THE BRIDGEWATER CANAL IN SALFORD Autumn Activities. september to december 2017

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1 THE BRIDGEWATER CANAL IN SALFORD Autumn Activities september to december 2017

2 contents Page 3 Page 4-5 Page 6 Page 7 Bridgewater Nature Bridgewater families Greater Manchester Walking Week Salford Food & Drink Fortnight 2017 Page 8 Page 10 Page 12 Page Canal s hidden stories Knitting the canal Crafting for Christmas 4 Photographing Bridgewater Page 16 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Bridgewater Volunteers Canal in a box Exploring the wider Bridgewater Canal Visitor information The Salford Trail The Salford Trail is a new, long distance walk of about 50 miles/80 kilometres and entirely within the boundaries of the City of Salford. The route has been developed by the Manchester and Salford Ramblers and it goes through rural areas and green spaces, with a little road walking in between. The Trail is made up of ten individual linked walks and two of them take in the Salford stretch of the Bridgewater Canal as well as interesting routes nearby. You can download a leaflet describing the route and giving the transport options for each walk at 2

3 Bridgewater Nature Family Bat Walk Friday 15 September, 7pm to 8.30pm, Worsley Green - Bridgewater Canal Learn about the Bridgewater bats that hunt for insects along the canal and join us on a short night time canalside walk to find them with our bat detectors. Suitable for families. Please wear appropriate footwear and bring a torch. Free but booking is essential at Bridgewater Bat Walk Thursday 21 September, 7pm to 9pm, Monton - Worsley - Monton Join us on a night time walk (approximately 3 miles) along the Bridgewater Canal to spot Daubenton and Pipistrelle bats as they hunt for insects and a mate. The walk is approximately 3 miles long. Please wear suitable footwear and bring a torch. Free but booking is essential at Fungi Foray Sunday 1 October, 10am to 12 noon, Bridgewater Park, Boothstown Join our local expert from Discover the Wild to delve into the delightful world of fungi! Last year we found Green Elf Cup, Parrot Waxcap and Poison Pie. What will we find this year? Meet at the park entrance next to The Moorings Pub off Booths Hall Way. Free but booking is essential at 3

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5 Bridgewater Families Explore the delights of the Bridgewater Canal together Oodles of Umbrella Doodles Thursday 26 October, 10am to 12.30pm & 1pm to 3.30pm, Worsley Green Join artist Sarah Marsh on an unusual umbrella doodle walk around Worsley. This walk for families gives children a unique experience as they doodle their way around the Green and along the canal using special pens on transparent umbrellas, drawing what they see around them. Sarah will show you how to look again at what is familiar come rain or shine! Umbrellas and paints are provided and you get to keep and take home your umbrella as a practical and very useful memento! Suitable for age 5+. Places for both sessions are free but limited so please book at Get Twiggy with It! Sunday 26 November, 1pm to 3.30pm Duke s Drive, Monton Do you know how to tell the age of a tree or measure how high it is with your feet still on the ground? Well now s your chance to find out. Join us and our friends from City of Trees on this family fun winter s day to celebrate how wonderful trees are. Try your hand at leaf art, make a natural wreath decoration, learn about trees with Professor Jigget and get twiggy with it! This activity is free. All ages welcome. No need to book, just meet in the meadow at Duke s Drive, just beyond the car park (off Parrin Lane). 5

6 Greater Manchester Autumn Walking Week We re excited to be taking part in the first ever Greater Manchester Autumn Walking Week. Between Saturday 21 and Sunday 29 October, walks are taking place across all ten districts of Greater Manchester. You can find out more about all of the week s activities at The walks below are free but booking is essential at October Forage Tuesday 24 October, 10am to 12 noon, from Duke s Drive, Monton Meet local foraging expert Dave Winnard from Discover the Wild and enjoy a walk around Duke s Drive and nearby woodland to find delicious delights from nature s bounty. Afterwards you can sample a warm drink made from foraged ingredients. Waterway and Looplines Wednesday 25 October, 10.30am to 3pm, from Duke s Drive, Monton Salford has some great walking routes and this walk will show you one way to join up the canal towpath and the neighbouring looplines as a circular walk. There are short lengths along roads but long stretches of the walk are entirely traffic free. On this circular walk of approximately 7.5 miles we will follow the Bridgewater Canal towpath from Duke s Drive in Monton, through Worsley to Boothstown. From there we leave the canal and walk up to join the Tyldesley Loopline which we follow back to our starting point. 6

7 Salford Food & Drink Fortnight 2017 Friday 13 October to Thursday 26 October The celebration of Salford Food and Drink is back for its 13th year and this time it s showcasing our city s food and drink heroes. We ve got a special heritage themed guided trail around Worsley s pubs as well as a fungi themed forage at Duke s Drive. There are lots of friendly and welcoming places to eat and drink along the canal to find out more about what the festival has lined up across the city go to The Magic of Mushrooms Saturday 21 October, 2pm to 4pm, Dukes Drive, Monton Without fungi life on earth would be very different! Join us on this walk to hear fascinating facts about fungi, and learn which types are edible and inedible. Free but booking is essential at Beer, Ballads & Boats Sunday 22 October, 1pm to 4pm, Worsley Village If you enjoyed the pubs of Barton and Monton on our previous Beer, Ballads & Boats walks you will love this visit to Worsley. Join local historian Mark Charnley and Broadside Balladress Jennifer Reid on this exploration of the history and hospitality of some of the watering places of Worsley. Visiting several establishments along the way Jennifer will perform the ballads of the labourers and canal folk that worked along our waterway. Mark will tell the story of the origins and colourful past of the pubs and there will be a chance to purchase refreshments on the way. Free but places are limited and booking is essential at 7

8 Help reveal the canal s hidden stories Our heritage volunteers contribute to the transformation of the Bridgewater Canal through rediscovering its stories and sharing them with residents and visitors. We aim to tell the many and varied stories of the canal, covering over 256 years of history and the lives of the people who built it and lived, worked and played in the surrounding area. From Dukes and Earls to masons and mole catchers, some tales resonate today such as terrible travel on Georgian roads leading to school day shortcuts along the canal! We have uncovered the stories of historic firsts for the area, from the canal itself with its engineering innovations to the development of mine safety lamps and James Nasmyth s mighty steam hammer. Every building and sometimes every stone has a tale to tell. Memorials and mason s marks, the grooves on the side of bridges, plaques and inscription can all reveal detail of the vivid lives lived here. There are many ways to get involved. You could share memories of your family or of life and work in the area. We also need people to record and transcribe the stories other people tell. If you prefer researching documents, images and artefacts we arrange visits to local archive sources and opportunities to investigate records from further afield. Perhaps you are comfortable talking to groups and could lead guided walks or workshops along the canal? Support and training is available for all this and more. Whether you have lots of prior knowledge to share or just curiosity you are equally welcome. Our heritage volunteer programme is designed to be as flexible as possible. Our volunteers meet up every couple of weeks to share their progress and work together on joint projects. Come along and become part of the Bridgewater Canal s unique history. For more information about our heritage volunteer project please contact us at bridgewatercanal@salford.gov.uk or on

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10 Make Your Marks knitting the canal Make your Marks is a new book filled with contemporary, practical, beautiful knitted items for you to transform your wardrobe, teapots and technology. All patterns have been inspired by the Bridgewater Canal s unique heritage with simple step-by-step instructions to guide you. Go to est1761.org/learn and download your free copy to get knitting. woolli 10

11 The Duke s Cut Cushion If you can t wait to get started, why not have a go at this pattern. It lends itself perfectly to a cushion or a blanket. Mix it with some plain or patterned squares, experiment with colours and you will be well on your way to having your own piece of heritage-inspired homeware! Pattern instructions Diagonally striped squares. Use two colours. Cast on 2 sts in 1st colour Row 1: k2 sts Row 2: Attach new colour inc 1 st, k to the end of the row Row 3: Inc 1 st, k to the end of the row. Switch back to 1st colour. Repeat rows 2 & 3 until you have 24 sts (or work measures 10cm across), changing colour every 2 rows until the end of the piece of knitting. Decreasing row 1: k2tog, k to the end of the row Row 2: k2tog, k to the end of the row Repeat rows 1 & 2 of decreasing until you have 2 sts left Cast off 2 sts. Your square should measure 10cm. 11

12 Crafting for Christmas Photo courtesy of Joe Smith Photography. Join us for a festive celebration of traditional crafts to make contemporary Christmas presents as gifts for others (or even yourself). We ve lined up a host of modern day artists including screen printers, willow weavers and jewellery makers to help you create uniquely crafted pieces in a series of masterclasses in the beautiful setting of Worsley Court House. When the Bridgewater Canal opened in 1761, the surrounding areas became a hive of industry to support the canal and the coal mines. Worsley Green which is now pretty and peaceful was once a busy, noisy industrial yard with blacksmiths, sail makers, sawyers and basket weavers. Much of this has now gone (although little clues are left here and there such as the Nail Maker s Cottage and the Lime Kilns in Worsley and Nasmyth s steam hammer in Patricroft) but the skills and interest in crafting are very much alive today and we hope you will join us in this mini craft-revival this Christmas. Workshops will take place in early December at Worsley Court House, Barton Road, M28 2PB. Look out for more details, coming soon on our website and social media. Facebook Est

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14 4Photographing Bridgewater Simon Buckley, Not Quite Light Canal boats traditionally travel at 4 miles per hour, which roughly equates to the speed of a brisk walking pace, and this significantly determines how the waterway is experienced. This very human pace allows us time to observe a travel route in a way often lost to us in the modern era. It s also a constant thread back to our ancestors, who also would have travelled along the Bridgewater Canal with the same measured progress. Over one year, photographic artist Simon Buckley has been capturing Salford s original canal through a series of photographs, films and the written word. Simon is well known for his project Not Quite Light which sees him capturing the changing streets of Salford and Manchester in the half light of dawn. For 4 Simon has examined the Bridgewater Canal in Salford over a 4 mile stretch as it is now, observing the clues from its past and the reality and relevance of its presence in our lives today. Pictures are taken in the 4 seasons, with a different mile assigned each time. Every season sees Simon organising an event within the chosen mile. After taking in the wintery delights of Boothstown, and the spring light of Worsley, Simon has been exploring the Monton stretch of the Bridgewater Canal during late summer and will then be heading towards Barton during the autumn months. As his time in Monton comes to an end he ll be running a course in low light photography using the Bridgewater Canal in Monton for inspiration. 14

15 At Low Light a weekend course in low light photography Friday 22 September to Sunday 24 September The weekend starts on the Friday evening at Monton where Simon will introduce the techniques needed for working at sunrise and sunset with daylight and street lighting. This will be followed by a canal walk to explore the possibilities for pictures the following day. Then, on the Saturday evening at dusk he will take you on an inspiring photographic walk along the towpath through Monton. The weekend will be rounded off on the Sunday with post-production techniques and a discussion about the photographs taken. For this course you ll need a digital capture device, preferably a DSLR, a tripod and a laptop or ipad. This weekend course is free but booking is essential. For further information and to book please go to Simon will also be exploring Barton and Patricroft later in the autumn look out for more details on our website at 15

16 Bridgewater Environment Volunteers Enjoy working in the great outdoors, learning new skills & meeting new people? Our volunteering activities are a great way to do all three! To find out more about becoming a Bridgewater Volunteer, contact Jill Tyson on or bridgewatercanal@salford.gov.uk All abilities are welcome and we provide all the tools and materials. We only ask that you are over 18 and wear suitable footwear and outdoor clothing. Please bring a packed lunch tea and coffee are provided. Wonderful Wildflowers Sunday 17 September, 10am to 3pm, Duke s Drive, Monton You may have seen the eye-catching display of wildflowers at the side of the entrance to Duke s Drive this summer? Now it s time to harvest seeds and prepare the ground for next year s beautiful blooms. Meet in Duke s Drive car park, off Parrin Lane. Back To School Wednesday 11 October, 10am to 3pm Duke s Drive School groups visit Duke s Drive regularly to learn all about nature and the Bridgewater Canal. Help us to install a seating area to create an informal outdoor education space on the meadow. Meet in Duke s Drive car park, off Parrin Lane. Aqueduct Views Sunday 12 November, 10am to 3pm Barton Aqueduct Pocket Park Improve views of James Brindley s original 1761 stone aqueduct by helping to remove self-seeded trees that have shot up over the summer months and plant bulbs to add some spring colour. Meet by the entrance to the Pocket Park off Barton Lane. A Host of Golden Daffodils Wednesday 1 November, 10am to 3pm Hall Bank, Patricroft Give this canalside spot some much needed TLC with a litter pick and scrub clearance, followed by planting native daffodils to make this a brighter place in spring. Meet at Hall Bank next to Patricroft railway bridge (off Worsley Road). 16

17 Winter Pruning Workshop Wednesday 22 November, 10am to 3pm, Duke s Drive, Monton Join Growing School to learn all you need to know about pruning and taking care of apple and pear trees, so they stay strong, healthy and produce lots of fruit! Meet in Duke s Drive car park, off Parrin Lane. Willow Harvesting Wednesday 6 December, 10am to 3pm, Duke s Drive, Monton Last year we planted two areas of willow. Come along and help us harvest the new growth for Willow Craft Workshops which are being held later this month. Meet in Duke s Drive car park, off Parrin Lane. Blooming Bridgewater Our industrious Bridgewater Volunteers have had their hard work recognised after their celebration of the Bridgewater Canal was named Best Show Feature at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park Bridgewater Canal, Coal and Craft, inspired by the Salford stretch of the canal featured a 20 foot long wooden boat, which took volunteers 700 hours to hand build, and giant letters spelling #FLOATIEST which were covered with hundreds of knitted squares made by local residents. Volunteers also greeted people at the RHS Tatton Flower Show, telling them stories about the canal s history. Designer Tim Denton created a series of wooden arches echoing the structure of the underground mines from which coal would be brought to the surface at Worsley Delph and transported by boat along Britain s first true canal to Manchester. The planting reflected some of the canal s unique orange colour due to iron oxide in the water. friendli 17

18 Canal in a Box Our new creative loan boxes inspired by the Bridgewater Canal are now available for free hire to older people s groups in Salford. The boxes are ideal for day centres, care homes, nursing homes, sheltered housing schemes, charities and independent and community groups. Choose from three boxes: Architecture Canal Life Habitats Each one is dementia friendly and designed to be flexible so you can plan a series of activities using the whole box or just dip in and out from the menu. You may even be inspired to go out to the canalside itself to take in its colours, sounds, buildings and spaces. The boxes have been developed for Est.1761 by Memories Matter, the successful loan box service managed by Salford Museum & Art Gallery. For more information, or to book a box, contact the museum on You can now download the three Canal in a Box activity packs with great ideas for exploring the Bridgewater Canal without having to get the box. With thanks to The Booth Charities for additional funding for this resource. 18

19 Exploring the wider Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal developed from its roots in Salford to become a 65km (39 mile) waterway stretching from Runcorn to Leigh in the North West of England. It was originally constructed to transport the Duke of Bridgewater s coal from his mine at Worsley efficiently and cheaply to the rapidly expanding towns and cities nearby. At its peak, over 3 million tonnes of traffic used the Bridgewater Canal. Nowadays it is a leisure waterway popular with many cruising boaters but also with walkers and cyclists who enjoy exploring the many miles of towpath. You can find out more about the canal at Boaters Boaters are welcome along the Bridgewater Canal route although all craft must have a valid canal licence or permit. You can find out everything you need to know about licensing and mooring locations on the Bridgewater Canal Company s website at You can also find out about hiring a boat (for a day or a short term break) and local boat operators. Fishing Various species of fish can be found along the Bridgewater Canal including rudd, roach, carp, perch, bream, tench and pike. If you would like to fish on the canal, there are a number of fishing clubs which have a licence to fish on various stretches of the Bridgewater. You can find out more about licences and the Fishing Code of Practice at fishing The Bridgewater Canal is owned and operated by The Bridgewater Canal Company Limited, part of The Peel Group, in conjunction with the Bridgewater Canal Trust. You can contact the Bridgewater Canal Company directly by at Bridgewatercanal@peel.co.uk or by telephone on (between 2pm and 4pm Monday to Friday). 19

20 Visitor information Duke s Drive Country Park is a new visitor hub for the Bridgewater Canal in Salford. There are over 50 new parking spaces conveniently located off Parrin Lane. The area is served by regular bus services (the nearest stop is Monton Green) including service numbers 33, 61, 62 and 68. N Folly Brook Worsley Golf Club Bridgewater Canal towpath Duke s Drive Country Park Loopline Stableford Ave Church Broad Oak Park Duke s Drive Entrance B5229 Bridgewater Canal Parrin Ln Canal Side Canal Bank B5229 Monton Green Alfred St bridgewatercanal@salford.gov.uk Book activities at Follow us on Like us on Facebook - Est1761 Follow us on