The Anderton Boat Lift by Narrowboat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- In this weeks video we take a trip to the Anderton Boat lift. We cruise along the Trent and Mersey canal in a narrowboat and then descend in This Cast Iron giant of Victorian engineering down to the River Weaver Navigation. The Anderton boat lift is one of only two boat lifts in the UK , the other being the Falkirk wheel. The Anderton being much older built in 1875. The Boat lift is made of Cast iron and is a triumph of Victorian engineering built for the canal age. It has a unique place in British Industrial history as it was nearly lost in the 1980's due to corrosion but saved by the National lottery and the community. The Boats are lifted and descend in cast Iron tanks called Caissons there is a single Hydraulic ram underneath each caisson. This is a unique feature along Britains waterways and canals. A leviathan of Industrial History. We also take a look at Hunts Lock at the town of Northwich in Cheshire. Thank you to Stuart from the Canal and River trust for chatting to us.
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It weighs exactly the same with or without a boat in it. The boats displace their own weight in water, that’s why they float.
Perfect explanation. I admit I forgot as obviously did Martin.
A "Eurika" moment!
Sounds obvious now you’ve said it, but you you look dead clever now either way 😄
I was just about to say this glad I saw your comment first.
The woman in the other boat must have displaced a fair amount of water in that case.
When I was at London Road Art College in 1977, we were assigned a photo-project at the boat lift. At the time, visitors were allowed into the 'control room' thingy above to sign the guest book. My signature is/was on the same page as those of Roger Moore and Micheal Aspel.
Really, bloody heck Paul
Amazing peice of engineering. Can't imagine there will be too much from today being looked at in 150 years..
The Falkirk wheel boat lift could be
Ryan Jon that thing is a marvel of engineering, looks beautiful too
Garbage dumps, perhaps. We do admittedly only see the good stuff from prior eras. Everything else has long since disappeared. The Falkirk wheel is one of those rare examples of modern tech being used to improve aesthetics.
You truly are the modern Fred Dibnah. Yet another great programme, thank you so much Martin. John
Cheers John. I walk in Freds shadow
Would Martin suit a oily cloth cap no so sure . Very talented mankind good information excellent videos cheers Martin zero .John Rooney st.annes Lancashire UK ps
Youl have to start wearing a flat cap and climbing factory chimneys Martin 😀
The gondolas/tanks would still weigh exactly 252 Tons with or without boats, as the amount of water displace by the boat weighs exactly the same as boat.
That is as long as the displaced water is displaced out of the gondola, which appears obvious, so agree a very clever observation,
you will need to know the mass of all the barges in the canal to determine the EXACT weight so the weight is only approximate.
@@An.Individual That's why they build the little aquaduct before the lift. The aquaduct has sluices that will close after the barges, which will be lifted, went on. So they have just a very small part of canal of which they exactly know what the weight of the water/barges is (that's also why ships have to wait for a couple of minutes before entering the caisson - to be sure there is exactly the mount of water/barges as the lift is build for).
Finally 👍
I wish I'd have known you were doing a video on this, I went on the last open day and they had drained the bottom of it which apparently is quite a rare event and I took a load of pictures up top and underneath. You could have used them with my blessing. Let me know if you're interested in seeing or using them in a follow up or anything mate.
I went to an open day about a year ago as well Matt. Thanks for the offer
Fabulous. One of my favourite bits of Victorian and canal engineering. I remember driving out to have a look at in on a dilapidated state in about 1989. Been a couple of times in recent years and it’s wonderful to see it restored. Must have been great to be on it. I was having a good look at the Barton aqueduct and road bridge yesterday. Another marvel of iron and rivets.
Thanks Karl. I keep meaning to take a closer look at Barton from underneath
Talking about salt mines. Winsford salt mine in Cheshire is used for archive storage, including 150,000 items for the royal society.
Keep up the good work
Interesting. I presume the air is very dry in there. My brother in law was made a member of the royal society a few years back,or is that a fellow of;, not sure..
th-cam.com/video/6Zgnb8VVyhQ/w-d-xo.html
@@philiplettley Thank you. That will keep me busy for a while. I can learn more about the Royal Society now as well.
Yeah I believe so, thanks Philip
You've been smashing it lately Martin lad keep it up mate.
Thank you Sir
i live 10 mins from the lift and we had a collapse last year a large section of the canal disappeared after we had a lot of rain and i think where lion salt works is which is a museum now they had a collapse there too
also @14:23 it wasn't the salt works its actually a power station and the former ICI soda ash plant which i think is due for demolition so they can build more houses, 2 years ago that stretch of the Weaver was full of ICI soda ash plants but they have been demolished for housing, ICI actually paid for the Weaver to be made bigger so they could bring ships upto the soda ash plants straight from the Mersey
Really?! I moved away in 2007 and remember the shacks on the right when heading towards Barnton from Northwich (is that bridge actually Roman before the Barnton left turn at the lights?). Across the road was an eyesore of a thing, big tower with a thin long piece connecting it to a massive disused industrial building. A great sight was the cricket pitch in the middle of the ICI works, could see it through the fence when walking past. It looked like a scene from the booklet that came with Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds album. Oh, and the lime beds used to have steam coming from them back in the early 80's, they looked like a Dr Who set if you climbed up the side as a kid.
@@Slider2732 yeah its called winnington village now its just thousands of houses, although i wouldn't buy 1 after the stories i've heard about mercury being poured straight onto the ground when the plants were open
Cheers for the info Ever Hope
I hadn’t realised where the lift is and I’m often around that way so I’ll be taking a short detour to see the lift. Thanks Martin 👍
Yes definitely take a look Mr Diesel
It makes no difference to the weight of the contents of the Cason as all floating boats displace their own weight in water. So if the Cason has 250 tons of water. If you add a 100 ton boat, then there will only be 150 tons of water.
A Scouser living now in Australia. Went on the Anderton Boat Lift. when we went back to U.K. for holiday. Thanks Martin for this happy memory, I've only got a fridge magnet reminding me of the incredible Boat Lift.
Thanks Barbara, make sure you keep that fridge magnet
Missed a trick Martin, there's a Stephenson railway viaduct over the Weaver downstream of the boat lift. Same multicoloured stone as the on over the Irwell in Manchester.
But loved the video as always. I've had a fascination with the boat lift since I did a college project on the Cheshire ring canals back in the 80s.
Yeah there looked to be a few things in the area
@@MartinZero You'll love the bottom end of the Weaver Martin. Chemical factories, lots of disused locks, a chapel on an Island if I remember correctly and just lots of abandoned industry and reused industrial land. Also from the other direction the abandoned lock flight from the Bridgewater at Runcorn.
The ship canal cut off a lot of these when it was built so they became disused.
Probably changed a lot in the decades since I visited it. lol.
Edwin Clark made 4 more of these type of lifts, here in Belgium. I think they look even more spectacular.
Clever bit of engineering!
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheepsliften_op_het_Centrumkanaal
The caissons are equally heavy with or without a boat as the boat displaces its own weight.
They didn't raise the upper upper caisson fully, thereby filling it with more water so it would be heavier and let gravity do the work of moving these gigantic steel boxes.
They look fantastic Koffi
Hi Martin. I`ve been looking forward to another adventure with you. Your channel is the best.
Thanks so much Demelza
Thank you for the lovely video Martin maybe you can sometime show a video of the one in Scotland. John Rooney st.annes Lancashire UK ps
I would like to go and see that one John
The speed limit for the majority of inland waterways in the United Kingdom managed by the Canal & River Trust is 4 mph (6.4 km/h).[5]
Why didn't they just have a small pump to fill the top tank with a bit more water than the bottom one then you just need a brake? Or am I missing something
John Turner they do make use of differing water levels in each to cause the top caisson to descend. Not entirely sure how it is achieved, but in operation the top chamber will drop a few inches, pause for a short while as water is added, then continue its descent.
Keep them coming Martin love your video's
Thanks very much Dart
Been checking all day to see if new video.sunday night now sorted.thanks martin.keep them coming .you work is better than telly.
Thanks very much Mike
I know I play with words with my recent comments on here, but it's intended to be very much in support of what you do. My grampa was in a reserved occupation in Manchester during WW2 and did his bit firewatching as well. So my interest stems from his time there and hearing about it from his perspective as well. Still going strong at almost 100.
If you ever make it up my way, I'd very much like to say lunch is on me.
Thank you , whereabouts are you
@@MartinZero South East Scotland, near the border.
Brilliant as always martin 👍 Nice to see you having a mooch around Cheshire...
And very nice it was to Dan
I wouldn't have imagined even in my dreams that something actually exists like that. Extraordinary.
Check out the Falkirk wheel.
Its incredible isnt it
@@MartinZero sure is, I never knew it existed until a couple of years ago but I was up there for business, it blew my mind.
Yes same weight ( Archimedes Principal ) The boat displaces the amount of water equal to the weight of itself
Nice one Martin .It is a great experience and love the film :) Terrific piece of engineering .Brilliant filming ..👍Great viewing .
Thanks Helena. Hope your well
Great video Martin, thank you for taking us with you.
I think you did a pretty good job of capturing all the important bits with 1 camera.
Thank you so much Andy
At the risk of sounding daft, always repeating myself; Martin you must have an encyclopedic memory for music. Again you have matched the visual with the music perfectly. Thanks, good job. If you are interested there is a lift lock in Peterborough Ontario, not too far from where I live, on the Trent-Severn water way. It opened in 1904. Very interesting too.
I think I saw a picture of it and its very very impressive. Thanks so much
I remember as a teenager, a school trip to the boat lift, mid 1960's. Great to see it still in use. I may be wrong but I thought the Weaver went into the Manchester ship canal and then the Mersey. Another great video, well done Martin.
Before the Ship canal was built the weaver nav went into the Mersey.
Thank you. Not actually traced the Weaver. It probably does
i've seen the Falkirk wheel first hand, very impressive, but I had no idea this existed, very impressive, especially for it's age. I''ve actually been invited to record in those salt works later in the year.
Oh wow thats amazing
Awesome mate, I live just down the road (next to the salt works at 3:00) and this area is gorgeous to live, the history is cracking. Moved here in June from Statham (warrington) and you need to have a look at the old mansion and underground tunnels in Lymm where I grew up - would love to show you
May be interesting to you Martin ,being a manchester lad is that the now disused gears still i situe on top of the lift . that formed part of the electric conversion in 1908 The gears were made by Pr Jackson of Hamson st / East Ordsall Lane Salford the company was on the side of manchester Bolton and Bury canal and more than likely transported the gears to Anderton by canal PR Jackson was taken over by David Brown gears in 1931 and shutdown in 1989 they also made the main gear for the TBM (tunnel boring machine) for the channel tunnel in 1987
Martin this was a EXCELLENT video, and narration outstanding as usual. This Anderton boat lift is quite an engineering feat, especially when it was built. Jerry from Meriden, Kansas.
Thank you Jerry. yes it was a pleasure to film it
Wow Martin this is truly a remarkable place. I'd love to go check it out. 🎥🚢
I highly recommend it John
Wow stunning engineering and design....hats off to you Martin and your friend for showing this...I've always wanted to see this..
I must drop in and see it when I am in the area...jim
Yeah I highly recommend it and thank you
Nice to see you out on the cut Martin. Thanks for posting this. We went on the boat lift in a hire boat around 1978/9. Who knew that the structure was probably dangerous!
It could well have been dangerous then Ruth, before its refurbishment. Thanks again
There's something about the sleekness of hydraulic rams that makes me want to run my hand down them.
Fascinating video Martin. Thank you!
Brilliant video Martin. A couple of years ago I was there, CART did a walking tour of the lift booked in the downstairs office, which includes seeing the redundant winding gear at the top of the structure and the control room. Perhaps will be doing them again when covid restrictions are lifted.
Hi Martin another great video very interesting feat of engineering such a long time ago.
Thanks Andrew 🐝
Thanks very much Andrew
Why does it take so long for each video? I want five a day :-)
Quality over quantity 😄
Start crowdfunding for an editing team.
Sorry
The weight of the lift won't change with boats in it. The boats displace equal amount of water as their weight. Archimedes principle.
Looks like you had a brilliant day out Martin! Any thoughts on more narrowboat video's? :-)
I did Chris and thanks. yeah more if I can
I've sat on the edge on the boat lift over looking the river, before it was restored. Many years ago 😬😬😬 when I was younger and dafter. 😂
A beautiful industrial piece of technology.
Yes it certainly is
That was a brill video Martin that boat lift is like going through a lock but on a high scale glad they kept it, hope it stays like that for years to come
Hopefully it will Thomas
There's more restoration work being done on the lift and the visitor centre over the next couple of years.
I lived near Northwich 83 to 87 and I remember that the lift was there but never saw it going - now I know why!
It's Sunday!!! Cracking Martin . 👌
Thank you Neil
Archimedes principle means it weighs exactly the same with or without a boat :-)
what a privilege.. amazing engineering
Yeah it was incredible to see
Well done Martin A wonderful feat of engineering and still working today, Keep up the good work, Thanks.
Thanks very much Liam
How cool was that, what an experience that must have been! Great vid Mart!
Me and the wife really look forward to seeing your chirpy face and videos 👌 (hope you're well)
Another great video 👍 amazing engineering 🙌 brilliant to see.
Take care and looking forward to seeing your next installment 🤟🏼✌️
Thanks very much, regards to your wife
Just had my Sunday fix from the best industrial junkie around!!!!👍👍👍 That was absolutely fascinating, know more than I did a couple of minutes ago. Best bit of vid work I've come across, get to see all the gubbins and greasy bits. One thing Martin . . . stop pointing that camera down from a great height😨😨😨😨!!!!!!
Thanks very much Bob. I called that shot the money shot 😆
'Cross-the-pond gongoozler here. Thanks for your unique and detailed view of the ABL. I knew it from Cruising the Cut and The Narrowboat Experience, but your point of view appeals more to those of us who like spotting infrastructure. Hope to actually experience it someday!
Thank you. Yes well worth a visit
Great video, Martin. Nice to be able to see awesome stuff like that. I'm a big fan of 'Travelling Without Moving' - especially now. And you know all the fascinating places. Thank you so much. Is that Dean's wonderful music I hear as well? Top notch.
Thank you Brian. Not Dean on this occasion
Very cool, love the old railroad style Semaphore signals.
Again Martin, you blow my mind !. Every video you make seems to get better.
I live aboard a narrow boat and have wanted to see this, in person for a while now, along with the Falkirk wheel.
Thank you for bringing me this experience. It’s amazing how 150 year old engineering is still in use today. Makes me wonder what modern engineering feats will still be in use 150 years from now.
Great video, Thank you.
Thank you Kevin much appreciated
Nice vid as always Martin, I'm surprised you did not include the 2 swing bridges as you passed through Northwich, great pieces of engineering too 😊
Ahh I think I missed them Paul. Thanks
Hi Martin, another spectacular video. So fascinating watching places being brought to life. Especially in these strange times where we find ourselves. Thanks
Thank you, glad you enjoyed
Another brilliant video Martin !😁 . You did an excellent job too of capturing it all on your camera !! I've never seen the lift before, I found it fascinating to watch ! Thanks Martin ! 😀.
Thank you Suzy
I wonder how efficient this lift is, compared to the modern Falkirk Wheel? The Scottish one can swap boats between the two canals using no more electricity than boiling a kettle of water. If you ever get the chance Martin, you'd love it. You can get a brew, or a pint at the bottom too.👍
Then you could say you've been to *all* of them.😁
I've passed the top of the Anderton lift on the canal but, as far as I remember, it was closed at the time. Despite *seeing* it, we never got a shot.😥
Another interesting episode, despite the lack of undergrowth.
Cheers for now,
Dougie.
Thanks Dougie yes I would definitely like to go and see the Falkirk wheel
Martin you gotta get your expertise up here and do a vid on the Falkirk wheel 🏴💙
I'd love to come up and visit
Yet another brilliant video. Thank you - thank you.
Yes, funny thing this displacement of water with boats. 🙂
Thanks very much glad you enjoyed
Enjoyed that very much. I had heard of The Lift. Do you intend to write any more of your incidental music, Martin? I remember it on your early videos. Good quirky stuff🇯🇪
I dont have time these days Ivan. I may try the odd thing again soon
Nice video Martin, I'm very impressed with the content.
All the best m8y
😃🍻👍🏻
Thank you very much
the weight will be the same with or without a boat in it as the boat will displace the same weight of water as the amount the boat ways
To come up with this and then build this in 1875. Some real clever craftsmen back then. Top vid as always martin. Nice one
Thank you sir
Heard a lot about it but never seen it, so it was wonderful you did his superb video, what a wonderful machine! You explained it very well how it works, etc., very enjoyable. Thanks Martin it was a joy to watch.
Thank you very much Valerie
What a lovely day for a boat trip beautiful scenery I'm so glad they managed to save the boat lift an amazing piece of engineering, thanks yet again Martin.
Thanks very much
Love that - really cool. Need to see that in the future...
Cheers John, yeah its very impressive
Very nice. You get much better views from the deck of a narrow boat than from the interior of the boat lift’s own launch
One issue, as all Scots will tell you, Falkirk is in another country called Scotland.
If you are round there again I recommend a visit to the Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port.
Just checked. It is open but with some exhibits still closed. and limited hours.
Sounds good I might take a trip to Ellesmere port
Thank you Martin, I had hoped to come over and rent a narrow boat and cruise your canals, unfortunately that is not to be. Some other time and year. Will buy you pint my friend, when I make it back till then keep up with the videos!
Thanks Marty, lets hope you make it over soon. I will have that Pint
Thanks, Martin, I have been past the Anderton Lift many times and felt I knew about it, but your video has taught me so much, brilliant work.
Thanks very much Nick
This video was very up lifting.
unless you happen to be going down.......
Depends which side you're on.
It was 😃
There is a story about John Roebling`s suspension aqeduct on the Delaware and Hudson Canal in New York. After it was built and filled, people gathered on the shore to watch the first boats cross. They thought that the added weight would cause the aqueduct to collapse. Also, there are two lifts in Canada on the Trent Severn at Peterborough and Kirkfield.
Yeah someone sent me the link to that one in Canada its huge
Excellent, nice change from mucky mines and locos.
The old tale is Archimedes who found out that the weight of water displaced is equivalent to the weight of the object placed in the water.
Missed you last week please keep up the good work.
John
Thanks John, I took a week off
Love the canal history, thank you Martin. Take care
Thanks very much Christine
one of my life ambitions was to see the anderton boat lift,succeded 5 yrs ago . A truly brilliant place for a day out well worth the trip up the M6.
Yeah its a good one to visit
So much amazing infrastructure. Weather it's something that was or something that still exists. Always new things to see with every video. I am astounded by the industrious tenacity of England.
Thank you, yes this one is a sight to behold
Great bit of Victorian history has been preserved here, I wonder how much of the original ironwork was left, after the restoration, considering how corroded they found it was.
Only thing that spoilt this vid, many more ads than normal, there was at least 6.
Yeah I think a lot of it was replaced. Sorry about the adds I didnt place them
Super awesome engineering..... great video too x
They had jobs going there a while back. I went down for a nose & got chatting with one of the operators but unfortunately it’s too far a commute for me. What a wonderful place it would of been to work. Bet it’s hard work in all weathers...... great video Mr Z 🤓
I would love to work there. But like you say too far to drive everyday
Great video Martin. It doesn't sound a lot 51ft but when you stand at the bottom of it it's huge. Lovely place for a picnic too in the summer. Thanks.
Thanks Paul, yeah it does look higher to be honest
Falkirk Wheel is a very interesting piece of equipment, Very simple. I watched it go up and down for about an hour.
This too is quite a piece of engineering.
Yeah I really want to see the wheel now
Many thanks for showing operation of Anderton Lift - I was on canal in 2001 or so and stopped and visited the Lift being restored but not yet open. Very impressive engineering but the salt deposits must demand heavy maintenance. On our way to Chester it was a worry to see ‘sink holes’ dotted in the field alongside - then one realises the enormous deposits of salt. Your video was great - takes one back and seeing how Anderton Lift operate. Cheers PS
Thanks very much Peter
Thanks for that Martin, and Graham too! What a fantastic bit of engineering that lift is...those Victorians really could put stuff together. As I watched I thought of the many places you've taken us over the years where there are only a few stones, bricks, and rusted bits of iron left; and imagined that they too would have once been magnificent structures like the boat lift had they not been left to decay. Great music too!
All the best.
Thats true Mike it could of been another story. I could of been visiting a lump of rust where the Boat lift once stood
Thanks Martin ,
One of my favourite walks is from Marbury country park. (The site one one of the most haunted houses in the UK). Where you can park you car for a small fee, through the parkland and wild flower meadows to the Trent and Mersey canal and then on the towpath to the boat lift. It's not a very long walk maybe a couple of miles each way, with refreshment facilities at each end and several places to give good views of the lift. I saw the lift way back when they were going to dismantle but now it looks fantastic.
That walk sounds good Kevin. Like the sound of the house
Wow cracking video amazing engineering
I'm just trying to figure it out you expect canals to be on same level but you two lvls and quite high to
Thanks Andy. Yeah the River and canal at very different levels
Many thanks Martin and Graham. When we were lads we would hop on our motor scooters and head off to Liverpool through Middlewich and Northwich. The Boat lift looked pretty sorry for itself then, it's so good to see it in beautful working order now.
Thank Mike, yes good to see a new lease of life
Beautiful piece of victorian engineering. Thank goodness it has been saved for posterity and is doing the job it's original designers intended. Not razed to the ground and reclaimed by nature, with only the scantest evidence that it ever existed remaining.
Thats true Carl, it could of been a different story
At the top of the lift you briefly pointed the camera up at the giant cogs/gearing. Those are the remains of the electric system installed in 1908. When the Boat Lift was restored to its original hydraulic mechanism for the 2002 re-opening they left some of the gearing in place.
I am glad they did John
I brick it going up or down Pomona lock, it would be brown pants time for me using that thing!!!
Great vid though pal.
It was fab Bernard
Seen a few videos of this but Martins flair shows through as usual, to nit pick on the comments of the Canal and River Trust Representative the lift is clearly a mix of cast and wrought Iron. The cast Iron is used in anything with compressive loads like the tubular main structure but the tension loaded parts like the bracing beams would be wrought Iron, cast Iron is almost useless in tension so those would be wrought Iron, the wrought Iron parts may be newer during the restoration or perhaps replaced with steel.
Thanks Nonarei
Thanks for filming & sharing such an interesting & informative piece of history. 👍👍😎
Thank you David
Awesome video. Great shots - I love your canal videos - thanks!
Thank you Bender
Great video.
I was only talking to a mate last week about this barge lift!!!
You should do a video on Victoria baths.. There's a few already out there, but they don't go into the detail you would...
Cheers Chris if I can get access I will
Caisson is a French word for box and is pronounced as kes-son (the e as in kept not as case-son).
And a caisson filled with water or a caisson filled with water and ships weighs equal. That's why this kind of lifts do work (what they will do when operated on balance is put a bit more water in the caisson at the top so it is a little heavier and wil push the piston in and generate enough force to help push the other one up. And the caissons don't have to be balanced when lifted, they always have the equal weight of 252 tons and are balanced by itself (15:29) no matter where the ships are in the caisson - the weight is always even spread (as long as you aren't going to make big waves in the caisson).
How about the equal weight? Ask Archimedes, he wrote a lot about that stuff...
Thank you
Another great video Martin only 10 minutes away from my house thumbs up
Thank you Matthew
Amazing pleased it was saved and thanks Martin for a great video I had never heard of it keep up the good work love your Channel
Thank you so much Colin
Great stuff Martin as always, fascinating. thanks for posting. £4.5m is a deal for that
Thanks very much Mark