Burscough Branch

[Heartland]

In 1971 those intending to travel along the Leeds & Liverpool Branch from Burscough towards the Douglas and the Ribble were advised by a large sign that they travelled at their own risk.

 

Does anybody recall this notice and the reasons why it was there ?

 

[andyberg]

Shallow waters, maximum draught warning.

Edited April 12, 2022 by andyberg

[Heartland]

Thanks - a definite reason to restrict boat movements

 

 

 

 

"Dark as a cow bola" as Alan might say

[Pluto]

The Lower Douglas Navigation, to give it its legal title, often suffered from low water levels. It is built over wetlands, and the ground subsided when drained, such that the water level in the canal had to be lowered by Act of Parliament, making it potentially very shallow. In the 1970s I did go down to Tarleton several times with my short boat drawing over three feet when moving, and it was slow. Bear in mind that a short boat does not have a flat bottom and can cut through soft mud much easier than a narrow boat. The other two problems were the wind and the reeds on neither side. On one occasion, I just had to stop as the wind and reeds meant that it was impossible to steer, so I had to tie up and wait for the wind to abate. Fortunately there were no other boats about, and I would not be surprised if only a dozen boats used the branch each year in the early 1970s. The branch is now much easier to navigate.

[TheBiscuits]

So when did it start being called the Rufford Branch, or is that only the section from Lathom Junction to the (now disused) lock at Sollom?

 

Is the Lower Douglas Navigation just  the bit from Sollom Lock to Tarleton Lock?

[Pluto]

The L&LC did not have Parliamentary authority to build the branch, that being done under the Douglas Navigation Act. The Navigation had already built a canal from Rufford to Sollom circa 1760, by-passing the shallowest section ofthe tidal  navigable river. The 1760 canal did not have a towing path, and the L&LC had to buy land for that purpose c1790, after the new canal down from Burscough was opened in 1781. With the canal open, agriculture developed and the wet lands of Martin Mere started to be drained properly, resulting in the land drying out and sinking, leaving the canal between Rufford and Sollom in effect raised above ground level and likely to breach. The level of the canal was lowered about 6 inches under the 1794 L&LC Act - this is all off the top of my head without checking exact dates. Croston Drainage was undertaken shortly after 1800, with the Douglas being straightened, and giving the possibility of navigation up to Croston, while the canal was extended via the old river bed to Tarleton. There were plans to extend below Tarleton on several occasions, and one would have continued round to Preston. The Douglas Navigation continued to be a legal entity, with accounts separate to those of the L&LC, until 1893, when the last Navigation share was purchased by the L&LC.

 

This begs the question, is Sollom Lock, dating from c1760, the oldest unaltered stone lock structure in the country? A weir also survives from the Douglas Navigation, just below Dean Locks at Gathurst, which dates from 1741.

[magpie patrick]

The wind pinned Ripple to the side of the canal when we went down in 2008 - somethings don't change. 

 

I recall going down in a hire boat in 1972 I think, rented from Haskayne - I'd have been about 6. One lock was full when we got to it, and when we emptied it water poured through two large holes in the gates and it looked like the top gate paddles were open - only there were no top gate paddles! All mum and dad's previous boat holidays had been with Tingay in the Midlands and I don't think anything had quite prepared them for this!

9 minutes ago, Pluto said:

This begs the question, is Sollom Lock, dating from c1760, the oldest unaltered stone lock structure in the country? A weir also survives from the Douglas Navigation, just below Dean Locks at Gathurst, which dates from 1741.

 

The locks on the Bristol Avon date back to the 1720's and are, I believe, largely unaltered

[andyberg]

I used to play as a child on the scrap workboats moored in a line outside Mayors Yard circa 1978-80 ish, my first trip up the branch was 1999 from Douglas Boatyard after a rear engine fitout & blacking there, that slipway into the Douglas on a 40ft narrowboat was terrifying! 😱

Trip up the branch was really hard with weed and knackered locks, soo much better now since the link has brought in traffic👍 

[davidb]

11 hours ago, andyberg said:

, that slipway into the Douglas on a 40ft

Do you mean the sideways slip from inside the shed in Mayor's ?.

[Derek R.]

Went down the Rufford arm (branch?) in 1983, no such warning sign back then. Lots of floating reed islands though.

 

Ring any bells?

 

[TheBiscuits]

39 minutes ago, davidb said:

Do you mean the sideways slip from inside the shed in Mayor's ?.

 

The one at Douglas Boatyard on the bend in the river where the yachts are.

 

Mrs Biscuits' grandad once launched a wooden shrimping boat from there.  The boat hit something and stopped dead but the engine carried on moving ... through the boat and out into the river!

[Heartland]

The dredging along the branch was underway by 1973 and there was a bantam tug seen at Sollom Lock then

 

Regarding Sollom regarding its antiquity, what is the listing status of that structure and bridge 10 ?