The Bridgewater Canal was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh. Coal was needed in large quantities to fuel the industrial revolution and the canal enabled coal and other goods to be transported efficiently and cheaply to the rapidly expanding towns and cities. It is often considered to be Britain's first true canal; the consultant engineer was James Brindley and one of its most remarkable features was his design of the Barton Aqueduct which carried the Bridgewater Canal over the River Irwell. This stone aqueduct was replaced by the Barton Swing Aqueduct when the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal meant that ships too large for the original aqueduct would be passing underneath.
