The Anderton Boat Lift is an amazing, unique structure. Nearly 150 years old, it has been re-engineered multiple times. A cathedral of the canals, revered by everyone who loves the canals of this country and such a special, unique structure. It is so important that the boat lift remains operational. So much work has been done to bring it back to life, to restore and repair it, and to make it available for the 3,000 boats every year that use it. It is so vital that its place in history is retained in order to both provide the service and the function it does today, but also a reminder of our incredible industrial heritage that we must cherish as such an important part of our national story.
Anderton was a hive of activity in the middle of the Industrial Revolution. It was an area where goods were transported along the canals. We have the Trent & Mersey at the top of the hill here, and the River Weaver at the bottom of the hill. Getting a link between these two navigation was really important.
The drop is about 50 foot and that would require about 10 locks, which, there’s the cost of the construction. It’s not an easy place to put them. And then, you’ve got the water transfer. There wouldn’t be enough water in the canal at the top. You’d just lose all that water into the Weaver Navigation.
Anderton Boat Lift opened in 1875. It’s not all been plain sailing and it’s had an interesting life. Edward Leader Williams, he’s credited with this ingenious creation. He’s brought on Edwin Clark to work on the project because of his expertise in hydraulics. When it first opened, it was good for the first 10 to 15 years, but because they were transporting salt, corrosion started and corrosion started from the inside in the hydraulics. Major changes were required at the beginning of the 20th century. The new chief engineer, Colonel Saner, he came up with a new idea for converting the lift to electrically operated, but also keeping the idea of weights to make it balanced to use less energy for operation. Unfortunately, with the downturn of traffic on the navigation and canals and the onset of war in the 20th century, the lift declined in use, and by the 1980s it became derelict and unused. After an enormous campaign by British Waterways and many fantastic volunteers, the Anderton Boat Lift was finally restored back to life in 2002, and the Lift was restored to original hydraulic principles, but this time using oil. At the same time, an operation centre was built, which doubled up as a visitor centre to help manage the site.
It’s over 20 years since Anderton was restored and it’s time for a refresh. The paint is coming to the end of its life, and the control system is past its sell-by date. It’s time to renew the paint, install and update the control system, and look at safety improvements that we can make to keep Anderton Boat Lift a safe, reliable, working boat lift for the next generation.
The Lift is amazing, but it’s not all about the boat lift. It’s about the experience that people have when they come here to learn, to relax, to play, to engage with our living heritage. One of the really important parts of this project is to replace the marquee, which, as you can see behind me, is looking a bit tired. It’s been here for 20 years and we desperately need a proper structure where we can have education and events. We want to be able to welcome more school groups for education, more visitors, do more for our boating community, and make a better use of the space that we have, showcasing this fantastic monument. There’s so much potential at the site. Some of the things that we’re thinking about are introducing paddle sports, having more play, more steam activities, and really showcasing the fantastic ecology alongside our engineering.
We need to take action now. It’s so important to keep Anderton Boat Lift alive for the next generation.
