Frequently asked questions

Anderton Boat Lift is a unique heritage icon and a working Scheduled Monument which has transported boats for 150 years. Our vision for Engineering the Future is to preserve this vital connection to our industrial past, welcome local communities and visitors with an inspirational and inclusive experience to the upgraded Visitor Centre which will engage new audiences from throughout the UK. This project will also provide new opportunities to connect people through science, heritage, nature, and wellbeing.

The work required to the Lift is part of its long-term maintenance and will be crucial to help ensure it can remain operational and enable around 3,000 boats each year to continue being transported the 50 feet between the Trent & Mersey Canal and the River Weaver Navigation.

Canal & River Trust is committed to supporting plans for this project, to deliver critical refurbishment work to both the Anderton Boat Lift and the Visitor Centre and grounds. It will be a catalyst to reposition this unique site as a recognised national visitor attraction with world-class heritage.

A new Expression of Interest submitted in June was positively received by the national Board of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and we now have approval to submit a new development phase grant application at this national level later this year. This is great news and shows that we have a viable and exciting proposal.

Following a review last December, the Heritage Fund concluded that they were unable to accept our delivery phase funding bid as planned in February this year, due to some legitimate changes in cost and scope since the initial application. These changes were outside our control and included external factors such as inflation, particularly in the construction sector, placing additional pressures on the plans for the project.

Due to the increase in costs, we need to apply to the national, rather than the regional, Board at the Heritage Fund for a larger grant. This requires us to go back to the start of the application process to change our submission and apply for funding at this higher level. All the work already completed will remain relevant.

We’re placing more emphasis on the national significance of the heritage and the site as a whole, as well as the long-term sustainability post-project. This is vital when it comes to demonstrating to the Heritage Fund that we can compete at the national Board level and show what we already know, that Anderton is an extremely important asset in the UK visitor economy and fully deserving of this investment.

The project team are working with our consultants and partners to build a programme for the next development phase to inform the new application. We aim to submit this in time for a decision in spring 2026.

The last major restoration of the Boat Lift took place 25 years ago and continuous use since then has taken its toll on the structure The Lift now requires blast cleaning, repairing and re-painting with an innovative technical coating system designed to protect it from corrosion for at least the next 25 years. A new operating system is required, utilising modern technology to improve reliability, while ensuring this essential link is maintained for navigation. Additional improvements will be made to enhance safety and make regular maintenance easier and more efficient, whilst prioritising the safety of all those who use it.

The Engineering The Future project will also provide an opportunity for the Visitor Centre and facilities to be revitalised, with new exhibitions and inspirational interpretation, a new indoor event and venue space, improved amenities and accessible facilities. Visitors will be able to discover untold stories of Anderton through new interactive elements and specially designed play equipment, relax in the refreshed café, or sip a coffee by the riverside. Everyone will be welcome to join an event, connect with nature, take to the water, or ascend to the top of the Lift if they have a head for heights, while fun activity and education programmes means there will be events for everyone to enjoy.

In additional to its operational importance on the canal and river network in the north of England, Anderton Boat Lift is a national asset due its valuable and unique history. It is a scheduled monument, the highest level of designation in the UK, given its status in industrial heritage worldwide, and a living icon that people are lucky enough to still be able to experience. It was the first commercially successful boat lift in the world and a benchmark for other lifts that followed it in Europe. It is crucial that the lift is preserved due to its historical significance and the Engineering The Future project will enable this to happen. Investment in the visitor centre will allow the Lift to thrive, as commercial success from an increase in visitor numbers and spend will support its ongoing care and maintenance and help the site to become self-sustaining.

Subject to a successful development phase application, work will recommence on the project in spring 2026. Thereafter a new delivery phase application will be submitted, which is likely to be in in the spring of 2027, with a view to starting work on site in winter 2027/28. This is separate to the proposed work to replace the gate lifting mechanisms.

Currently there is a navigation closure at the Anderton Boat Lift following the unexpected failure of a lifting wire on the East aqueduct. For the latest information please see the stoppage notice on the Trust website.

Detailed design work is currently underway on a long-term repair which will introduce a new lifting system for all the gates, making the boat lift safer and more reliable for the future. This will require substantial investment and careful planning, especially given the historical importance of the lift. This work is being progressed in advance of the Engineering the Future project, with close consideration of how any new systems will integrate with the broader programme of refurbishment works.

Unfortunately, the boat lift will remain closed to navigation throughout 2025, however the visitor site will be open as usual along with the café, boat trips on the river, and a programme of great events and activities.

The Trust is committed to keeping this iconic structure open and operational in the long-term and to investing in the site through the Engineering the Future project.

The scope of works, programme, and total costs are all currently under review. We are now working towards applying to National Lottery Heritage Fund for a national level grant. The Trust will also be contributing towards the cost of the project, and our fundraising team is working hard to develop relationships with a variety of philanthropists, trusts and foundations, and corporates, while also looking at appropriate statutory and government grants. In addition to any grant issued by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, it will be vital for us to secure additional funding to deliver the project.

Our Winter Appeal in late 2023 was very successful, raising over £70k for Anderton which was more than double the original target. There will likely be an additional public-facing appeal once enough funding has been obtained to move the project into delivery, to help us ‘close the gap’ and fully deliver our plans.

Anderton Boat Lift opened in 1875 and was the world’s first successful commercial boat lift. Edwin Clark’s pioneering design subsequently inspired boat lifts across Europe, some of which now hold UNESCO World Heritage status. It is the oldest working boat lift in the world, recognised as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Waterways” and is designated as a Scheduled Monument which is the highest designation of heritage protection in the UK. The Trust’s mission is to keep this iconic structure operational for the next generation, as it provides a unique link to our living history. It is a priceless piece of the UK’s industrial heritage, an internationally important example of Victorian engineering, and already a popular visitor attraction welcoming nearly 90,000 people each year.

Through its 150-year history, the Lift has been a challenge to maintain and has required several adaptations and refurbishments. Salty water meant the original hydraulic rams rusted and seized up, so these were eventually replaced with a 1908 electric pulley system to haul the boat caissons up and down. In 1983, the Lift was declared unsafe due to severe corrosion and shut down for nearly two decades, before it was restored back to hydraulics and opened to the public around the millennium. Since then, it has been operating almost continuously. With time and weather taking their toll, it is now at a critical point in its long-term maintenance cycle.

We are very hopeful that our efforts to secure sufficient funding from a range of different sources will be successful and the project will go ahead as planned, to keep this site open and operational for the future. However, there are no guarantees in the current economic and financial climate, and the Trust is facing ever-increasing financial pressures, so it is possible that we could struggle to reach our target. If this is the case, we would have to re-visit the terms and scope of the project and prioritise the most essential work.

The Trust is committed to refurbishing Anderton Boat Lift and preserving this icon of industrial heritage. We have support from Historic England to maintain the Lift as a working monument and want to see the site fulfil its potential as a nationally recognisable destination showcasing our world-class heritage. Without investment the future of the Lift could be in jeopardy, which is why we are working so hard to make our Engineering The Future project a success.