A pioneer

Francis Egerton, the Duke of Bridgewater, was one of the pioneers of water transport. Frustrated with the high costs of transporting coal by packhorse from his mines in Worsley to the market in Manchester 11 miles away, Bridgewater decided to look for a method of transport that was cheaper than by road. Bridgewater knew that when he drained his mines there was excess water. He believed that this water could be used to fill a canal, which would provide him with a cheaper method of transporting his coal to Manchester where he could sell it more cheaply yet make more profit. He was the only businessman to ever finance the building of a canal alone.

The Duke of Bridgewater applied for an Act of Parliament to allow him to build his canal. Once his application was successful, Bridgewater ordered his estate manager John Gilbert to find and employ a suitable engineer to construct an 11-mile canal between his mines at Worsley and Manchester. Gilbert employed James Brindley to carry out the work and he proved to be a very able engineer. Brindley built a pioneering canal, which included the Barton Aqueduct over the River Irwell, constructed locks to allow the canal to go over hills and used clay puddling to prevent leaks. He went on to link the Bridgewater Canal to other canals he built later.

A map of the Bridgewater Canal

The success of the canal

• The price of coal halved from 60p a ton to 30p once it started to arrive in Manchester using the new form of transport.
• By October 1771, the profits from the Bridgewater Canal were only £3,546, but Bridgewater was in £133,219 debt.
• Once the canal fully opened on 21 March 1776, the Duke was able to start charging people more money to use his canal. Very soon he was able to pay off his debt and make a huge profit.
• Bridgewater proved to businessmen that building canals could speed up deliveries, halve the cost of transport and make huge profits.
• The Bridgewater Canal also demonstrated James Brindley's talent.

Revision tip and answer preparation

Revision tip

To help you remember the reasons why the Duke of Bridgewater commissioned a canal and how successful it was, create a spider diagram using the information in this Revision Bite.

Answer preparation

As part of your revision, think carefully about the arguments and facts you would use to explain:

1. Why the Duke of Bridgewater believed he needed a new canal.
2. Why the Duke of Bridgewater is considered to be a water transport pioneer.
3. Why the Bridgewater Canal was successful.

Now try a Test Bite