Contents
This article is the first in a series that explores the story of the Douglas Navigation. From past to present, the people who worked it. There’s so much to tell. I had intended a single article, yet there is far too much to cram in and do the Douggie justice.
The Douglas goes back before the era of canals. It presents an intriguing trip back in time. This first article covers the Douglas Navigation from its start in Wigan to Tarleton sea lock.
Further articles venture beyond Tarleton to the Ribble Estuary, how the river channel course dramatically and then the people who worked the river and the local industries of Winstanley, Orrell, Standish and Crooke that it served.
The Douglas – An Inspiration to Write
What started as an innocent doggie walk (not sure what a guilty one is!) from Rufford with its unspoilt countryside and quieter paths of the Douglas levees compared to canal towpaths whetted the appetite for more. It led us through the hills and valleys of Garhurst, Appley Bridge and Parbold. That was a massive contrast to the vast flat agricultural fields north of Rufford. Then we took in the emptiness of the wide confluence with the Ribble, its wildlife and rare marshlands. We passed sporadic boat builders, historic churches, railway lines long since gone and the scenic King Charles III coastal path with the Henry Alty Way.
Getting Hooked
Walking its current route on many visits was fascinating. In fact at times it blew my mind. So after many additional walks, I went back to the start and wanted to share that experience with you. I’m not suggesting you need to take in the whole route to get something from it. There’s plenty to enjoy by just taking in one of the sections I break the course into,
What We Learned
Its present course is very different from when it was navigable. Also it’s one of those walks where even a video or 360° camera doesn’t do it justice. Although isn’t possible to walk along the banks of the former Navigation for its full length, from Rufford to the Ribble the riverside paths are continuous. There are other sections from the start of Navigation to Parbold of a decent length. Where the path deviates away, the canal provides an alternative at these points. Canal and River are rarely that far apart. The later sections explain in more detail how to follow.
When out there, particularly whatever the weather, it’s hard to miss the scents, sounds and breeze. The light and even visibility of the distant Winter Hill, Parbold, Harrock and vast open farmland can vary significantly even on a single visit. We encountered some wonderful characters while walking. It was lovely to discover so many wonderful dog-friendly pubs and cafes too. The links for each are provided at the end of the article. A well-earned refuelling rest is part of the day out. Above all, it is exhilarating and great for the mind.
Before Canals and Railways
Predating the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and therefore the first locomotive hauled railways, the Douglas Navigation, perhaps forgotten by some, unknown to others. Yet much evidence of its existence as a major transport route is still there once you find out where to look. That includes one of the oldest lock chambers in the whole country. I’ll return to that later.
How did the Navigation come to be and why?
I wanted to include this as it can provide an added dimension when you are out walking. Visualising how much grander the channel was. What life must have been like back then for those who worked it. Perhaps even the sadness and seeing its prominence in decline following the advent of the canal.
The Douglas Navigation was an early 18th-century project. The goal was to build a transport route to enable coal to be shipped by small boats from Wigan to new markets in Liverpool and beyond via the River Ribble. In return cargo could be brought back to Wigan. Remember this was way before the canals and railways. Man-hauled power was the fuel. No engines, no horses. Yet its working life as a river navigation was relatively short. It was soon superseded by sections of what is now the Leeds and Liverpool Canal network.
England’s First Civil Engineer
The river was surveyed for navigability in 1712 by Thomas Steers. That’s a full century before the Albert Dock was constructed by Jesse Hartley. He was the same engineer who designed the first tidal dock in Liverpool and the Rotherhithe dock on the Thames. Referred to as England’s first major civil engineer, he was responsible for the world’s first commercial wet dock in Liverpool opposite St George’s church. Although now covered by the Liver Building, he also designed Salthouse Dock. That is still visible today. It brings home the importance, size and achievement of making the Douglas Navigable just over 300 years ago.
The Navigation sponsors presented an initial bill to Parliament in 1713. Local landowners opposed it but a second bill was successful. Parliament passed an Act in April 1720, authorising the project from the Ribble to Miry Lane End in Wigan. By the way more mystery as Miry Lane end is not the current Miry Lane.
Financial Troubles
Construction began but quickly halted in 1721 due to the financial crash known as the South Sea Bubble. One of the proprietors, William Squire, is believed to have lost most of the investment money through speculation. This led to a lengthy court case and the project lay dormant for some years.
The South Sea Bubble was a financial speculation in 1720. The bubble, or hoax, centred on the fortunes of the South Sea Company. Founded in 1711 to trade with Spanish America mainly in slavery. It assumed that the War of the Spanish Succession, would end with a treaty permitting slavery. The company’s stock, with a guaranteed interest of 6 percent, sold well, but the relevant peace treaty, the Treaty of Utrecht made with Spain in 1713, was less favourable than had been hoped, imposing an annual tax on imported slaves and allowing the company to send only one ship each year for general trade. The success of the first voyage in 1717 was only moderate, but King George I became governor of the company in 1718, creating confidence in the enterprise, which was soon paying 100 percent interest.
Completion
The project was revived and, under the control of attorney Alexander Leigh, work resumed. The 17.5-mile (28 km) navigation, which included thirteen locks to raise boats 75 feet, was eventually completed and in use by 1742.
Integration with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Takeover
In 1771, the proprietors of the proposed Leeds and Liverpool Canal were looking to secure their own route. They also wanted to close down the competition from the Douglas. So they bought out the majority of the Douglas Navigation shares.
The canal company decided to replace the winding and often problematic river navigation with a parallel canal. In 1774 a section of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was opened from Parbold to the Douglas navigation at Gathurst. The canal was further extended into Wigan, terminating at a basin near what is now Wigan Pier, in 1781. That meant the canal completely bypassed the Douglas from Parbold to Wigan.
The Rufford Arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal was opened in 1781 to bypass the lower part of the river. In doing so, the canal even used the Douglas riverbed from Sollom to Tarleton. The Douglas was diverted from Sollom in a brand new channel to the east.
Abandonment
Once the Leeds and Liverpool canal was fully operational, trade transferred to it, and the Douglas River navigation was formally abandoned. Lock gates were ordered to be removed by 1782, and the river sections were unused after 1801
The Legacy Today
Though largely abandoned for commercial use for over 200 years, traces of the original Douglas Navigation can still be seen. That includes several lock remains between Parbold and Gathurst. The lower tidal section of the Douglas from Tarleton to the River Ribble is still used by boats accessing the Ribble Link. That opened in 2002 to connect to the Lancaster Canal. A daunting journey in a canal boat across the vast Ribble estuary.
A brief history explanation given, the rest of the article looks at what the pooch and I found on our adventures.
Wigan to Gathurst
There is an ongoing debate as to the exact start of the Navigation. Referenced as old Miry Lane End wharf it is thought that could have been a basin extending off the river towards modern day Miry Lane.
We started on the 601 bus from Winstanley. The pooch loved it, looking out the window and getting fussed by other passengers. Our first leg along the Douglas bank has several interruptions. Diverting to the adjacent canal towpath provides a viable alternative where this happens. Starting behind the recently developed 3 Mills the path takes you past a Fish Ladder to the confluence with the Poolstock Brook before coming out at the Saddle Junction. Only a short section but peaceful and surprising right in the heart of Wigan.
From here we crossed turning right towards the town centre. A short walk to the Seven Stars Bridge allowed us to pick up the canal tow path. I’d recommend following that until passing the Brick Stadium. From there the river winds parallel to the canal. Keep to the canal tow path as it passes under Scott Lane. Continue on to Martland Mill Bridge. From there we turned left crossing over the Douglas and pickign up a woodland path hugging the edge of the river. That took us on a wonderfully peaceful walk to Crooke Village. At Crooke we tried two options.
The simplest was to cross over the Douglas via the footbridge and revert to the canal towpath towards Gathurst. However turning left from that bridge took us on a secluded route over fields up to Gathurst station with some stunning views back to Wigan. Plenty of grass for the dog to have a roll about in. From Gathurst station we picked up the canal towpath again. On earlier walks the station bar was still open. Our last visit it was no longer open sadly.
Gathurst Locks
Interesting to see the Navigation, Canal, Rail and Road transport all side by side as we passed under the M6 viaduct too.
From Gathurst to Appley Bridge follow the canal towpath. Although the Douglas River locks were removed after 1781, at Gathurst the stone weir is a remnant from the Navigation. It dates back to 1741 and remains largely unaltered, though often hidden by summer overgrowth. Near the modern Dean Locks, you can still find the site where the canal once transitioned back into the river. This “regulating lock” or side lock remained visible on maps well into the 20th century. You can still find it on Scottish Maps. Today its remains can be seen as a stone-lined chamber and an infilled garden area of the lock cottage. It would have controlled the water levels between the newer canal and the older river navigation. This spot serves as a direct link to the 1774 era when boats from Liverpool were forced to switch to the River Douglas to complete their final three miles into Wigan.
Appley Bridge to Parbold
Staying with the canal towpath, we moved downstream toward Appley Bridge and on to Parbold. There the navigation enters stunning countryside of rolling hills, woodland and many footpaths including Fairy Glen. Back in the day, this section was critical for the local economy. It served the stone quarries of Appley Bridge and the corn mills of Parbold. Sadly the Corn Mill at Parbold was lost to fire in the late 1990’s. It is now the site of some rather pleasant houses, where the Leeds and Liverpool canal was intended to bypass Wigan completely. It is also home to the massively refurbished Windmill Pub and the nearby equally impressive Wayfarers with its Problem Child Brewery. Both offer top-notch food.
The engineering here required a delicate balance; the river was prone to heavy silting and seasonal flooding, leading to the construction of substantial stone embankments and “cuts” to straighten the more erratic loops of the natural Douglas. This part of the route is a haven for walkers, where the contrast between the quiet, reed-lined banks and the massive stone blocks of the old canal wharves at Parbold reminds us of the sheer scale of the man and eventually canal horse-drawn traffic that once dominated this valley.
Parbold to Rufford
The Leeds & Liverpool Canal Passing over the River Douglas in Parbold directly opposite the Wayfarer
As the navigation leaves the hills of Parbold behind, it spills out onto the wide, flat expanse of the West Lancashire mosslands toward Lathom and Rufford. In this section, the engineering challenges shifted from conquering gradients to battling the swampy, low-lying terrain. To keep the coal flats moving, the river was heavily canalised into straight, banked-up sections to prevent it from spilling over into the surrounding farmland.
This stretch is where the old Douglas Navigation truly began to merge and even swap with the later Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
Rufford to Sollom
We did drive through Up Holland and over the Beacon to take up this section. From Rufford you have two options. You can walk along the levees of the Douglas or walk a few hundred yards west, past the marina to the towpath of the Rufford Arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The first option is guaranteed to be far quieter, closer to nature with spectacular views over to Croston and the hills of Mawdesley and Parbold. The second is equally as picturesque but possibly busier at times. I can recommend both. In fact you can do it as a circular walk. It’s so much quieter on a weekend than Parbold and Appley Bridge too.
Back when the Douglas was navigable this section of the canal would not have existed. From Rufford, this stretch of the river was canalised by the Douglas Navigation around 1760. The company designed it to slice through the low-lying, often boggy West Lancashire mosslands. The high embankments (levees) protect the surrounding agricultural land from the river’s tendency to flood. Today, this section is remarkably quiet, following the original 18th-century channel that was later incorporated into the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. You can still find the site of Sollom Lock, which marked the northern limit of the early canal navigation. Although it no longer has gates, the stone chamber remains a tangible link to the era before the route was extended to Tarleton in 1805.
There are a couple of lovely cafes at Rufford. St Mary’s marina is home to a wonderful eatery called the The Boathouse Brasserie. There’s also another next to it at Fettlers Wharf Marina called Tastebuds at the Wharf. Great after that long circular walk. A short drive away you also have the Eagle and Child at Bispham Green. The food is amazing as is the variety of real ales. A large outdoor garden area at the rear is great for dogs and kids. A dog-friendly pub with complementary treats went down well. A few tables out front are a great place to watch the village life go by. The Eagle and Child also has its own farm shop and traditional organic butchers. Its homemade sausages are legendary and made by one of our own Winstanley residents!
Sollom to Tarleton
When the Leeds and Liverpool canal was extended from Sollom, the Douglas was rerouted east of its original channel. It explains why the canal from Sollom north is unusually windy despite the flat terrain. It is because this is in fact the original Douglas riverbed. The Douglas was diverted into a new, straighter channel to the east. The new owners built it with its characteristic levees to improve drainage and prevent silting is strikingly straighter than the canal from here. There are still remnants of the old channel towards Sollom, that now exists merely as a field drainage ditch.
High spring tides, heavy rainfall, and a tidal bore can dramatically raise the height of the Douglas. The frequent water drainage controls are visible throughout this section. The 3 arch bridges that are common along its route were also designed to manage flooding. They were built after the navigation traffic ceased.
So at Sollom locks we head east along a paved farm track towards the Red Farm bridge. Hard to miss as it is marked by about the only visible dwelling. Guess what it is constructed from red brick! Carry on over the bridge and a 100 yards or so past that we came to a bridge that crosses the newer channel of the Douglas. The current construction resembles a temporary metal affair. However it was originally a 3-arched bridge identical to that at numerous points along the new channel. In fact if you walk along the Douglas to Tarleton or Rufford you will encounter others.
Tarleton Sea Lock
The Tidal Gates at Tarleton: The Final Frontier
As the navigation approaches Tarleton, it reaches its most critical engineering milestone: the transition from the calm, managed waters of the canal to the unpredictable, tidal River Douglas. The Tarleton Tidal Gates (and the sea lock nearby) act as the ultimate boundary, protecting the inland network from the surging tides of the Ribble Estuary. Historically, this was a place of high drama and precise timing; coal flats had to wait for the “tide to serve” before venturing out into the wider, salt-water reaches. Today, the sight of the massive timber or steel gates against the backdrop of the vast West Lancashire sky remains one of the most evocative industrial scenes in the county, marking the exact point where the “tamed” river finally meets the sea.
Today, the transition is almost seamless. The quiet rural Douglas valley opens up into the marina and historic surroundings of Old Holly Lane. The junction of the river and canal that once created a bustling hub for transhipping goods. Queues of boats waiting for tidal changes.
It would be remiss of me not to mention that there are some wonderful places for a beer or meal en route as well as throwing in an historic National Trust Hall at Rufford. Let me share all of it with you, hopefully tempting some of you to at least visit part of it. If you do go out there, I’d love to know what else you find on your journey. On your way home a visit to Parbold, Croston or Burscough offer a wide range of hostelries awaiting your pleasure.
Article Sponsor
A big thank you from the pooch and me to LPD Locksmiths in Winstanley for supporting the creation of this article. From Canal and River Locks to expert domestic and commercial locksmith services.
What’s Next
If you found this article interesting, please come back to see the follow-ups from Tarleton to the Ribble Estuary and the history of the people who worked the Navigation.
Useful Links
- Archaeological societies, such as the Wigan Archaeological Society, have projects dedicated to researching and uncovering the original lock sites and the history of the canal basin.
- For more information on the current waterway, you can visit the Canal & River Trust website.
- To view a range of historic maps going back to the late 1700s onwards visit The National Library of Scotland.
- Steers work in Liverpool: wet dock Salthouse Dock
Hospitality
Parbold
Wayfarers – food, Problem Child Brewery and Live Outdoor Events
Windmill – food (including breakfasts) and real ales
Eagle and Child Bispham Green
Lathom & Burscough
Ship Inn – Lathom
The Wharf – Burscough Hop Vine – Burscough
Rufford
The Boathouse Brasserie – St Mary’s Marina
Tastebuds at the Wharf – Fettlers Wharf Marina