A Narrowboat To The Worsley Mines Along the Bridgewater Canal

In this video we take a Narrowboat along the Bridgewater canal to the Mines at Worsley. Worsley Delph to be precise. This is a fantastic narrowboat experience. A friend of mine took me on his canal boat to a place I find fascinating at the moment. Currently being obsessed with all mining activities in the Irwell valley in Manchester and Salford this was a real pilgrimage for me. The Duke of Bridgewater built the Bridgewater canal to take coal from his mines at Worsley into Manchester city centre where there was a real hunger for coal to fuel the Industrial revolution. He employed the skills of the famous civil engineer James Brindley. Brindley built the Barton Aqueduct in the 18th Century which was later demolished and made way for the Barton Swing Aqueduct a first of its kind. We travel over the Barton Swing aqueduct on our journey. At the mine entrances we see Worsley Delph and the thick toxic Ochre mud that stains the Bridgewater canal. We read some harrowing accounts of child labour. this was a fascinating journey and a tale of early coal mining in the 18th century. This turns into a great Urbex, Urban exploration.