The entrance to the Duke of Bridgewater's coal mines at Worsley Delph, Salford, Manchester, England, UK

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Worsley Delph. The Bridgewater Canal was built because of the Duke of Bridgewater's coal mines here at Worsley Delph. The coal seams ran under the higher ground to the north. The Duke's land agent, John Gilbert, saw that it was possible to connect the canal directly to the mines by way of an underground canal. This in turn could be used to help with draining the mines, providing a source of water for the canal. There are around 47 miles of underground canals in the hillside beyond these tunnel entrances, on four different levels, connected by a water powered inclined plane and lifts.

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Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Worsley Delph, Salford, Manchester, England, UK
Photo credit: © lowefoto / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: arch, bridgewater, brown, canal, coal, delph, drain, eec, england, eu, europe, iron, manchester, mining, oxide, salford, tunnel, tunnels, uk, underground, water, waterway, worsley