Day 69 - to Manchester, once the home of the largest cornflake factory in the world.

---

---

0 locks, 306 in total This will all change tomorrow though.







Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. St. Paul's Church, close to last night's mooring, rang a peal of bells for 15 minutes at 10pm in celebration. Bucklesbury please note – none of these ringers were on holiday!







There was a cemetery near the mooring – all that was visible were lots of high headstones, which I found intriguing so after waiting for the rain to abate this morning we set off to have a look. It took me a long time to pinpoint why this place was so different. First of all a great number of the headstones are tall. Even the smaller headstones were large by any standard and they are all intact – none broken or fallen over. Then I noticed quite how crowded the place was which makes me think that perhaps they have been relocated and no longer mark the actual graves. The whole place was beautifully cared for and successive generations up to quite recently have been added to many headstones.







Shopping and then into the centre of Manchester. We followed the Manchester Ship Canal for part of the way, getting quite close at times. We went through Trafford Park, the world's first planned industrial estate which was built on a former deer park. Activity here peaked in WW2 when 75,000 people were employed producing Lancaster bombers, Rolls Royce aero engines, the PLUTO pipeline, penicillin, DDT and dye stuffs for camouflage. The Daily Telegraph was produced here too. Kellogg's had the world's largest cornflake plant here and were the last commercial users of the canal, with grain being delivered to their wharf in 1974. Most of Trafford Park is used as freight terminals now – either Eurostar or container cargo.







It was an interesting run but rather sad to see how little industry and virtually no docks remain.







We moored in Castlefield Quay, a known relatively safe place – right in the city centre but you wouldn't know it. This afternoon I took the Metrolink out to Salford Quays and had an interesting walk round there.



Sorry about the number of photos today - I did edit but presumably not enough.

---

Photos

The Watch House
Changeover point for packet boats, lengthman's cottage and stables.

The Leigh branch of the Bridgewater...
...going west to Ellesmere Port.

Just caught this container being stacked at the top.
A forklift vehicle was used, and it wasn't massive either.

Old Trafford and the new Ferguson stand.
The stand backs onto the canal.

... others that it was crude.
I leave it to your imagination!

Old warehouse.
All the windows were bricked up so I think this must be the ex-cotton warehouse which had walls 600mm thick and is now used for cold storage.

Throstle Nest Bridge...
...should you be in any doubt. Throstle is another name for a thrush. It is also a machine for spinning cotton.