View, from sand beach flooded by rising tide, North Training Wall along the low water channel of the River Ribble, Fairhaven, UK
The low water channel of the River Ribble, from Preston Dock to the seaward limit of the estuary. a distance of 15 miles, is long and fairly straight. This is because it has been trained in stages, from the 1840s onwards, by the building of low rubble walls along the sides of the low water channel. The South Training Wall (background view) is 15 miles long and the North Training Wall (mid-distance), disappearing under Salter's Spit, at the seaward extremity of the estuary, is 14 miles long. Robert Stevenson and Son reported about training the river in 1837. Engineering works began in 1840 and the training walls were extended over the next 100 years. The seaward walls were built 1932-37. The low water channel is marked by perches and beacons, some lit at night, mounted on the training walls. In 1937 the Ribble, relative to its size, had the most extensive system of training works of any estuary in the UK. Dredging and training kept the channel open for large ships reaching Preston Dock. The training walls ceased to be maintained in 1969. Dredging ceased in 1979. Preston Dock closed to commercial traffic in 1981. Yachts, motor-cruisers and fishing boats are still seen navigating the river channel. The training walls have become a hard surface for huge numbers of wild mussels. View, from sand beach being flooded by the rising tide, towards the North Training Wall and the South Training Wall across the low water channel of the River Ribble. The low water channel of the River Ribble at this location, some distance out from the coastline at Fairhaven, is over 400 metres wide.
Size: 3830px × 2553px
Location: North Training Wall, low water channel River Ribble, Fairhaven, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, UK
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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