OS Map Ref SD 766 068 |
This crane is located alongside the Manchester, Bolton & Bury canal approximately 1 mile from the centre of Radcliffe, on the side heading towards Manchester. It was a self-contained unit of furnace, boiler, steam engine and crane, rotating on a fixed plinth. There is a factory, formerly Mount Sion Bleach Works, on Mount Sion Road next to the canal but some 20 feet lower down, hence the need for a crane. The crane was built in Leeds in 1884 by J Smith & Sons. | |
The crane is positioned on the canal towpath and could rotate to transfer loads, mostly boxes of coal from Ladyshore colliery, between barges on the canal and the factory yard on the other side of the railings.
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Here is an old black and white photograph of a similar crane in use, mounted on rails.
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What makes old machinery fascinating is that all the working parts are open to view, whereas so many modern devices are essentially a sealed box.
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This picture shows the area in front of where the operator sat. Part of an iron seat still remains. With his back against the boiler he would at least have been warm in winter.
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