Sankey Canal - <>

The Sankey Canal, which is also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and the St Helens Canal, historically entirely within Lancashire is a canal now in Cheshire, extending into Merseyside, in the northwest of England, connecting St Helens with the River Mersey. When opened in 1757, it ran along the valley of the Sankey Brook from the point where the brook joined the River Mersey, past Warrington to a location to the north east of St Helens. Extensions were constructed at the Mersey end of the canal, firstly to Fiddlers Ferry and then to Widnes, while at the northern end, it was extended into Sutton, close to what became the centre of St Helens. The canal was gradually abandoned between 1931 and 1963, but has been the object of a restoration attempt since 1985, when the Sankey Canal Restoration Society was formed.HistoryThe Sankey Canal was built principally to transport coal from the Lancashire Coalfield mines in Haydock and Parr to the growing chemical industries of Liverpool, though iron ore and corn were also important commodities. These industries rapidly expanded, and spread back along the line of the canal to St Helens, Haydock, Newton le Willows and Widnes, which were small villages until this period. The canal was thus an important factor in the industrial growth of the region.

Tags: Landmark & Historical Place