Search England, Peak Forest Canal Company

Each record includes a transcript and the option to view the original image. While details can vary for each record, you can expect to find a combination of the following facts:

• First name
• Last name
• Event year
• Event date
• Residence
• Archive reference

The records in this collection originate from the RAIL 856 series (Peak Forest Canal Company) at the National Archives.

The Peak Forest Canal Company was established in the early 1790s with the goal of connecting the existing canal system (the Ashton Canal) with limestone deposits around Dove Holes and Peak Forest. The aim was to move large quantities of limestone from the Peak District down to Manchester as cheaply and efficiently as possible. It became one of the most important limestone supply routes in England and combined canal engineering with early tramway technology, playing a massive part in Manchester’s growth.

Although the company itself no longer exists, the Peak Forest Canal remains one of Britain’s most scenic waterways and the route is now a thriving leisure destination, maintained by the Canal and River Trust.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, canals became Britain’s main method of transporting heavy goods and materials such as coal, limestone, iron and manufactured goods. However, from the 1830s, the rapid expansion of the railway saw the gradual decline in canal traffic. Trains could carry goods faster, operate in more adverse weather conditions and reach destinations that canals simply could not. By the late 19th century, the railway became the dominant form of transport for both freight and passengers. Canals did not disappear, with many modernising and remaining in use and many are still in use today for leisure rather than industry.