The Ashton and Peak Forest Canals – Reopened 50 Years Ago

Meanwhile an untimely breach had shut the Bridgewater Canal near Lymm, and the Canal Company's contractors were hard at work on a site that "resembles a motorway construction project" to rebuild it. The writer (Pete Stockdale) concluded by saying that at the one-year stage, "we are about one third of the way to a complete Ring." By summer 1973, Navvies was quoting a 'deadline' of April 1974 for completion of the Ashton and Peak Forest, and urging volunteers to turn up and help make this happen - and in doing so, to provide "a stick to beat the owners of the Rochdale into repairing their part".

By Autumn there was less to say about the Ashton as the volunteer contribution was nearing completion but on the Peak Forest, while Marple Locks were progressing, dredging was behind schedule and "we would like to see a bit of 'extractum digitum'." And on the Rochdale Nine, the Canal Company had put up some cash and were to carry out the necessary gate replacements as well as funding plant hire etc for the volunteers who appeared to have been 'volunteered' in their absence to do the chamber clearances - and "some sort of navigational prospects" were hoped for by April 1974.

Come the end of the year, and Navvies was still referring to "the target date of 1 April 1974 for the reopening of the Cheshire Ring". In February, two months before the opening date, the following issue reported that on the Ashton and Peak Forest "the volunteer effort is now complete", with BWB just putting the finishing touches on what had been "a superb job, a lasting credit to John Freeman".

[The photo shows a lock gate for Marple Locks, being built by Peak Forest Canal Society volunteers! The lock beams were engraved 'PFCS' ]