Two of the earliest canals in the UK: the Sankey Canal and the Sankey Brook Navigation

Two of the earliest canals in the UK: the Sankey Canal and the Sankey Brook Navigation

CulturalEyes-DH / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID: ENFMNT

The Sankey canal, also known as the Sankey Brook Navigation and the St Helen's Canal. It introduced a new concept of creating a canal from scratch rather than making an already-existing river navigable by boats, though for most of its length it parralels the natural Sankey Brook, and at the end merges with it. With the nearby Bridgewater Canal (built later but not so closely associated with a natural waterway), it competes for the title of Britain's first pure canal. It was opened in 1757. This view is at Sankey Valley Park in Warrington, roughly half way along the canal's length.

Location: Sankey Canal, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK / Britain