A short walk along the canal towpath from Apperley Bridge Marina brings you to Dobson Locks, a two rise staircase lock. This part of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal was finished in 1777. In the early 1800s, warehouses, workshops and a maintenance yard were built alongside the locks. Lock gates and various other parts were made on site here, a vital part of maintaining the canal. The buildings are mostly Grade II listed and thus protected, and the Canal and River Trust still uses some of them as offices and workshops.
Adjacent to the locks and also on the wharf by the swing bridge there are various old cottages and houses that at one time belonged to the Canal Company and were used to house their workers, inspectors and managers. It must have been a very busy place, a hive of activity. They're now private houses, retaining many original features. Together it all adds up to a rather charming and now relatively peaceful hamlet.
There is so much beauty in your area.
ReplyDeleteWhat an astounding amount of work went into constructing those canals!
ReplyDelete