Summary

A canal milestone of 1797, repositioned around 1890, for the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal. These stones marked the quarter-mile distances along the canal, which served many closely-spaced collieries.

Description

A canal milestone of 1797, for the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.

MATERIALS: buff sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: the post stands around half a metre high and is set into the ground close to the northern bank of the canal. It is rectangular in cross-section, with an arched head. All the faces are dressed, with chamfered angles and horizontal tooling, and radial tooling around the circumference of the head. The front (south) face is inscribed ‘M/ 11 1/4’ (the distance from Manchester) in deeply-incised, serifed lettering.

History

The milestone at 11 1/4 miles from Manchester was originally erected in 1797, probably in its current location. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal was authorised by Parliament in 1791 and opened to both of its destinations by 1797. It comprised a level summit canal extending to Bolton and Bury, and a branch descending 54m from Nob End (in the middle of this level) to Salford. The canal was connected to the River Irwell in 1808, and then across the Irwell to the Bridgewater Canal in 1838, and to the Rochdale Canal via the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal in 1839. This was principally a coal canal, and the frequency of collieries along it drove the requirement for distance posts to be sited every quarter of a mile, to allow accurate charging of tolls.

Around 1890, several of the canal’s milestones were moved slightly closer to Salford, and from the north bank to the south bank. The Ordnance Survey (OS) 1:10.560 map of 1850 (surveyed between 1844 and 1846) marks (but does not label) a stone in this approximate location, on the north bank, but this is close to Bridge 19, to the south of this stone’s present position. No other historic map marks this stone. It is likely that this stone remains in or close to its original position.

This post is one of around 20 that are thought to survive in situ. One unbroken sequence of eight stones, spanning from the 7-mile marker on the Salford branch up to 8 3/4 miles on the Bolton branch, was listed in 1986. This corresponding sequence extends by another eight stones to the 10-mile stone on the Bury branch. There is also a shorter sequence half a mile further north, from 10 3/4 to 11 3/4 miles on the Bury branch, which is missing the stone at 11 1/2 miles.

A major breach of the canal in 1936 cut the Bury branch off from Bolton and Salford, but this branch continued to be used for local traffic until 1966, and (in 2025) several sections are still in water. The entire canal was officially closed in 1961.

Reasons for Listing

The Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Milestone At 11 1/4 Miles From Manchester, a canal milestone of 1797 repositioned around 1890, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a lettered milestone in its historic position it is a good example of historic canal furniture and illustrates the commercial operation of the canal.

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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
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