River Weaver

The River Weaver winds across west Cheshire in a wide curve, joining the Manchester Ship Canal near Northwich. Its lower stretches were made navigable in the early 18th century, with eleven locks completed by 1732. The navigation was originally intended to fund local roads and bridges, though early profits were small. By 1845 over half a million pounds had been paid to Cheshire for that purpose. Salt was the main cargo, carried down to the Mersey until the Manchester Ship Canal opened in the late 19th century. The river once carried pack horses laden with salt from inland mines to wharves near Frodsham. Coal later arrived by barge to fuel the brine pits, prompting calls for river improvements. Parliament finally authorised work in 1721 after several earlier bills failed. The navigation was reconstructed between 1870 and 1900, replacing the original locks with five larger ones that could take 1000-tonne coasters. The Anderton Boat Lift, opened in 1875, links the Weaver to the Trent and Mersey Canal fifty feet above. Visitors follow the towpath past grade II listed bridges such as Hayhurst swing bridge and Northwich Town bridge. Dutton Horse Bridge carries the path over the weir on one of the earliest laminated timber structures. Nearby, Dutton railway viaduct was built by Joseph Locke and George Stephenson for the Grand Junction Railway. The river passes through Nantwich, where a 13th-century watermill once stood, and under Thomas Telford’s brick aqueduct at Church Minshull. The waterway ends at Winsford, where the navigation begins.