Opening of the Bridgewater Canal

Background. Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, commissioned the canal to transport coal from his mines at Worsley to Manchester. The duke and his estate manager John Gilbert produced a plan, and in 1759 obtained an act of Parliament, the Bridgewater Canal Act 1758 (32 Geo. 2. c. 2 Pr.), enabling construction — the passage dates the obtaining to 1759 while the act's title reads 1758. Engineer James Brindley gave evidence before a parliamentary committee in London in January 1760 at the duke's behest.

Opening of the First Section. The canal was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester. The Barton Aqueduct, begun in September 1760, saw its first boat cross on 17 July 1761. Construction of the Worsley-to-Manchester section cost £168,000 (about £31,000,000 in 2025), and within a year of opening the price of coal in Manchester fell by roughly half.

Significance. The Bridgewater Canal is described as the first great achievement of the canal age, although the Sankey Canal had opened earlier. The duke owned coal mines dug to supply North West England with fuel for the steam engines instrumental in powering England's Industrial Revolution.