Sowerby Bridge - a look around

Monday, 21 September 2009 17:51

The Town and the Wharf

Three waterways pass through Sowerby Bridge - the River Calder was here first and flows through the valley below the town. The Calder and Hebble Navigation arrived next, many many years after the river! Finally the "new boy" the Rochdale Canal was built as the last waterway. This had a "second coming" when it was restored right into the Calder and Hebble wharf once again.

Sowerby Bridge Town has a main street up above the waterways. Small shops, a bakers, fish and chip shop and a few pubs are within walking distance of our mooring. It was a weaving, spinning and manufacturing town which built up around the river and navigations.

The Parish Church, Christ Church is at Tuel Lane Junction

The Old Town Hall is now a bank, shops and apartments

The River Calder from the main town bridge

We turned back to walk to the wharf and as we neared we had a good view of Wainhouse Tower. it was supposed to be the chimney of a dye works but in reality is a Victorian folly. Why would Wainhouse have built a staircase up it if it was to be full of choking smoke? It is quite a tale - see it here if you are interested!

Wainhouse Tower and ornate viewing platforms

We arrived at the wharf - there are two very good story-boards explaining the history and layout by the car park. Here is my quick guide -

Number 4 Warehouse is now home to Shire Cruisers

The warehouse was built in 1778 and is one of the earliest surviving canal warehouses. It has an internal wet dock and numerous loading doors. Goods were lifted to wagons using a rope and pulley slung from a beam (or "cathead") above the uppermost door. The steel crane in the photo dates from late 19th century.

Number 2 Warehouse now houses three restaurants

The earlier building here was probably the first to be built at the wharf. This rebuild combines warehouses 1 and 2. At one time the canal basin that bordered these buildings was roofed over, facilitating transfer of vulnerable cargo from boat to boat.

The Salt Warehouse

This now houses the BW sani-station, offices and another restaurant. Salt was just one of the cargoes carried along the Navigation. Others included wool, cotton, corn, stone, timber and casked goods. The final cargo carried was one of the more exotic ones - myronbalans. What! You have never heard of them? Myronbalans are dried, plum-like tropical fruit from which dye is made!

Across the basin from the warehouses are buildings associated with the business of cargo carrying. There is a Weigh House (also the toll house), a Porters Lodge and these buildings.

Basin buildings

On the left is the Agents House and stables, built when Thomas Walpole was appointed manager of the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Next to it is The Bolton Brow Methodist Church. This building has two unique points. The lower floors were built by the Church Trustees as stables and storage. Thus the church profited from the rule that the Rochdale Canal was prohibited from building their own warehouses in the Sowerby Bridge area.

Secondly, the bellows of the church organ were powered by a water turbine. The adjoining Assembly Room is now a sculptor's studio.

This plaque on the side of the Salt Warehouse gives an idea of what the area would have looked like in its busy heyday

Plaque of Salt Warehouse

We wended our way back to Epiphany, over the bottom gates of lock 1, satisfied that we had explored Sowerby Bridge, or at least the bits that we wanted to see - oh, and we carried our newly acquired long-throw windlass that we have been assured we'll need on The Rochdale.