City centre canal gets new set of lock gates

A set of lock gates have been replaced on a canal which runs through the gay village in Manchester city centre.

The work involved draining about 110,000 gallons of water from the Rochdale Canal so an 80-tonne crane could install new bespoke oak gates, each weighing three tonnes.

Mark Wigley, 53, from the Canal and River Trust said the old gates "weren't a pretty sight" and "needed some attention".

He said his team could see how society had changed over the years by what items they found at the bottom of the canal, like different models of mobile phones.

"We've found everything, from early Nokia phones to the latest iPhones," he said.

"But unfortunately we also found knives, guns, safes and all sorts of random shoes, umbrellas and walking sticks.

"You name it and we probably found it at the bottom of the canal."

Wigley said the work was carried out on 14 and 15 Feb and replacing the two gates cost about £165,000.

"That is made up of the costs for the cabins we need for the team working on-site, the scaffolding, the fabric dam to manage the water, security on-site, and the fuel to run the pumps," he said.

He added that the gates themselves cost about £57,000 to make and were built in a specialist workshop.

The Rochdale Canal, which crosses the Pennines between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, has 91 locks along its 32-mile route.

The canal opened in 1804 and was built to carry heavy loads, including coal for the textile industry, before the first railways were constructed some 30 years later.

The waterway closed in 1952 and remained largely derelict until the canal fully reopened to boats in 2002, after a restoration project over several years which included the construction of 12 new road bridges.

The project also included the refurbishment of 24 locks and because the lifespan of oak lock gates is about 25 years, many of them now need replacing again.

Stephen Foulds, 59, also from the Canal and River Trust, said he was in awe of the longevity of some of the canal's structures.

"I've worked on the canal for 40 years and seen a lot of changes," he said.

"Some of these gates haven't been maintained much over 250 years and yet they're still working perfectly.

"They were built by men with picks and shovels digging out the ground, and not with the modern machinery we have today.

"It's incredible."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.