The Blue Bell
Hardingswood
A true free house
Hardingswood
A true free house
The Blue Bell
25 Hardingswood
Kidsgrove
Stoke on Trent
ST7 1EG
(01782) 774052
25 Hardingswood
Kidsgrove
Stoke on Trent
ST7 1EG
(01782) 774052
The Coming of the Canals
The idea of a canal linking the rivers Trent and Mersey first came about in the early 18th century. The growing number of potters in North Staffordshire were anxious to find a better means of transport for their raw materials and finished wares, as at the time these goods had to undertake long, rough and expensive journeys. So in 1758 Earl Gower (owner of the Trentham estate) together with other like-minded landowners and potters, commissioned the engineer James Brindley to survey a possible route for a canal.
Unfortunately nothing came of this survey until about 1765 when the master potter Josiah Wedgwood enlisted the support of other local influential figures to help get the scheme off the ground, and the Trent and Mersey Act was passed by Parliament in May 1766. The “Grand Trunk Canal” as it was originally called, was to run from the Bridgwater Canal at Preston Brook to join the river Trent at Shardlow. Construction began on 26 July 1766 when Josiah Wedgwood cut the first sod at Brownhills near Tunstall, assisted by James Brindley who had been appointed Surveyor-General. The canal was substantially complete by 1777 and was officially opened in 1778.
Unfortunately nothing came of this survey until about 1765 when the master potter Josiah Wedgwood enlisted the support of other local influential figures to help get the scheme off the ground, and the Trent and Mersey Act was passed by Parliament in May 1766. The “Grand Trunk Canal” as it was originally called, was to run from the Bridgwater Canal at Preston Brook to join the river Trent at Shardlow. Construction began on 26 July 1766 when Josiah Wedgwood cut the first sod at Brownhills near Tunstall, assisted by James Brindley who had been appointed Surveyor-
The Macclesfield Canal
Thomas Telford was also asked in 1825 to survey the route for a new canal linking the Trent and Mersey at Hardingswood with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple. This, the Macclesfield Canal, was sanctioned by Parliament in 1826, and was completed by 1831. The one-and-a-half mile section between Kidsgrove and Hall Green (just over the border in Cheshire) was originally known as the Hall Green Branch of the Trent and Mersey. The canal leaves the T & M at Hardingswood, close to the Blue Bell, and then travels parallel to it before turning right and crossing it by means of an aqueduct. A further aqueduct carries the Macclesfield over the A50, from where it heads north into Cheshire.
Thomas Telford was also asked in 1825 to survey the route for a new canal linking the Trent and Mersey at Hardingswood with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple. This, the Macclesfield Canal, was sanctioned by Parliament in 1826, and was completed by 1831. The one-
Now read about the famous Harecastle Tunnels
Bridge at the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Macclesfield Canals