Bugsworth - our virtual cruise into history

Sunday, 06 June 2010 13:09

Bugsworth Basin is a "not to be missed" canal experience

Bugsworth Basin is the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal - so the line towards the Basin at Bridgemont Junction is really the main line. What appears as the main line is actually a branch to Whaley Bridge, which developed as a transhipment centre in the early 1830s.

Bridge over Junction

The Peak Forest Canal (opened 1796) was planned to carry lime, limestone and gritstone. It joined up with the Peak Forest Tramway, which ran to the limestone quarries six miles away.

Bugsworth Basin has been lovingly restored and preserved, mainly by volunteers and is a testament to their hard work. It is now classified as an Ancient Monument.

Modern times have encroached and the area now suffers from traffic noise as the busy A6 crosses the canal and then bypasses the Basin. The canal age returns with some lovely cottages, known as Teapot Row before the Wharfinger's House and gauging lock appear ahead.

Teapot Row

Once through the gauging lock by the house, we arrived at the entrance basin and wharf. Here are the boaters facilities and Blackbrook House, the registered office of the Inland waterways Protection Society (IWPS) and Peak Forest Canal Co.

Wharfinger's House

At this point we had a choice: to carry on under bridge 58 to the moorings in the lower basin or to turn right towards the other two basins. We decided to turn right (eastwards) and explore our options! The bridges were to enable the horses to pull the working boats further into the basin.

Horse Bridges over lower basin and lower basin arm

Lower basin arm is disused - it would once had a lime warehouse straddling the end. The lines of the tramway stretched away eastwards and remains of the line can be seen all over the site.

Arriving in Middle Basin

There are moorings here which have good views of the hills to the north west and more of the remains structure around the basins on the north side. Middle basin arm is a small arm with the remains of a lime shed and a narrowboat was already in this secluded mooring.

We had been told that one of the best places to moor was right at the end of the basins, so we carried on under Silk Hill Bridge (61). Silk Hill was the route for silk transport from Macclesfield.

Silk Hill Bridge

From under the bridge we could see the upper basin wharf and arm. This is where most narrowboats come to wind but there are also a number of moorings around the basin.

It was completely empty so we chose to moor against the wharf. Ideal for TV signal, sheltered from the noise of the A6 and right in what was the transhipment end of Bugsworth Basin.

Empty wharf

There is so much more to explore at Bugsworth Basin so we settled down for the weekend. All the photos of our cruise into the basin are here - clickety click.

It is difficult to believe that the area of the basins was dirty, smoky, hot and noisy when arriving on a lovely sunny evening. The lime kilns are derelict and cold, the boats are no longer pulled by horses, the noise of hammers and wagons are silent and the smoke and dirt from lime production is long forgotten.

Moored in seclusion, our home instead of a working boat

We had to use our imagination as we wandered around the basin the next day ......