Valued today as a fine cruising route passing through splendid scenery on the fringe of the Pennines, the Macclesfield was originally conceived as a useful short cut for freight. One of the last narrow canals to be built, it was built to provide an alternative and faster route between Manchester and The Potteries compared to the older route via the Bridgewater and Trent & Mersey canals. The Macclesfield Canal was designed and surveyed by Thomas Telford and features many of his engineering ideas with embankments, cuttings and all the locks grouped into a single flight. The canal was actually built by William Crossley and was completed and opened in 1831.
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