MBBCS logo Manchester Bolton &
Bury Canal Society

Work Party Photos.....

March 2024
Photos by Matthew Clark

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
Sluice before 1 – This was the sluice as we started. It had previously been partially cleared but had filled up with debris
and self seeded saplings that we needed to remove
Overflow channel 1 - This is the overflow channel further down where iot is not stone lined but a clay lined channel. It can be walked along but its not recommended as its filled with brambles!

 

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
Overflow channel 2 - This is the channel looking up towards the sluice. Hidden in the overgrowth is a small waterfall that we
would like to reveal soon
Overflow channel 3 - This is the overflow further down and you can clearly see the channel vanishing into the woods. After this it becomes harder to trace as it has filled with silt.

 

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
Sluice mid 1 - This is part of the way through the day where our progress was halted by some obnoxious tree roots. These were
a delight to remove! (they were not)
Ironwork 1 - When digging about in the sluice we found some bits of wrought ironwork. We are unsure if they are part of the sluice or from somewhere else but they certainly are some old bits of metal

 

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
Ironwork 2 - As you can see by the "fibres" in the metal showing that this was wrought iron. Likely buried for a good century!
Root Removal - Digging out all of these roots was a massive challenge as a fairly big tree had grown up in the channel. We were able to remove it after many challenges

 

  1. Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
    Sluice After - This was after we cleared this all out. As you can
    see the bottom of the sluice is lined with massive blocks of stone.
    It is not stone lined throughout its entire length but it is impressive.
    Sluice after 2 - And this was the full section cleared out by the volunteers. Once the mud dries and is cleaned off this will look stunning!

 

Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
Fuzzy Critter - We swy this little guy running around on the far bank of the canal. Can anyone identify it?

 

February 2022
Photos by Matthew Clark

Our most recent work party in February involved clearing out the overflow at the bottom of the lock flight at Nob End. This overflow had become dangerously blocked with debris and this meant that the canal could not drain properly. Our volunteers cleared the debris and the canal level ended up dropping to a safer level. We then finished the work party by taking a look at the old sluice on the Bolton arm to see what work this will need to be made usable again.

  • Image 1 of 13 : As you can see, the overflow was completely blocked with plant matter and litter
  • Image 2 of 13 : This blockage meant the entire overflow was under over a foot of water
  • Image 3 of 13 : Because of the blockage the cancel was a few inches higher than it should be, creating a risk of overflowing
  • Image 4 of 13 : So our volunteers started to remove the blockage over the grate
  • Image 5 of 13 : Once the grate was clear the water level dropped quickly
  • Image 6 of 13 : You can see on the stone where the water level was previously
  • Image 7 of 13 : The brickwork of the overflow can now be seen again and the water in the canal is back to a safe level
  • Image 8 of 13 : And you can tell that spring is on the way as flowers are starting to bud up around our canal
  • Image 9 of 13 : The "Old Sluice" is the overflow connecting the Bolton arm to the bottom of the locks which we are working to restore
  • Image 10 of 13 : This channel will be incredibly helpful in maintaining the canal water level going forward
  • Image 11 of 13 : We even got some time to do some litter picking around the locks
  • Image 12 of 13 : The workshop site is once again usable for our volunteers
  • Image 13 of 13 :

 

December 2021
Photos by Matthew Clark

Our most recent work party was a complete success. During the work party we spent our time cleaning up the area around the workshops.

The workshops had become heavily overgrown during the pandemic so we needed to clear the overgrowth to get our base of operations back up to usable standard.

Thanks to our volunteers who came down and helped out!

  • 1. This is how the workshops looked.
  • 2. There were plants growing through the flags.
  • 3. One of the volunteers, Donald, got to work cutting through the weeds.
  • 4. The workshops started to look clearer.
  • 5. Proof that trees will grow everywhere. This one grew right through our cabins trailer hitch.
  • 6. We still chopped down as much of the tree as we could.
  • 7. There was a massive pile of weeds.
  • 8. All this was cut down from the workshops.
  • 9. You can get a scale of the amount of how big it is compared to Adam.
  • 10. The flags look better without the weeds.
  • 11. And now they look fantastic.
  • 12. And the workshops can be used again.
  • 13. Just look at those beautiful flags.

 

January 2020
Photos by Matthew Clark

  • Image 1 of 9 : This was the surviving metal railings before volunteers dug it out.....
  • Image 2 of 9 : ..... and after it was dug out
  • Image 3 of 9 : Here is a close up of the surviving railing before excavation.....
  • Image 4 of 9 : and here it is after, and you can see the stone where it is set
  • Image 5 of 9 : You can even see the next stone down
  • Image 6 of 9 : Here is the water escapting Ringley locks being blocked by debris.....
  • Image 7 of 9 : ..... and after clearance, the water can escape the site easier
  • Image 8 of 9 : Here is the disused Bywash on the Bolton arm before digging began.....
  • Image 9 of 9 : .....and after it was dug out

 

October 2019
Photos by Matthew Clark

  • Image 1 of 7: This is the duckweed on the Bolton arm before clearance
  • Image 2 of 7 : This is the duckweed after
  • Image 3 of 7 : This is the overflow before we started clearing it
  • Image 4 of 7 : This is the result after clearing the overflow
  • Image 5 of 7 : As you can see, there is a good flow of water
  • Image 6 of 7 : And the water is incredibly clean
  • Image 7 of 7 : Keeping the overflow clear helps reduce flooding by letting excess water out quicker

 

February 2019 – 16th & 17th
Great weekend winching trees from the bed of the canal with WRG North West. The small self-seeded saplings will damage the waterproof lining if allowed to grow too big. Approximately 150 feet cleared on Saturday and another 75-100 feet on Sunday. The section on Sunday had fewer trees and more spread out, so more time and effort required to re-rig the winch. Whew! Photos by Sam Kennion

  • Before
  • Part way through the first day
  • At the end of the first day
  • At the end of the first day
  • After the first day
  • End of work on Sunday (1 of 2). The trees in the foreground are actually uprooted but need chopping off another time
  • End of work on Sunday (2 of 2). The trees in the foreground are actually uprooted but need chopping off another time

 


February 2019 – 9th & 10th

The February work party made good progress on clearing more of the rubble and earth out of the channel that runs from the top overflow to the bottom basin. We can now (just about!) see daylight through the sluice hole. Also, there was a heron looking mean, moody and magnificient. Photos by Sam Kennion


 

January 2019
Photos by Matthew Clark

  • Image 1 of 7 : The shadow of an old sluice gate at Ringley top lock
  • Image 2 of 7 : The 7-mile marker stone getting a bit of a clean
  • Image 3 of 7 : A view of the top lock of the canal – see the healthy amount of water running through
  • Image 4 of 7 : A look into the Ringley lock overflow - buried for 50 years!
  • Image 5 of 7 : The freshly laid cobbles on the towpath
  • Image 6 of 7 : A transition point between our cobbles and our new towpath surface
  • Image 7 of 7 : Volunteers John and Wendy enjoying getting stuck in

  
Terms & Conditions          Privacy Policy          Site Map                              Website Design : Spider Communications               Copyright © 2013-2024 MBBCS