Droylsden Marina in use!

The new Marina at the Droylsden end of the Hollinwood Canal is now in use and boats have started to moor there.

The management of the marina is being carried out by Portland Basin Marina and enquiries about moorings should be made to 0161 330 3133.

Construction of the homes and offices in the Droylsden Wharf scheme around the marina is currently on hold due to the recession, so there had been worries that the marina might sit disused for a while.

The floating mooring pontoons were put in place by development owners Watkin Jones. Guy Holding of Portland Basin Marina has installed power and water and made access to the pontoons secure.


Boats moored at the floating pontoons

The marina offers boaters electrical power metered to every boat, water supply on the pontoon and secure lock-in access. Elsan disposal is available nearby at Fairfield Junction. Gas bottles can be supplied.


Boats moored at the floating pontoons

The marina is close to frequent bus services, Droylsden Library, shops and a 24-hour Tesco.

Guy says that he has had a lot of enquiries and hopes to fill the pontoons before long.

Vandals Attack Valley Aqueduct

Regular users of the Fairbottom Branch towpath that crosses Valley Aqueduct were dismayed to discover that vandals had attacked the stonework towards the end of November.

Nearly half of the heavy coping stones had been dislodged and pushed over and a large section of the centre of the parapet wall had been smashed, with the stones crashing down onto the road below.

Oldham Council acted promptly and put the stones into safe storage until the wall could be repaired. During December the council then sent a team to carry out the repairs.

The original damage to the parapet of Valley Aqueduct at the beginning of December.

Unbelievably, within a few days of the work being completed, most of the repaired section had been wrecked again, along with a lot more stones.

The area of damage extended further around the curve of the wall, and the parapet was demolished down to towpath level in places.

The second lot of damage. Part of the repair to the first attack can be seen where the new mortar is lighter than that of the surrounding stonework..

Daisy Nook Country Park rangers were very upset by this further damage, as the first repair had been costly. The fallen stones have once again been removed and the roadway under the aqueduct blocked off in case of loose stonework falling.

At the time of publication it is not known how soon the parapet can be repaired or whether it would be possible to reinforce the wall in some way.

It remains a mystery how so much damage could be done without attracting attention. The towpath across the aqueduct is in constant use during the daytime with walkers, cyclist, dog owners and horse riders. At night time it is a long dark walk from the nearest areas of housing. It also defies explanation why anyone would put so much effort into such mindless and pointless destruction of a historic structure.

Working Party

November 2009’s working party saw more clearance of trees growing in the bed of the Fairbottom Branch by volunteers from WRG North West and Hollinwood Canal Society.


Somewhere there's a team of volunteers removing tree growth from the canal bed.

More photos from the November Working Party can be seen here.

New Footbridge in Droylsden

A new footbridge has been constructed over the line of the canal!

The footbridge is alongside Manchester Road, Droylsden, only a few yards from the Droylsden Wharf basin at the end of the short section of canal re-opened in 2008.

The new bridge is parallel with the road bridge across the infilled line of the canal, and is part of the preparation for the construction of the Metrolink tram line for Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive.


The footbridge is lifted from the trombone trailer. Photo: GMPTE

It was known that the road over the existing Manchester Road Bridge needed to be widened in order to accommodate the tram tracks. This had been a cause of concern for the Hollinwood Canal Society as there was the risk that the canal line might be obstructed.

However, Tameside Council engineers insisted that the Metrolink construction would not obstruct future restoration. The solution that was chosen was to widen the road by making use of the broad footpath on one side of the road. The footbridge has been constructed parallel to the road bridge in order to carry the replacement footway. Tameside Council engineers had specified that the new footbridge should have at least the same headroom as the existing road bridge

The Hollinwood Canal Society is delighted with this solution and commend the far-sightedness of GMPTE and of Tameside Council for ensuring that the Metrolink works have not created an additional obstacle to the restoration of the canal.


The footbridge in place in front of the road bridge over the canal line. Photo: GMPTE

The footbridge in place in front of the road bridge over the canal line, showing the service conduits built into the deck. Photo: GMPTE

The footbridge in place in front of the road bridge over the canal line, seen from the new canal basin. Photo: Hollinwood Canal Society

More photographs of the new footbridge can be found on this page.

Canal Heritage Day 2009

Our Canal Heritage Day 2009 was held on Sunday 16th August at Daisy Nook Country Park.

It featured guided walks where visitors could learn about Daisy Nook and its Locks, Aqueducts and Tunnel, Crime Lake and other features.
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In the Visitor Centre there was a continuous slide show of old photographs of the canal and displays from local canal groups. There was also a range of canal-related activities for children.


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Annual General Meeting 2009

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Hollinwood Canal Society will be at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 15th July at the Dog and Partridge, Oldham Road, Waterloo, Ashton-under-Lyne.

It will be a fairly short meeting, followed by the opportunity for a drink and a chat.

Meal are available after the meeting but must be ordered at the start.

Working Party

A very productive Working Party took place in January on the Fairbottom Branch, where trees are encroaching halfway across the canal from the far bank.

The team sets about cutting back the overhanging branches and cutting back the trees growing from the canal bed.


There were many thin branches that needed to be cut back before the trees in the canal bed could be tackled.


A woven fence was made from some of the branches cut down. Some of the branches used as stakes will take root so this will eventually become a living hedge.



See more photos from this weekend in our Photo Gallery.