The Sankey Canal was built in 1757 which makes it first true canal of the Industrial Revolution and the first commercial canal in the UK.
The canal closed in 1963 having fallen out of industrial use, it became unloved and neglected in a post-industrial landscape.
Most of the canal route was owned by the British Waterways Board (now Canal & River Trust) and leased to:
- St Helens Borough Council (SHBC)
- Newton Le Willows Urban District Council (NLWUDC) which become part of St Helens Borough in 1974
- Warrington Borough Council (WBC)
- Halton Borough Council (HBC).
Until the late 1970s, the Sankey Canal was largely overlooked as a recreational or economic asset. With little coordination between local authorities, sections were filled in and watercourses diverted without regard for their wider impact — decisions that later contributed to serious flooding in parts of the Sankey Valley.
One stretch survived thanks to local anglers who persuaded NLWUDC not to fill in the entire canal with refuse. The Penkford Bridge, Bradley Lock, Hey Lock, and Newton Brook sections were saved and remain popular fishing areas with the Newton-le-Willows Anglers’ Association.
From the 1980s onward, appreciation of the canal grew. Warrington Borough Council developed Fiddlers Ferry Marina, and Halton Borough Council created Spike Island Marina, opening access to the River Mersey for pleasure boats. Although navigation remains limited by fixed obstructions, the canal was maintained in water between Sankey Bridges and Spike Island. For nearly forty years, Fiddlers Ferry Power Station supported water levels by pumping treated Mersey water — a supply that ended with the station’s closure in 2020. Today, the canal relies on rainwater, natural drainage, and water pumped from the Mersey locks.
The 1980s also saw the creation of the Sankey Valley Linear Park, linking St Helens, Warrington, and Widnes. Since then, extensive restoration work has transformed much of the canal corridor into a network of blue and green spaces — now valued for recreation, heritage, and wildlife.
Although full restoration hasn’t yet been funded, significant progress has been made since the 1990s, including:
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Restoration of the New Double Locks in St Helens
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Creation of an all-weather towpath from St Helens to Warrington and Widnes — now part of the Sankey Valley Trail and Trans Pennine Trail
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Construction of the Marsh House bascule bridge at Fiddlers Ferry Marina
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Upgrades to the Carr Mill Dam overflow channel
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Excavation of buried canal structures such as Engine, Newton Common, Winwick, and Hulme Locks
Today, almost the entire canal corridor from St Helens to Widnes survives. Over half remains in water, and a continuous green and blue route runs through St Helens town centre — a rare advantage compared with other canal restoration projects.
While full navigation is a long-term goal, canoes, kayaks, and shallow-draft boats are a realistic short- to medium-term use.
A successful restoration will depend on creative design, strong partnerships, and community involvement. Modern techniques — including shallower channels and pre-cast concrete linings — can help restore the canal sustainably without disturbing its historic silt beds.
The key aspects to restoring the canal are:
- Improve and promote what already exists – Reveal heritage features, promote recreational use, improve accessibility for all users and enhance the natural environment and habitats
- Extend the sections of the canal that are already in water – Clear away vegetation, carry out repairs to canal banks and remove the infill material(to be retained on site and used for re-profiling)
- Remove obstructions – Take down redundant weirs and disused pipe crossings, raise the height of low fixed bridges or replace them with swing or lifting bridges
We need to take advantage of any opportunities that arise such as urban regeneration, environmental enhancement and ‘Active Travel’ sustainable transport initiatives.
Engineering Study
Reversing and correcting the actions of the past is entirely possible but there are some engineering challenges. These include dealing with some low height fixed bridges, utility service pipes and cables, embankments and infilled sections of canal that need to be excavated.
A comprehensive engineering study was carried out by Atkins in 1995 identified potential solutions for all of the obstructions.
Linking The Locks
This was a successful project to improve the canal from Fiddlers Ferry Marina to Spike Island Marina and boost opportunities for skills training and apprenticeships. It included the installation of Marsh House bascule bridge at Fiddlers Ferry Marina.