Anderton Lift

[Heartland]

The CRT has published the following notice for Anderton Lift indicating a future closure for maintenance

Keep Anderton Boat Lift Alive

 

We've launched a new winter appeal to ‘Keep Anderton Boat Lift Alive’ as it undertakes a major refurbishment project.

 

 

The unique 150-year-old structure, the world’s first major commercial boat lift, needs an upgrade to enable the ageing machinery to continue transporting around 3,000 boats a year, 50 feet between the Trent & Mersey Canal and the Weaver Navigation below.

We operate the Scheduled Monument and runs the surrounding site as a popular visitor attraction. Each year thousands of tourists enjoy trips through the lift and along the river to Northwich aboard the Edwin Clark trip boat, named after one of the lift’s 19th century creators. As well as welcoming up to 100,000 visitors each year, the site also offers educational visits for schools, and a range of volunteering opportunities.

In addition to the work required to preserve and protect the iconic structure, there is also a proposal for upgrades to the visitor centre, amenities, and grounds surrounding the boat lift, as well as plans to construct a contemporary education and events space and the development of new learning, skills, and outreach programmes.

The first milestone was achieved last December, when we were awarded a £574,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the development phase of this essential project.

A 'Wonder of the Waterways'

Our project manager, Fran Littlewood, said: “Anderton Boat Lift is one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ and it is our mission to keep it operational for generations to come.

“By January 2024, we are looking to appoint the main contractor, who will design and plan the works programme over the summer. The Trust will be seeking further grant funding and support from local businesses and philanthropists, which will be vital in enabling us to deliver the project.

“If all goes well, the plan will be to close the lift in early summer 2025 and reopen it 12 - 18 months later. This means that boaters and visitors can expect to enjoy a full season of boating in 2024 and potentially a short window around the following Easter, before it is wrapped in a protective encapsulation skin to give it a special 150th anniversary upgrade.

“Ever since the boat lift was created to provide a vital trade link between the river and canal, it has been a challenge to maintain. Salty water meant the original hydraulic rams rusted and seized up, and these were eventually replaced with a 1908 electric pulley system to haul the boat caissons up and down. In 1983, 75 years later, it was declared unsafe and shut down for nearly two decades before it was restored around the Millennium.

“It is remarkable that this impressive, eclectic heritage structure is still working. If we deliver this important upgrade project now, it will hopefully ensure that we keep Anderton Boat Lift alive for many years to come - continuing to delight thousands of visitors and connecting two busy waterways for boaters.”

Find out more

Boat trips through the lift stop for the 2023 summer season at the end of October. Over winter (November – March), the Anderton Boat Lift & Visitor Centre continues to welcome visitors to the café and site at weekends only – Saturdays and Sundays, 9.30am – 4.30pm. The Trust’s popular Santa Cruises will run on all four weekends through December running up to Christmas.

 

 

 

[robtheplod]

I'll never understand why they don't make a real charge for use of this.... £20/£50?  

[Paul C]

4 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

I'll never understand why they don't make a real charge for use of this.... £20/£50?  

 

 

They asked boaters if they wanted it to be charged, or its costs incorporated into the licence. It was the latter. 

 

Anyway, its not just boaters who "use" it - lots of people come and look at it (working).

 

ETA they actually do charge anyway......there is a £5 booking fee (per direction) now.

[magnetman]

It is scrap.

 

[robtheplod]

9 minutes ago, magnetman said:

It is scrap.

 

that doesn't sound good?

[Paul C]

36 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

I'll never understand why they don't make a real charge for use of this.... £20/£50?  

Also, I think I worked it out once, it would be about £2000 per passage, if it were actually funded by the boaters who use it. I am guessing not many boaters would do it then.

[ditchcrawler]

14 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Also, I think I worked it out once, it would be about £2000 per passage, if it were actually funded by the boaters who use it. I am guessing not many boaters would do it then.

I wouldn't use it for £20 unless I had to and definitely not for £50

[Jon57]

1 hour ago, Paul C said:

Also, I think I worked it out once, it would be about £2000 per passage, if it were actually funded by the boaters who use it. I am guessing not many boaters would do it then.

 

47 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I wouldn't use it for £20 unless I had to and definitely not for £50

Maybe they should run like a Disney attraction ride £50 for a family of 4. Plus all the merchandise. T shirts. Baseball caps. Fridge magnets etc. 😁😁

[Arthur Marshall]

I got told by one of the blokes working it that it cost about 10p for each trip. Possibly he hadn't included maintenence costs...

[BEngo]

43 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I got told by one of the blokes working it that it cost about 10p for each trip. Possibly he hadn't included maintenence costs...

Or even the wage costs of the several people needed to work it.

 

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

It is scrap.

 

Partly, that is true.  The original lift frame was needed to keep the tanks in the right place over the lift rams which supported the weight. It is still needed now the weight of the tanks is again supported by the new rams.

 

The additional braces added (in 1908?) so the lift frame could support the weight of the tanks, the electric motors,the lifting chains  and the synchronising gears which replaced the original rams are probably not needed today, but were retained because they are part of the listed status.

 

The millenium refurb control system is obsolete ( a 486 anyone?)  and I believe  is due for replacement as part of CRT's major project.

N

 

 

[dan01eb]

The educational boat trip from the lift to Northwich town and back is good. Not a bad little tour boat either.

Edited October 27, 2023 by dan01eb

[magnetman]

25 minutes ago, BEngo said:

 

 

The millenium refurb control system is obsolete ( a 486 anyone?)  and I believe  is due for replacement as part of CRT's major project.

N

 

 

I have fond memories of my 486 laptop. It was a DX and so much better than the 386. Both Toshiba. 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by magnetman
condense quoted post

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I got told by one of the blokes working it that it cost about 10p for each trip. Possibly he hadn't included maintenence costs...

It costs more than that to employ the man on the computer, the rest probably work for free

[Tacet]

2 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I got told by one of the blokes working it that it cost about 10p for each trip. Possibly he hadn't included maintenence costs...

My recent experience is that there only a couple of trips available in each direction a day.  Much of the time it is doing nothing

 

Must be something to do with saving 10p by putting two boats in the caisson as it can't be reducing staff costs.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Tacet said:

My recent experience is that there only a couple of trips available in each direction a day.  Much of the time it is doing nothing

 

Must be something to do with saving 10p by putting two boats in the caisson as it can't be reducing staff costs.

Its very variable, sometimes all spots are taken 

4 hours ago, Jon57 said:

 

Maybe they should run like a Disney attraction ride £50 for a family of 4. Plus all the merchandise. T shirts. Baseball caps. Fridge magnets etc. 😁😁

Its £15 a head on the trip boat

[billh]

We used the lift in 1977, cost of passage was £6.50, probably quite expensive then. It was operated by one bloke in the cabin above the lift, no attendants  shouting orders or office staff. We went onto the River for a couple of days and then came back up ( might have paid again ,I can't remember) . Nobody died, simple times. The nearest computer  was probably the process controller in the ICI  works opposite. Thinking about it, I went on the boat "Lapwing"(?) on a school trip from Weston Point to Preston Brook , might have been 1968 with a single passage of the lift.

[magnetman]

 

A favourite of mine but well before my time. 

50 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Its very variable, sometimes all spots are taken 

Its £15 a head on the trip boat

That would take a few passengers to get to the half million ! 

[system 4-50]

6 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I wouldn't use it for £20 unless I had to and definitely not for £50

Wierd.  Compared to the cost of running a boat, £20 is peanuts.  Try going to Legoland as an alternative.

[ditchcrawler]

37 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Wierd.  Compared to the cost of running a boat, £20 is peanuts.  Try going to Legoland as an alternative.

I wouldn't go to Lego Land again, I went about 15 years ago with the grand daughter to Windsor.  Likewise I wont moor in Llangollen overnight. 

Edited October 27, 2023 by ditchcrawler

[pearley]

16 hours ago, billh said:

We used the lift in 1977, cost of passage was £6.50, probably quite expensive then. It was operated by one bloke in the cabin above the lift, no attendants  shouting orders or office staff. We went onto the River for a couple of days and then came back up ( might have paid again ,I can't remember) . Nobody died, simple times. The nearest computer  was probably the process controller in the ICI  works opposite. Thinking about it, I went on the boat "Lapwing"(?) on a school trip from Weston Point to Preston Brook , might have been 1968 with a single passage of the lift.

Our first hire boat was from Anderton on the T & M. Wish we gone up and down the lift then. Although have been several times since.

Edited October 28, 2023 by pearley

[TheBiscuits]

9 hours ago, robtheplod said:

I'll never understand why they don't make a real charge for use of this.... £20/£50?  

 

As I understand it, the non-licence holder fee is/was £60 per go.

 

I have no idea how many actually paid your that though!

 

 

[Phoenix_V]

The lifts on the Historic Centre Canal in Belgium were designed by the same guy as Anderton but have been refurbished to the original design, each basin counterbalances the other. and as all the weight is taken on the ram the supporting structure is much lighter and "delicate" as Anderton was originally.

[Paul C]

Wasn't the original design, hydraulic cylinders but using (the local water is a bit salty) water as the working fluid? And surprise surprise, it didn't last long. Then idea 2 was the big structure on top, with cables and counterweights. And now we're on idea 3 which is to go back to hydraulics, but with actual hydraulic fluid and independent cylinders, not needing to be counterbalanced with each other.

[ditchcrawler]

43 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Wasn't the original design, hydraulic cylinders but using (the local water is a bit salty) water as the working fluid? And surprise surprise, it didn't last long. Then idea 2 was the big structure on top, with cables and counterweights. And now we're on idea 3 which is to go back to hydraulics, but with actual hydraulic fluid and independent cylinders, not needing to be counterbalanced with each other.

Not requirement needing is correct, the hydraulic pumps will lift one, but they normally link them for balanced operation and very little power

[Pie Eater]

13 hours ago, pearley said:

Our first hire boat was from Anderson on the T & M. Wish we gone up and down the lift then. Although have been several times since.

We purchased a season ticket when if first reopened and as far as I can remember it was £30.