Boothstown

As you amble along the canal in Boothstown you will notice the tranquillity and semi-rural surroundings, with rolling fields of agricultural land. To the south of the canal is Chat Moss, an area of peat bog around 7,000 years old and which makes up around 30% of the city of Salford.

Boothstown heritage

Despite this tranquil image, Boothstown has a bustling past, evidence of coal mining in this area dates back to the 14th century and was close to major collieries, including Mosley Common in Wigan and Chaddock Colliery in Boothstown. If you venture into Bridgewater Park you will see the keystone at the entrance to the Chaddock Level dated 1816, which linked Chaddock Colliery to the Bridgewater Canal. A small basin at the entrance to the Chaddock Level used to transport coal from here to the industrial heartlands of Manchester and beyond.

To the east of Bridgewater Park is the Moorings public house and Boothstown Marina - formerly a working basin built for the transportation of coal from nearby local collieries. The basin was restored in 1991 as a leisure facility.

Proposals for Boothstown

Today Boothstown is a local gateway to the canal used by walkers, cyclists and boaters and through the masterplan we aim to build on this character.

We want Boothstown to be a welcoming and safe gateway to the canal by:

Enhancing Bridgewater Park as a place to play, explore and learn about the heritage of the area
New play equipment in the park which encourages people to learn more about the history and heritage of the area
Improve the canal bridges
New development at Boothstown Marina to improve the environment of the area
Resurfacing and widening the towpath and managing canal vegetation to open up views to and from the canal
Making the most of the areas wildlife, landscape and mining history through features which tell the story of the area and creating links to Astley Green Mining Museum
Enhancing the area a place to have fun, making it a focus point for boat and cycle hire

You can download the masterplan for Boothstown along with plans for Bridgewater Park and the Boothstown to Worsley footpath on the north of the canal at the bottom of the page.

If you want to get involved in improving your local area, opportunities exist to undertake environmental improvements, clean-ups and heritage improvement schemes. Why not get involved and complete our online form.