Canal Connections
The Blue Bell is situated close to the junction of the Trent & Mersey and the Macclesfield Canals. It was built a few years after the completion of the “Macc”, and has always been associated with boatmen, leggers, and other canal workers. In fact it is known as the “the pub on an island” as you have to cross one or other of the waterways to reach it!
Click here to read about the origins of the two canals; why they were needed, who had the first ideas, and the influential figures behind the construction.
Click here to find out about the two Harecastle Tunnels; how long they took to build, the problems that were faced, and why only one is now in use.
.......and by the way:
If you were wondering why the canal is that strange orange colour (sometimes likened to tomato soup!) it’s due to the presence of iron which has been absorbed from the surrounding soil.
