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All saints church looking across the canal from the A50 at Church Lawton

©John Naisbitt

Dist:0.5km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal, north of Kidsgrove. Bridge carries A50 between Kidsgrove and Alsager

©Mike Todd

Dist:0.5km<br/>Bridge 135, which carries the A50 between Alsager and Kidsgrove, has evidently been widened at some time. A moored boat and a cyclist can be seen through the bridge hole.

©Stephen McKay

Dist:0.5km<br/>Seen from Lock No 46, and looking towards Church Lawton.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal.
The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (adding the open chamber in this image) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both in use.
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©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (adding the chamber on the right) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both in use.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (adding the chamber on the right) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both in use.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal.
The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (to the right of this image) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both again in use.
[[[2926896]]]

There is maize in the field on the left.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal.
The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (adding the currently empty chamber in this image) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both in use.

The rise in water level provided by these locks is 9ft 4in (2·85 metres).
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©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>Boats pass in the paired locks. In the background is the Crewe - Kidsgrove railway, recently electrified to provide a diversionary route for the West Coast Main Line.

©Stephen McKay

Dist:0.6km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal.
The locks were originally single, built by James Brindley in the mid 1770s. In order to speed traffic along in the 1830s Thomas Telford supervised pairing (adding the right hand chamber in this image) of most of the Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill!) between Hardings Wood and Wheelock. Today, some are in need of repair, and some have been filled in. Here they are both in use.
[[[2926896]]]

There is maize in the field on the left.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>As one goes down another comes up... Paired locks are a feature of this stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal - sometimes known as 'Heartbreak Hill' or, more prosaically the 'Cheshire Locks'. Although in many cases one of the chambers has been closed off (or even completely filled in), both locks still operate here, reducing congestion and saving boaters time.

©Stephen McKay

Dist:0.6km<br/>The locks along this stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal (completed in 1777) were constructed in pairs, but with the decline of the canals in the second half of the 20th century, many fell into disrepair, and only one chamber was maintained in operational condition. Some were even filled in permanently. The south chamber of this pair is still derelict, as are several more on this "Heartbreak Hill" stretch. The good news is that BWB are gradually restoring the remaining damaged locks.

©Roger Kidd

Dist:0.6km<br/>Descending the "Heartbreak Hill" on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Church Lawton. In its heyday the canal was so busy that all the locks between Kidsgrove and Sandbach were duplicated to speed up the flow of traffic. For many years only one lock of each pair was kept usable but traffic levels have again reached the point at which both locks (where they both still exist) are again necessary.

©David Stowell

Dist:0.7km<br/>Trent and Mersey Canal bridge 136 - double arched to allow access to a pair of locks

©Mike Todd

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