Mayroyd Lock, Hebden Bridge

The derelict lock on the Rochdale Canal prior to its restoration. Authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1794 as a broad canal, the Rochdale was constructed by William Jessop and completed in 1804. This picture shows one of the 92 locks on its 32 mile length after the canal was closed to traffic in 1952. The Rochdale Canal Society was established in 1974 to promote the restoration of the canal. In 1980s and 1990s small scale work began to re-open stretches of the canal in Calderdale. Funding secured through the Millennium Commission enabled the completion of the canal restoration and almost 200 years after its official opening, the Rochdale Canal became navigable again in July 2002. In 1996, it was joined to the Calder and Hebble Navigation via Tuel Lane Lock, now the deepest inland waterway lock in the UK at 19ft 8½inches. Opening Tuel Lane lock enabled the reconnection of the restored section of the Rochdale to the whole of the national network (albeit only to the East and for boats of less than 60’ in length). Courtesy of www.myrochdalecanal.org.uk