Workers at Holpool doing ‘fascine’ (anti-erosion) work on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, Lancashire, England UK
Men at work at Holpool, near Ince Marsh doing ‘fascine’ work during the building of the Manchester Ship Canal, Lancashire, England, UK, c. 1890. This work involved the weaving of willow over the surface of the canal banks in a kind of basket work fashion to protect the soil from water erosion. This was put in place on vulnerable sections of the route. Specialist workers were brought over from Holland to carry out this task. Navvy (navigator or navigational engineer) were manual labourers employed on the canal. The term began in the late 18th century during the canal building era. Workmen cut out the bed of the canals, built bridges, tunnels, cuttings and embankments mostly using hand tools and explosives. The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36 mile (58 km) waterway linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, sets of locks lift vessels about 60 ft (18 m) to its Manchester terminus. Construction began in 1887. It opened in 1894. It was then the largest canal navigation in the world and Manchester became Britain's third busiest port despite being inland. Ships eventually became too big for the canal and traffic declined. The terminal docks at Salford closed. Today about 7 million long tons are carried on the canal – an old Victorian sepia photograph.
Size: 2532px × 3366px
Location: Manchester Ship Canal, Lancashire, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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