Editing Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal (section)

== Restoration ==
[[File:Nob End locks aerial view of restoration.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of Nob End locks showing the first Bolton bridge dug out and a dam being built across the Bury arm]]
To help secure the canal's future, in 1987 the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society was formed to protect the canal and campaign for restoration. On 21&nbsp;October 2005 [[British Waterways]] announced funding from [[Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds#Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective (Formerly Objective 2)|European Objective Two Funding]], the [[Northwest Regional Development Agency]] (NWDA) and Salford City Council for a restoration scheme at the newly named [[Middlewood Locks]] in Salford,<ref name="fullsteam">{{Citation | title = Full Steam Ahead For Canal Restoration In Salford | publisher = British Waterways | url = http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/newsroom/all-press-releases/display/id/1738 | access-date=27 June 2008}}</ref> which began in September 2006. Restoration was halted briefly by the discovery of what was initially thought to be a [[World War II|Second World War]] bomb<ref>{{Harvnb|Littlewood|2007|p=5}}</ref> but which proved to be a wartime American mortar with no explosive content. Pilings for the tunnel under the [[Manchester to Preston Line]] were completed in 2008.<ref name="littlewood">{{Citation |last=Littlewood |first=Fran |title=Middlewood Progress |publisher=mbbcs.org.uk |url=http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/news/bwreport.htm |access-date=27 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518211200/http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/news/bwreport.htm |archive-date=18 May 2008 }}</ref> The missing Irwell towpath bridge, known as Bloody Bridge, which once crossed the canal's entrance, was replaced with an arched timber structure incorporating elements of the old lock&nbsp;1.<ref>{{Harvnb|Littlewood|2008|pp=5–8.}}</ref> Much of the canal's existing masonry has been re-used and, where possible, the original washwalls were grouted and pointed.<ref name="Littlewoodp5"/> The original river locks 1 and 2 were replaced by a single deep lock.

Completion was scheduled for the end of July 2008<ref name="Littlewoodp5">{{Harvnb|Littlewood|2008|p=5.}}</ref> and marked with an opening ceremony on 19&nbsp;September that year, during which the new Margaret Fletcher tunnel under the [[Manchester Inner Ring Road]] was formally named.<ref>{{Citation | title = Restoration Report | url = http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/news/restoration.htm | publisher = Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society | access-date = 28 June 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518210811/http://www.mbbcs.org.uk/news/restoration.htm | archive-date = 18 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Middlewood Locks Project |url=http://www.chrismarleycivils.co.uk/projectmiddlewoodlocks.html |access-date=28 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107033000/http://www.chrismarleycivils.co.uk/projectmiddlewoodlocks.html |archive-date=7 January 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Fletcher|2008|p=3.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title = Boats return to 'hidden canal' | url = http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1068731_boats_return_to_hidden_canal | publisher = M.E.N. Media | date = 24 September 2008 |access-date=1 October 2008|work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref> Full restoration of the canal could create up to 6,000&nbsp;jobs and add an annual £6 million to the local economy.<ref>{{Citation |title=Canal may be re-born |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2012284.stm |date=28 May 2002 |access-date=27 June 2008|work=BBC News}}</ref> The total cost is estimated at £60 million.<ref name="army"/> The next planned major restoration may be along Salford Crescent.<ref>{{Citation|title= Memorandum submitted by Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmenvfru/438/438we117.htm|last=Puttnam|first=Nik|publisher=Hansard|date=March 2008|access-date=7 October 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Parry|2007|p=6.}}</ref>

Local volunteers under the guidance of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society have for years worked on sections of the canal, removing overgrowth and tidying up its general appearance.<ref name="army">{{Citation |last=Qureshi|first=Yakub| title = Army gives canal clean-cut look | publisher = M.E.N. Media|date = 2 August 2007|url = http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1012602_army_gives_canal_cleancut_look.html |access-date=27 June 2008|work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref> A new pedestrian footbridge, designed by artist [[Liam Curtin]], was opened at Nob End Locks in April 2013. Made entirely out of scaled-up pieces of [[Meccano]], it was built by society volunteers and other members of the public at a cost of about £90,000.<ref>{{Citation | title = 'Meccano-style' bridge opens in Bolton | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-22051441 | publisher = bbc.co.uk | date = 6 April 2013 | access-date = 22 April 2013}}</ref> Toward the end of 2015, work began to excavate the buried locks of the Nob End flight, exposing the six locks. Infill beneath the first bridge on the canal's Bolton arm was also excavated, exposing the towpath for the first time in decades.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hindle|2015|pp=3–19}}</ref>