This was one of the last canals to be built in Britain, opening in 1831 when railways were coming into their own. However, it remained successful for many years, carrying coal, silk, cotton and stone along the eastern edge of Cheshire, linking the Potteries with Marple, on the edge of Manchester.

Now it’s popular with leisure boaters, fishermen, walkers and cyclists.

See other pages in this section: The Cheshire mosses, The salt industry, The Shropshire Union Canal and The Trent and Mersey Canal