Eccles and District History Society
The James Nasmyth Trail 2008
Above; Self portrait by James Nasmyth.

The Society paid tribute to the great Victorian engineer James Nasmyth in this year of the bicentenary of his birth by publishing John Aldred's book 'The Steam Hammer Man' and by following the 'Nasmyth Trail' from Monton to Patricroft on Sunday 17 August.
The following pages show scenes from the Trail.

The Trail begins by the Bridgewater Canal at Monton. The first major canal in England, it opened in 1761. Here at Monton its course changes-the 90 degree turn made when the Duke and his advisers decided to reroute the canal via Barton to Manchester.

The Trail follows the line of Green Lane, passing the now closed-down Mitchell & Shackleton crankshaft manufacturers. A reminder that Eccles & Patricroft was once home to many engineering firms, following Nasmyth's lead.

The site of the Bridgewater Foundry is now occupied by small industrial units. Nasmyth is commemorated in 'James Nasmyth Way' and by the preserved hammer, that used to be at Monk's Hall Museum and during its working life was at the steel works in Elsecar, Yorkshire.

Continuing down Green Lane we pass the Queen's Arms, where we will return to at the end of the Trail and Patricroft Station, where Queen Victoria alighted in 1851 on her way to Worsley New Hall. She continued her journey via the Bridgewater canal on the specially-made Royal Barge.

The Trail passes the site of the Victorian workhouse which later became Bridgewater Hospital; the former Mechanics Institute, that Nasmyth supported, which became the Adult education Centre up to the 1980s(now private housing); the former police station(opened 1892-now private apartments); and A.V.Roe House, named after the aviator and aircraft maanufacturer who was born there-Nasmyth probably lived in this house at some time in the 1840s.

Turning on to Liverpool Road the Trail continues to Patricroft Bridge, where we then take the towpath to the railway bridge. Here the world's first passenger railway(Liverpool-Manchester 1830) crosses England's first major canal(1761). Nasmyth wrote in his autobiography how struck he was on visiting the area in 1830, whilst viewing the new railway on a walking holiday, by the excellent potential for a factory at this location. Six years later he was to establish the Bridgewater foundry nearby.

The Trail follows the path over the bridge and back to Green Lane. Before returning to Monton a stop can be made at the 'first railway pub' - formerly the Patricroft Tavern, renamed the Queen's Arms to commemorate Victoria's visit of 1851.