The coal staithe - upturned railway tracks which allowed carriages full of coal to be tipped on to boats – is believed to be the terminus of the Winstanley Colliery Railway that brought coal from Winstanley Colliery. The original is said to have been sold as scrap for £34 in 1929 so the current structure is a replica version created by students of Wigan and Leigh College in 1986.
Over the past 32 years the timber and metalwork has deteriorated, so the Trust is undertaking works to remove and restore the structure, ensuring it can continue to be part of the town's industrial story for generations to come.