After the Coal: Bridgewater Canal Today

Following the closure of the mines, much of the route of the railway from Mosley Common to the canal was built on for housing during the 1970s. The area south of the village became a source of fascinating industrial archaeology through the 1970s and 1980s, after mining had ceased, and before recent redevelopment. The fields and scrubland between the village and the canal were criss-crossed with the paths of disused railways; old sleepers and buffers peeped through the weeds (see left), and the basin became neglected as the grave of sunken coal boats.

The picture on the right shows another relic from the working life of the canal. This winding mechanism rusts by the tow-path. Such remains were, however, a tangible proof of the village's past, and offered a marvellous opportunity for exploration. The recent restoration of much of the canal area, together with a massive house-building programme has led to a loss of its own. (For more on this click: 20th Century Expansion.)

Following redevelopment, the basin is now a marina (right) overlooked by new housing, with a popular focal point in the new Moorings pub.

The entrance to the Chaddock Level, with its keystone dated 1816, may still be seen. On the picture below, taken in March 1997, the keystone is submerged just below the waterline. Until recent developments it was hidden among the scrub, and was the source of a quiet pond, enjoyed by those who had discovered it, and full of tadpoles in the spring. Now verged by new housing, it is mostly drained and rubbish-strewn. It is to be hoped that the entrance is not to disappear, and that the Chaddock Level (last revealed in 1993 during excavations) will not only be remembered for the name of a new street, built nearby. (For more on this click: Chaddock Level.)

Astley Green Colliery, which opened in 1908, reached its peak in the 1950s when its two shafts and fourteen underground levels employed almost 2,300 people. The site, now disused, is the only preserved pit head in Lancashire, and is operated by the Red Rose Steam Society. The steam winding engine, built by Yates and Thom of Blackburn in 1912, was the largest engine ever used in the Lancashire coalfield, and is believed to be the largest steam winding engine left in Europe. The pictures above were taken from the canal south of Boothstown, and show Astley Green pithead to the west. It is an image which would probably be familiar to anyone who has lived in the village during the last 150 years. Today the canal corridor from Manchester to Leigh is promoted as a heritage trail, In Brindley's Footsteps, on the theme of coal, steam and canal. However, it is hoped that beyond any theme area this open landscape between Boothstown and Astley, together with such a visible reminder of the heritage of the locality, will be preserved for all future generations to enjoy.