Rochdale Branch Canal

Rochdale Branch Canal
The branch canal heading into Rochdale (in the centre). The route to Hebden bridge is on the right; that to Manchester is behind the photographer.
Specifications
Status	Filled in and built over
History
Original owner	Rochdale Canal Company
Date of act	1794
Date of first use	1798
Date closed	1920s
Geography
Start point	Rochdale
Connects to	Rochdale Canal

v t e Rochdale Branch Canal
Legend
Richard Street basin Basin and wharves Arm and wharves High Level Road Calder Valley railway line Halfpenny Bridge Bedford Street Mills arm Crossfield Bridge } Durham Street bridge A671 + Moss Lower Lock 50 Rochdale Canal Main Line

The Rochdale Branch Canal was a branch of the Rochdale Canal in north-west England which led close to Rochdale Town Centre. It was in use from 1794, and was bordered by the landscaped gardens of Lark Mill House on the western bank until the 1850s. A number of industries grew up around the branch, ranging from cotton mills and an iron and brass foundry in the early years, to a bakery and jam manufactory, woollen mills and sawmills later on. The branch declined with the main canal, and was little used after the 1920s, although not officially abandoned until 1952. It was filled in during the 1960s, and the site of the main basins now lies beneath the car park of a retail shopping centre.