OS Map Ref SD 797 130 |
Providing Water for the Manchester, Bolton & Bury CanalAll canals need a source of water to supply that lost when locks are operated. A standard canal lock is at least 70 feet long by 7 feet wide with a drop of about 6 feet. This means it transfers over 60 tonnes of water from the higher level to the lower level each time it is used. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury canal obtained its Act of Parliament in 1791 and was opened in 1797, being extended to meet the Irwell at Salford in 1808. From its start at Bury Wharf the canal manages to reach Prestolee on the outskirts of Little Lever, a distance of about 5 miles, before the first flight of locks. The main water supply for this canal is Elton Reservoir near the Bury/Radcliffe border, but this has only three small natural streams flowing into it, which would not have provided sufficient water when the canal was operating commercially. Burrs is at the end of Woodhill Road, which starts near the junction of Crostons Road/Brandlesholme Road.
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The beginning of the canal feeder can be reached from Burrs Country Park by following the footpath, helpfully signposted "Weir", between the river and the water channel. |
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