 | | Ship Canal: sailing through the fields |
When we asked you, the public, to nominate your favourite Man-made Wonder of North West, David Simons put the case for the Manchester Ship Canal. We asked him to tell us why. David used to work near the banks of the Ship Canal and he remembers watching huge ships pass by, a few hundred yards from his office in Higher Irlam. But his fascination with the Ship Canal really started during his childhood in Manchester. Here, he shares his memories of growing up alongside 'The Big Ditch' - and explains why it's a modern Wonder: Manchester Ship Canal - by David Simons  | | David Simons: at Trafford Swing Bridge |
"For many years, I was employed by the CWS as a draughtsman at their Margarine Production Factory in Higher Irlam. The Ship Canal was only a matter of 500 yards away: you couldn’t see the water from there, but if you got up on top of the cooling tower you could just about see it. CWS didn’t use the Canal although when the factory was built after the First World War, there was a plan to take oils off ships coming up the Canal. But we did have big storage tanks – and when the St Lawrence froze over, a lot of the lard used to come from Chicago and go into the tanks. My favourite moment was when we had visitors. It was quite common to hear one of them say: "Excuse me, is it my imagination or is that a ship outside?" I used to love the astonished look on their faces! And it really did look strange with the ship ‘sailing’ through the fields! I’d explain of course that they were using the Manchester Ship Canal. Some people – mainly Southerners – who used to say: “Ship Canal?” What Ship Canal?” Can you imagine not having heard about the Ship Canal? Such ignorance.  | | A ship passes Barton Bridge on the Canal |
"The most fantastic sight for me though were the Manchester Liners. They were fantastic ships, absolutely huge. I think they did have a few passengers but it was mainly cargo going out to Canada. They were some of the biggest on the Canal. "But the Ship Canal - it’s the scale of it that astounds me. So much was cut by hand. They used to call it 'The Big Ditch' - there are these old black and white photos of these navvies with steam shovels and rows and rows of donkeys moving tonnes of earth.. it’s just staggering!" A childhood by the Canal "My first visit to the Manchester Docks was arranged by a student primary school teacher. Together with my classmates I had walked in the traditional crocodile formation from Christ Church School, Hulme, under the strict supervision of Mr (Pop) Smith, a father like and much respected teacher. Anyway, we were met by this retired captain who took us on a walking tour round the docks before boarding a boat - the Green Arrow I think it was - which took us up to the Barton Swing Aqueduct: now that’s amazing! – lifting up a whole section of canal and moving it through the air! (I have often thought that this structure is well worthy of fame in its own right and it certainly adds to the wonder of the whole canal system.) | "I mean, to dig a canal which would connect Manchester to the sea, bring ships 35 miles inland and turn Manchester into a port. That’s something else!" | | David Simons |
In later years, an evening cycle ride would take me from Hulme, along Regent Road, through Eccles, Barton and Cadishead before crossing the canal at Warburton Bridge and heading home through Lymm and Altrincham. Sometimes. when were kids we’d go down to the swing bridge near Old Trafford. And if you were lucky, the gatekeeper would let you stand on the middle section, while they swung it round to let a ship go by. You really had one over your mates, if you could say you’d done that! Up at Pomona Docks, they used to get ships unloading big Guinness tankers. One of my Aunties married an Irish guy who was from Cork. And when he wanted to go back to Ireland he used to catch a ride on the Guinness boat over to Cork – it was back in the 1940s, no-one ever asked any questions in those days!" Why it gets my vote  | | Sailing by Cerestar in Trafford Park |
"I feel that the Manchester Ship Canal has done so much for putting the North West on the map that it is well worthy of my vote. Not just a canal with a dock, it was an artery into the very heart of industrial Lancashire and beyond. A truly magnificent feat of engineering in its time, now over 100 years old and still serving to keep the names of our two wonderful cities, Manchester and Salford, known throughout the world. I suppose what’s truly amazing is the great vision and foresight to do it. I mean, to dig a canal which would connect Manchester to the sea, bring ships 35 miles inland and turn Manchester into a port. That’s something else…!" | 
