Y

ou’ve got to hand it to the Victorians. They certainly didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

When the trustees of the River Weaver heard about the Trent and Mersey canal being built nearby, they didn’t fret about the fact it might make their river obsolete as a vital transport link for the local salt and pottery trades.

Instead they simply just got Edwin Clark to build a ‘boat lift’, joining the two together.

That’s right: a lift that carries boats from the River Weaver, up onto the Trent and Mersey canal, 50-feet above. It was built at Anderton, in Staffordshire, and of course, this being the Victorians who built it, the lift is still here today.

What’s more, after restoration in 2002, it’s back in full working order – so why not take a trip on the Edwin Clark boat and try it our for yourself. It’s the only example of a working boat lift in England today – and a fascinating insight into life on the Victorian waterways.