Corn Flakes

 When I arrived at Salford University in 1969 I wasn't expecting to find much of canal interest to keep me amused. The Ashton and Rochdale Canals were both unnavigable. The Rochdale locks above "the nine" had been "cascaded" to form "an attractive water feature" (sic) and the Bridgewater's  Manchester terminus at Castlefield was well-hidden and virtually inaccessible to anyone who didn't know their way around the back streets of that part of the city. 

The "attractive water channel feature" at Ancoats in 1973

A Cascaded lock on the Rochdale (sorry about the image quality)

 I made the obligatory trip out to Eccles to see the Barton Aqueduct and visited Worsley to see "where it all began" but apart from spending a couple of weekends on work parties on the Rochdale Nine organised by the Peak Forest Canal Society that more or less was that.

At some stage I discovered that, much to my surprise, there was actually some commercial traffic on the Bridgwater.  Cargoes of maize were still brought from the Ship Canal, through Hulme Lock and on to the Kellogg's factory in Trafford Park. The carrier was Frederick J Abbott and the boats were just part of the company's extensive warehousing and transport operation, but I thought that a speaker from the company would make an excellent addition to a meeting of the University's Inland Waterways Society.

I can't remember the gentleman's name, but his talk was very informative. He was obviously used to public speaking and told us that he'd had many invitations to speak about the company in the past, but that this was the first time anyone had ever shown any interest in the boating side of the business.

He told us that whilst at one time the grain had come all the way from the Mersey along the Ship Canal most of it was now tripped locally from ships in Manchester Docks. He also told us that the job wasn't particularly profitable and that he kept it going mainly because he had no other work for the crews involved but felt an obligation towards them, especially as several of them were due to retire shortly.

This news prompted me to make an effort to go and see what remained of the traffic before it was too late.  So here, on a day in 1972, is what I saw.

In those days, despite the activities of the IRA, the country was not as obsessed with "security" as it has since become and  it was quite easy to wander round most places, including docks, without anyone worrying about what you were doing, so no one paid me any attention whilst I photographed this tug with and its tow.

Sarah Abbott and tug in Manchester Docks

The "tow" was the "Sarah Abbott".

Here she is  again passing one of the famous "Manchester Liners" fleet

Manchester Docks

I don't seem to have any pictures of them going through Hulme Lock to reach the Bridgewater, but on what might just possibly have been a different occasion here is the motor "Iris Abbott" coming under Hulme Hall Bridge on the Bridgewater Canal with a train that presumably included Sarah. . .

Hulme Hall Bridge on the Bridgewater Canal

. . . and then passing under the railway on the way to Trafford Park.

Imagine meeting that little lot on the Bridgewater today!

From the date on the original slide mount, it was a separate occasion, in 1973, that I caught up with them again in Trafford Park, where once again I was able to stroll around Kellogg's wharf unquestioned and photograph the boats waiting to be unloaded. 

Kellogg's wharf 1973

I was only just in time as the traffic ended in March 1974.