Conservation Area: Macclesfield Canal Conservation Area (084)

The Macclesfield Canal Conservation Area was designated in 1975 and was amongst the first linear conservation areas to be designated, following the 1968 Civic Amenities Act, in the United Kingdom. The conservation area only covers the sections of the whole canal (Bridge No.’s 13 to 93), including the Macclesfield Branch of the Trent & Mersey Canal (Bridge No.’s 94 to 96) that are within Macclesfield and Congleton Boroughs. In the context of the North West, the Macclesfield Canal is of considerable architectural, historic and scenic interest. The influence of canals was quite phenomenal, completely revolutionising industrial transportation and thus having a profound effect on industrial location. The impact of the canal on Macclesfield and Congleton, with its completion in 1831, was no less spectacular to the local area, with industries along the canal experiencing unprecedented growth. Other communities along its length including the major settlements of Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton benefited as a result. The special interest that justifies designation of the Macclesfield Canal Conservation Area derives from the following features: 1) Its significance as a surviving part of the last elements of the 19th century canal network; 2) Having been surveyed and designed by the great engineer, Thomas Telford. 3) Its importance as a historic record of the most prevalent pre-railway method of freight transport; 4) Its valuable contribution to the growth of Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton in the 19th century; 5) Its present-day use as a popular leisure resource for pleasure boats, walkers, cyclists and anglers; 6) The architectural and historic interest of the area’s historic buildings, 96 of which are grade II listed buildings; 7) The special interest of the canal’s twelve locks (at Bosley) and eighty six 19th century millstone grit bridges, including the various viaducts, aqueducts, milestones and other canal related features; 8) Views to and across the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines; 9) The changing setting of the canal as it progresses from urban to rural fringe; 10) Canalside trees and hedgerows; 11) Its role as a wildlife corridor into the urban centres of Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton; 12) Local details that collectively and individually give the conservation area a distinctive identity.