Thank you for such a interesting and informative video with excellent photos of the 1971 breach. Very surprised to hear the short time it took to repair considering it looked a similar breach to now.
Olive, one of the stranded boats crew (the Taylors) noted problems with the water level at 0100 hrs, they had to release the mooring ropes to allow the craft to settle a bit better. Good video, especially the pictures from the beach 50 years ago.
Very interesting and informative to learn about the early history of industrialization with coal mines and ship canals in Manchester. Great parallels to the Ruhr area in Germany, where I was a mining engineer until the mines closed. Good luck with the rapid reconstruction of the broken canal dam!
I loved that, thanks for all the interesting information in such a short format. I don't however share your optimism about the canal reopening in a year or so. More like two or never I think.
Interesting video. Very informative. There’s not much info online regarding the 1971 breach (or there wasn’t before this new breach). I enjoyed watching and listening. Thank.
Thank you. Thats really interesting. I'm quite local and wasnt aware of much of that. I think you are being overly optimistic on the time scale and cost of repairs . The whole embankment could be unstable which cannot be left these days. Also Peel will try every procrastination and trick in the book to wriggle out of paying for repairs. I can see the Government having to step in as in the last breach in 1971. In this scenario i think the canal needs transferring from Peel to CRT to ensure maintenance is kept up in future.
If money were no issue, given the history of this location, I wonder if an aqueduct to replace the whole length of the former embankment might be the best option?
The Bridgewater at Agden bridge was my regular fishing location with my dad in the late 60's/early 70's. We used to curse the boats as they made your little float jump up and down as well as stopping the fish eating your bait. Like many canals it probably wouldn't exist these days without the boaters. My dad first fished the Bridgewater at Agden in the early 50's when he used to ride from Manchester on his (push) bike. Cyclists rest at Altrincham would call for a break and a fag before setting off again. There was a house near Agden bridge that used to sell containers of tea to the fishermen even though the commercial trade boats were probably the main customers. Best of luck to those who hope to get the canal up and running again.
A very interesting video. Thank you for posting. I hope I'm wrong, but I think you may be being somewhat optimistic in your prediction that the canal will get repaired and almost certainly open again.
Think you’re right. Given that both sides of the canal beyond the breach link to other parts of the canal network I can see the Bridgewater being sealed off and left as two stubs that boats can travel down. Don’t see the cost benefit to Peel to rebuild unless they massively raised the fees for using the canal- and then no one could afford to use it.
@jonathanpringle8238 Good luck finding funding. In 1996 they were budgeting 17 million pounds. A smaller version might be less, but you want two of them, and rebuild the whole canal at a lower level? Plus 30 years of inflation? It will be amazing if they don't just abandon the whole thing.
@@grahammonk8013 peel is a billion pound company, they can certainly afford it. they are notorious for not repairing or maintaining infrastructure. They are only interested in profit. you will find the land the canal the canal is on is worth a lot of money, that is why they still own it.
Since it won't be just this section, the canal is showing that maintenance has had to be done within a budget (rightly) for a commercial company. Currently, sure a few relatively cheap actions will take place to help the poor sods caught up in this, a full survey will take place over the coming months, detailed civil engineering proposals will be sort and costed. At that point some 12-18 months time fund raising will happen in earnest. Unless and until the back of fag packet calculations of £70m most likely needed can be raised, this will be stabilised with proper coffer dams and re-watered where though safe. Through passage will not happen for perhaps, if ever, 4-5 years at least. If central government decides to make a grant, perhaps based on the sale to the company to the CRT, this might speed things up. Remember the current owners bought these assets with an eye to the land and property attached and the return on investment. I bet there has not been enough income from licences alone, happy to be wrong on all this, just a view not based on any fact (s).
Interesting history, I suppose a canal built on an embankment is always going to be at risk of collapse at some point, would it be quicker & eaiser to build an aquaduct, rather than rebuilding a new embankment.
If the canal people started a program of concreting all canals like Germany and creating new branches etc. the owners would starting only once about paying exorbitant yearly fees, my boat at 67 metres is in Belgium and l can travel anywhere and not pay a penny and have excellent services wherever l go.
The likelihood of the Bridgewater Canal re- opening in the foreseeable future is very low. The insurance claims and damages litigation will take years to settle. If the owners don’t wash their hands and walk away.
The one issue you did not cover in your UA-cam video, that is how much it will cost the rebuild the Bridgewater Canal? Or who will actually be covering these costs, which could mount upto Ten's of Millions Pounds, to rebuilt mile or more of damaged or destroyed canal too? Will this come from the UK Government and British Taxpayers, be expected to pay? Either through funding from the Department of Environmental, Food and Rual Affairs and/or Department for Transport? Or from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, or with specialist central government fund from HM Treasury? Or will local Councils and local Council Taxpayers, be expected to pay instead, or partly pay for the rebuilding of the Canal? Or will the Bridgewater Canal Trust, or Bridgewater Canal Company, who is a part of Peel Land and Property Group, who are the owners Manchester Ship Canal as well. Or will the Canal and Rivers Trust Charity, or the Inland Waterways Association too, be expected to pay towards the rebuild costs too? Or will even those who liveaboard and owners or renters, of their own Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, now trapped in the Bridgewater Canal. Be expected to pay something, towards these canal breach repairs, or will there be a fund raising appeal asking the general public donate money too? Or will these owners and renters, now have to find Thousands of Pounds themselves, to pay for their trapped Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, to be salvaged and rescued from the Bridgewater Canal soon or later too? Then expected to pay again to have their Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, transported to another fully operational Canal somewhere? That is where they can actually find an available moorings, they can rent for their boats too. Or if their Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats have been damaged, in the Bridgewater Canal Breaching event. Who is responsible for the cost of repairs, to any of these now trapped and maybe damaged Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats too? Will the liveaboard owners or renters, or their boat insurance providers, be expected to pay? Or will the owners of the Bridgewater Canal or their own insurance providers, be required to pay compensation to the Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats Owners and Renters too? Or the Bridgewater Canal Owners and their Insurance providers, be required to pay compensation. Both to local farmers, plus local land and residential property owners, let alone to United Utilities as well. Who are the owners of the flooded out Sewage plant too, all because of the canal beach and flooding water that escaped What about if any of these liveaboard owners and renters, of these now trapped Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, need to be somewhere else on the UK Canal Network, say for work and employment etc. Will these Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats Owners and Renters, be entitled to any financial compensation, as a result of the Bridgewater Canal breach?
I hope you’re right about the canal being restored. But I fear the cost will be too prohibitive for Peel Holdings to justify its repair. By sealing each end of the breach permanently there will still be two large sections for living and pleasure use but with no through cruising. I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Don't think you are wrong. Would be cheaper for Peel to have the stranded boats valued and pay that sum to the owners and leave the canal in the state you mentioned. It costs millions to resurface a few hundred metres of road so goodness knows what figure would be the initial repair estimate.
Very interesting! I've enjoyed the tailor's take on this, but was equally impressed with your work..all the best. John.
What an excellent short to the point explanation and so well narrated. Many thanks for
Thank you for such a interesting and informative video with excellent photos of the 1971 breach. Very surprised to hear the short time it took to repair considering it looked a similar breach to now.
Olive, one of the stranded boats crew (the Taylors) noted problems with the water level at 0100 hrs, they had to release the mooring ropes to allow the craft to settle a bit better. Good video, especially the pictures from the beach 50 years ago.
Very interesting and informative to learn about the early history of industrialization with coal mines and ship canals in Manchester. Great parallels to the Ruhr area in Germany, where I was a mining engineer until the mines closed. Good luck with the rapid reconstruction of the broken canal dam!
I loved that, thanks for all the interesting information in such a short format. I don't however share your optimism about the canal reopening in a year or so. More like two or never I think.
Very very fine production. Good luck with the rebuild and maybe they with heighten those overpass points.
A really good history video of the canal,
Enjoyed it! 😃👍🏻
Hello from Trujillo Perú. Thank you for the very enjoyable history lesson.
Fabulous informative video
Interesting video. Very informative. There’s not much info online regarding the 1971 breach (or there wasn’t before this new breach). I enjoyed watching and listening. Thank.
Excellent 😊
Echo previous comments, good explanation, thanks
Thank you. Thats really interesting. I'm quite local and wasnt aware of much of that.
I think you are being overly optimistic on the time scale and cost of
repairs . The whole embankment could be unstable which cannot be left these days.
Also Peel will try every procrastination and trick in the book to wriggle out of paying for repairs.
I can see the Government having to step in as in the last breach in 1971.
In this scenario i think the canal needs transferring from Peel to CRT to ensure maintenance is kept up in future.
You would think the canal could be reset into a series of precast structures laid on as firmer bade as possible for that section ?
Was mixing a little sand cement myself , made a pool of water in the centre , put a bit much water an it breached from the bottom
If money were no issue, given the history of this location, I wonder if an aqueduct to replace the whole length of the former embankment might be the best option?
Brilliant video. Really informative.
Though I think that some of your predictions about the future are far too premature!
The Bridgewater at Agden bridge was my regular fishing location with my dad in the late 60's/early 70's. We used to curse the boats as they made your little float jump up and down as well as stopping the fish eating your bait. Like many canals it probably wouldn't exist these days without the boaters. My dad first fished the Bridgewater at Agden in the early 50's when he used to ride from Manchester on his (push) bike. Cyclists rest at Altrincham would call for a break and a fag before setting off again. There was a house near Agden bridge that used to sell containers of tea to the fishermen even though the commercial trade boats were probably the main customers. Best of luck to those who hope to get the canal up and running again.
Thank you for the Straight Dope ... about every fifty years or so ... just like New Orleans ...
A very interesting video. Thank you for posting. I hope I'm wrong, but I think you may be being somewhat optimistic in your prediction that the canal will get repaired and almost certainly open again.
More like 5 years
Think you’re right. Given that both sides of the canal beyond the breach link to other parts of the canal network I can see the Bridgewater being sealed off and left as two stubs that boats can travel down.
Don’t see the cost benefit to Peel to rebuild unless they massively raised the fees for using the canal- and then no one could afford to use it.
@@SJSpode114 not if you are in a widebeam. The Macclesfield, Peak Forest and Ashton canals are all narrow canals
Such a miracle nobody died
they should built two minature versions of the falkirk wheel, and build new section at ground/field level and then raise upto original level again
@jonathanpringle8238 Good luck finding funding. In 1996 they were budgeting 17 million pounds. A smaller version might be less, but you want two of them, and rebuild the whole canal at a lower level? Plus 30 years of inflation? It will be amazing if they don't just abandon the whole thing.
@@grahammonk8013 peel is a billion pound company, they can certainly afford it. they are notorious for not repairing or maintaining infrastructure. They are only interested in profit. you will find the land the canal the canal is on is worth a lot of money, that is why they still own it.
Since it won't be just this section, the canal is showing that maintenance has had to be done within a budget (rightly) for a commercial company. Currently, sure a few relatively cheap actions will take place to help the poor sods caught up in this, a full survey will take place over the coming months, detailed civil engineering proposals will be sort and costed. At that point some 12-18 months time fund raising will happen in earnest. Unless and until the back of fag packet calculations of £70m most likely needed can be raised, this will be stabilised with proper coffer dams and re-watered where though safe. Through passage will not happen for perhaps, if ever, 4-5 years at least. If central government decides to make a grant, perhaps based on the sale to the company to the CRT, this might speed things up. Remember the current owners bought these assets with an eye to the land and property attached and the return on investment. I bet there has not been enough income from licences alone, happy to be wrong on all this, just a view not based on any fact (s).
Interesting history, I suppose a canal built on an embankment is always going to be at risk of collapse at some point, would it be quicker & eaiser to build an aquaduct, rather than rebuilding a new embankment.
If the canal people started a program of concreting all canals like Germany and creating new branches etc. the owners would starting only once about paying exorbitant yearly fees, my boat at 67 metres is in Belgium and l can travel anywhere and not pay a penny and have excellent services wherever l go.
Great …….but peel need to pull their finger out to sort this out ASAP.!
The likelihood of the Bridgewater Canal re- opening in the foreseeable future is very low. The insurance claims and damages litigation will take years to settle. If the owners don’t wash their hands and walk away.
I can't see peel holdings doing anything to repair this, they will just block it of and forget about it. They only want to make money not spend it....
Who's gonna pay for repair 10s of millions
The one issue you did not cover in your UA-cam video, that is how much it will cost the rebuild the Bridgewater Canal?
Or who will actually be covering these costs, which could mount upto Ten's of Millions Pounds, to rebuilt mile or more of damaged or destroyed canal too?
Will this come from the UK Government and British Taxpayers, be expected to pay?
Either through funding from the Department of Environmental, Food and Rual Affairs and/or Department for Transport?
Or from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, or with specialist central government fund from HM Treasury?
Or will local Councils and local Council Taxpayers, be expected to pay instead, or partly pay for the rebuilding of the Canal?
Or will the Bridgewater Canal Trust, or Bridgewater Canal Company, who is a part of Peel Land and Property Group, who are the owners Manchester Ship Canal as well.
Or will the Canal and Rivers Trust Charity, or the Inland Waterways Association too, be expected to pay towards the rebuild costs too?
Or will even those who liveaboard and owners or renters, of their own Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, now trapped in the Bridgewater Canal.
Be expected to pay something, towards these canal breach repairs, or will there be a fund raising appeal asking the general public donate money too?
Or will these owners and renters, now have to find Thousands of Pounds themselves, to pay for their trapped Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, to be salvaged and rescued from the Bridgewater Canal soon or later too?
Then expected to pay again to have their Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, transported to another fully operational Canal somewhere?
That is where they can actually find an available moorings, they can rent for their boats too.
Or if their Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats have been damaged, in the Bridgewater Canal Breaching event.
Who is responsible for the cost of repairs, to any of these now trapped and maybe damaged Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats too?
Will the liveaboard owners or renters, or their boat insurance providers, be expected to pay?
Or will the owners of the Bridgewater Canal or their own insurance providers, be required to pay compensation to the Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats Owners and Renters too?
Or the Bridgewater Canal Owners and their Insurance providers, be required to pay compensation.
Both to local farmers, plus local land and residential property owners, let alone to United Utilities as well.
Who are the owners of the flooded out Sewage plant too, all because of the canal beach and flooding water that escaped
What about if any of these liveaboard owners and renters, of these now trapped Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats, need to be somewhere else on the UK Canal Network, say for work and employment etc.
Will these Narrowboats and Widebeam Houseboats Owners and Renters, be entitled to any financial compensation, as a result of the Bridgewater Canal breach?
I hope you’re right about the canal being restored. But I fear the cost will be too prohibitive for Peel Holdings to justify its repair. By sealing each end of the breach permanently there will still be two large sections for living and pleasure use but with no through cruising. I sincerely hope I’m wrong.
Don't think you are wrong. Would be cheaper for Peel to have the stranded boats valued and pay that sum to the owners and leave the canal in the state you mentioned. It costs millions to resurface a few hundred metres of road so goodness knows what figure would be the initial repair estimate.
Close it down save money