has completely blocked the waterway and is probably the biggest problem for the restorers to overcome. Past here the canal passes through open fields for a mile and then it swings northwards. These stretches are very good to walk and are kept clean and tidy, the remains of a number of sunken boats can be seen in the canal. At Warth Fold the River Irwell appears once again on the canal's eastern side while over to the west is the large Manchester, Bolton & Bury Reservoir. The new Greater Manchester super tram now flashes by close to the route. The canal continues north for another couple of miles to the west of Bury town centre. Just before the centre of town is reached, the water runs dry though its line can clearly be seen. Access can be found in among industrial buildings on Wellington Street.

The route ends, as it started, right alongside the River Irwell and the terminus could still be seen according to Ronald Russell in 1971. Approaching the end of the line, the canal went through the factory yard of Rushton & Barlow where there was an old warehouse and an arm which had 2 sunken boats on it. Also at that time two other boats were still on the canal in Bury, one was a coal container-barge and the other an ice-breaker. These were the last boats to have used the canal back in 1968. The canal ran between the factory buildings and into a tunnel under the terminal warehouse on Bolton Street (A58). The tunnel was 141 yards long and emerged in the yard of Joseph Webb's factory. The route met the river a few yards further on.

Ronald Russell questioned how much longer the terminal basin would survive and reported that parts had already been filled in with plans to obliterate the rest fairly soon. The author wrote that it would be a great loss as the old Victorian terminal area had survived intact right in the heart of an industrial town. Whether any of the terminal survives today I do not know, until I visit the area myself any information would be gratefully received. Most of the rest of the Bury arm appears to have survived fairly well however, it is watered and stocked with fish.

FLETCHER'S CANAL

This short branch was owned and run independently from the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal. Its junction with the main line was at Clifton just south of the Clifton Aqueduct where the main line crossed the River Irwell. The branch ran north west, for nearly 2 miles, parallel to the river and the canal main line. Its full length can still be seen though the only road that crosses it is the M62! Near the junction with the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, Fletcher's Canal now runs to the north of the large tile and pottery works. In the 1930's the canal was run by the owners of the works for a short time. The M62 is reached within ½ a mile and past it the canal runs between the River Irwell to the north and apparent open land to the south. This land was probably once dense with collieries though none are marked on the A-Z street map today. There are small sections of severed canal on the A-Z map which may indicate a number of locks. The branch ends alongside a circular area marked as "Clifton Marina" though what this actually is, is not clear. If it holds boats then they do not travel far as there is no navigable waterway anywhere in the area!

Written & Researched By Peter Hardcastle (Pictures by Uncut Fishing Productions)

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