Anderton Boat Lift, Cheshire: The ‘Cathedral of the Canals’
The Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich, Cheshire is one of only two working boat lifts in Britain, it’s an engineering masterpiece.
The boat lift has been labelled as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ nicknamed the 'Cathedral of the Canals' - seeing is believing!
The marvel of victorian engineering was designed by Edwin Clark in 1875 to transfer boats between the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal, across a height of 50 feet.
It was in operation for over 100 years, until it closed in 1983 due to corrosion.
The lift works on a balance principle, where one caisson (a large water-filled chamber) full of water descends, while the other ascends, thus allowing boats to move between the two waterways.
It was an innovative solution at the time and remains an iconic example of Victorian engineering prowess.
The unique thing with the lift is that it was the first commercially successful boat lift - and it’s the only of its kind in Britain.
Although the original function of the Anderton Boat Lift for commercial shipping declined over the years, it has been restored and preserved as a historic monument and a tourist attraction.
Today, it is now used for pleasure cruises, it’s a unique experience and well worth a visit.
Visitors can experience rides on the lift and learn about its history through guided tours and exhibitions.
Someone who recently visited the boat lift said: “We booked onto a tour of the boat left, taken by Mike. Such a good tour. Informative, friendly. So good.
”Been to see the lift so many times and been on the boat tour but this is the first tome i have had a walking tour.
”Taken right to the top so saw the gear wheels up close. Amazing piece of architecture and a brilliant working piece of history. Well worth a visit and worth taking the time to do the tour.”
History of the famous structure
Salt has been extracted from rock salt beds underneath the Cheshire Plain since Roman times, and by the end of the 17th century, a major salt mining industry had developed around the Cheshire "salt towns" of Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford.
This industry required a modern transport route, which was provided by the River Weaver Navigation, an industrial canalisation of the River Weaver, opened in 1734.
In 1793, the Weaver Navigation Trustees excavated a basin on the north bank of the Weaver at Anderton that took the river to the foot of the escarpment of the Trent and Mersey Canal, fifty feet above.
In 1870, the Trustees proposed a boat lift between the waterways at the Anderton Basin.
Having decided on a hydraulic ram design Leader Williams appointed Edwin Clark as principal designer.
At that time the Anderton Basin consisted of a cut on the north bank of the Weaver surrounding a small central island. Clark decided to build the boat lift on this island.
The wrought iron caissons were 75 ft long by 15 ft 6 in wide by 9 ft 6 in deep, and could each accommodate two 72 ft narrowboats.
Each caisson was supported by a single hydraulic ram consisting of a hollow 50 ft long cast iron vertical piston with a diameter of 3 ft, in a buried 50 ft long cast iron vertical cylinder.
Work started before the end of 1872 and took 30 months. The Anderton Boat Lift was formally opened to traffic on 26 July 1875.
The total cost was £48,428.
The volume of traffic through the lift grew steadily through the 1880s and 1890s, but the hydraulic cylinders caused problems.
The gland of one cylinder (where the piston travelled through the cylinder wall) was temporarily repaired in 1887 and replaced in 1891, and the gland of the other cylinder was replaced in 1894.
The main cause for concern was corrosion of the pistons.
By 1904, the Weaver Navigation Trustees faced the prospect of closing the boat lift for a considerable period to repair the hydraulic rams.
Conversion was carried out between 1906 and 1908.
During the 1990s, British Waterways carried out preliminary investigations before launching a restoration bid.
It was originally intended to restore the lift to electrical operation but after consultation with English Heritage, in 1997 it was decided to restore the lift to hydraulic operation, but using hydraulic oil rather than water so as to avoid the rusting that had cursed the original hydraulic system.
The cost of restoration was £7 million.
The lift that we still see today consists in fact of two structures - many elements of the original 1875 structure were retained in the 1906–08 conversion.
And again, when it was converted back to its original hydraulic operation, most elements of the electrical lift were left in the structure.
Today, the historic structure still stands strong and it’s till used as a boat lift.
The Anderton Boat Lift can be accessed by regional motorway and rail networks.
Car carking is available at the Anderton Boat Lift - charges are £2 for up to three hours, or £3 all day.
It’s worth knowing that there are no boat trips from 1 November - 31 March.
If you’d like to visit this incredible structure for yourself, the address is: Lift Ln, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 6FW, United Kingdom
If you enjoyed this blog post, please follow Exploring GB on Facebook for daily travel content and inspiration.
Don’t forget to check out our latest blog posts below!
Thank you for visiting Exploring GB.
