Burscough Canal Hub

Burscough Canal Services Hub is a small community of businesses at Bridge 32A on Leeds Liverpool Canal, assorted canal and boating needs.

Burscough village on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal grew to become a centre for the boating community. A day of horse travel , pulling the barges, would take you 24miles ( and a quarter! ) to the village which was situated on the main north-south toll road. Now that road is the A59 and remains a vital link between Preston and Liverpool. In days gone by the horses would stop at Burscough and be stabled in the Wharf, or there was an opportunity to change horses , particularly if you were a Fly Boat, travelling day and night. Burscough established itself as a boating community. The men, and families on occasions, travelled the canal between Wigan and Liverpool, carrying coal to the expanding Liverpool homes and to industries along the canal. Ainscough's Mills in Burscough and Newburgh were a major customer. These Mills also provided considerable employment to the local area and the chimney of Ainscough's Mill remains an iconic landmark. The long barges were built this side of Wigan to 72ft to give maximum loads. The locks on the eastern side of Wigan, built by Yorkshire folk, can only take the 60ft barges, therefore these Leeds and Liverpool "short boats" can travel the full length through Leeds to Liverpool. The Burscough boat families established themselves in this area along the canal and many often travelled over the top to Yorkshire with their goods. This Facebook page is to publish information and photos of the canal era, particularly from Wigan Pier to Liverpool Docks, now that there are 2 new major canal LInks at Liverpool and at the Ribble estuary. We hope you enjoy the posts. . .