Hollinwood Canal Society News

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Annual Meeting 2011

The Annual Meeting for Hollinwood Canal Society members will take place on Wednesday 27th July 2011.

The venue once again will be the Dog and Partidge pub, Oldham Road, Waterloo in Ashton under Lyne.

The event follows the same format as in previous years, with the short meeting beginning at 7.15 pm followed by the opportunity to socialise with fellow-members.

The pub serves good food and anyone wishing to eat should place their order at the start of the meeting and the food will arrive after the meeting ends.

Please let us know if you intend to be there. (01457 836273)

Friday 1 July 2011

Concern for Footbridge

Part of the decking has recently disappeared from the iron footbridge at Pinch Farm, between Crime Lake and Daisy Nook.

It is not known whether this was the work of vandals or a step to prevent people from crossing the bridge. Oldham Countryside Service, who manage the canal and towpath at Daisy Nook, do not know what happened to the bridge.


This attractive bridge is an unusual design for a canal bridge and it would be unfortunate if it were to deteriorate. It is thought that the bridge may be in private ownership and it is worrying that the land owner appears to have allowed the adjacent Pinch Farm to collapse completely.

Is this bridge a suitable candidate for listing by English Heritage? Would there be any advantage in doing so? We would welcome advice from anyone who has experience of listing and would be keen to learn of anything the Society might do to help safeguard the bridge.

Pinch Farm (or Pinch Hall Farm) was built more than 200 years ago on the edge of a hill overlooking the Medlock valley. The canal was constructed through a shallow cutting, separating the farm from its land, so an accommodation bridge was built to provide access. Because of the steep hillside, the only other access to the farm was from the towpath.

It is thought that the original was a wooden bridge which was replaced by the present iron footbridge around 1860 by the railway company that owned the canal at that time. Its style is unusual for a canal bridge, resembling more the style of footbridges constructed over railways.