Great story and thread. All this power struggle to keep the canal near to Peel Works etc.

But it could also be that with the new age of the train, not many were willing to invest in a "new" canal!!

The date on the stone (1847), was probably the date it was laid and not the date the viaduct was finished. So Bob Dobson may have been correct in his opening date of 1848.

The piccys of the viaduct are all classic. The old "print" view is amazing, and the latest views are excellent, well done Atarah.

I'd like to thank all who have added to this thread, it's been really interesting.

Viaduct
 

Thanks for the photos of the viaduct, especially the date stone. Nice one Mick!
Its the old story, you dont appreciate what you've got until you see a photo of it, ie. the viaduct. What a masterpiece! We always seem to be "walking under" our fine buildings. Take the block on Blackburn Road, from the bottom of St James Street (where Yorkshire Bank is) - to approx. Birch Street. What fine buildings! Why they haven't been converted into flats I will never know.

The question now is "who or what is RHM on the datestone?"