The astonishing Anderton Boat Lift is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. One of only two working boat lifts in the UK, it moves boats between the Trent & Mersey Canal and the River Weaver Navigation about 50 ft below. It was built in 1875, to shorten journeys by cutting out the old route via the Bridgewater Canal. Boats were lifted up, two at a time, in giant tanks of water.
School trips
Children can discover Edwin Clark - the Victorian engineer who designed the Anderton Boat Lift, hear the tales from the towpath and explore our industrial heritage in a whole new way.
A trip to Anderton Boat Lift provides a unique, cross-curricular learning experience focusing on river studies, history and STEM. Each trip includes a boat trip and choice of free workshop plus a guided tour or self-led trail.
For more details visit our Explorers page.
Group tours
Large or small, short or tall – groups come in all sizes and at Anderton, our dedicated group bookings team are on hand to help you handle all the details. Please telephone to discuss your chosen date and activity.
 Your group visit might include:
- a dedicated meet and greet service
- a tour of our exhibition centre (self-guided)
- a glass-covered boat trip where our live lift commentaries will take you into the heart of the lift and illuminate its incredible engineering before taking you on a historical journey along the River Weaver Navigation
- a landscaped gardens and canal-side stroll
- browsing the gift shop and take home a memento of your waterway experience.
Benefits of booking your group
- Catering packages available at discounted rates (must be booked at least one week before)
- Free coach parking
- Invoice payment available
- Meet and greet from the team
Free site tour
Our team will help you plan your visit with lots of advice on what to do while you’re here. The organiser can even come along for a free site tour beforehand to see the available facilities.
Our dedicated bookings team are happy to help. Call: 01606 786777 or Email: [email protected]
