How the collapse of the ‘Fourth Grace’ led to the creation of the Liverpool Link Canal

The Liverpool Waterfront wouldn’t be complete without its connection to the canal which includes the impressive Three Graces, the Museum of Liverpool and the Albert Dock. But the battle to turn the Liverpool Canal Link dream into reality has been long and difficult.

Spanning 127 miles, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was a reliable and important shipping route for cargo ships during the Industrial Revolution, with over a million tonnes of coal delivered to the city each year. Construction of the main part of the canal took nearly half a century, with work beginning at Halsall in 1770, crossing the Pennines and ending at the Lancaster Canal in 1816.

The canal was extended several times after its opening, being connected to the Bridgewater Canal at Leigh in 1820. It was extended again in 1822 to allow larger boats to access the western end of the canal which was previously too small for to host them.

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But its most significant development came nearly 200 years later with the creation of the Liverpool Canal Link, linking the canal to the Pier Head. The £22 million link opened to boats in April 2009 and runs along the city’s historic waterfront, terminating at South Dock.

Martin Clarke, project director for British Waterways, who oversaw the construction of the Canal Link, said the huge development presented a seemingly impossible challenge as his team faced countless battles with the council and landowners for both planning permission and and to finance its construction.

He said: “In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a lot of campaigning to restore Britain’s canals and British Waterways latched onto it. The London docks were developing, (there was) regeneration of the Albert Dock, so British Waterways became interested. in waterfront regeneration.

“There was a water space in the South Dock where yachts could come in and there was a marina at the other end, but the water was dead. There were no boats on it. British Waterways made a deal with English Partnerships, where they were employed. ownership of the water space, and at the same time an idea to expand the waterway appeared.

“Our crazy idea was to extend the Liverpool Canal, which ended at Stanley Dock. It was a dead end and so for anyone on the canal there was no reason to come into town. We thought if we could widen the canal, dig a canal through those docks and over the Pier Head so people could get from Stanley Dock to South Dock.

“We had no money. We never had any money. We just had great ideas and talented people. The canal companies were great at lobbying the powers that be in the council and the government and they lobbied hard. Liverpool started to think big and we got the idea of ​​the channel link on the agenda”.

But the canal link faced stiff competition – proposals for a colossal building ominously named ‘The Cloud’. Estimated to cost £228m, The Cloud was to be built on an artificial hill on Liverpool’s waterfront and was to contain a boutique hotel, luxury apartments, office space and a ‘garden in the sky’ on the roof. Construction on the “Fourth Grace” was scheduled to begin in May 2005 – but the project was canceled before work could begin.

Martin, who lives in Dovecot, said: “It seemed like a really long shot that we could make it because we had no money, no land, nothing. The battle we had was largely due to the fact that the board was interested in this sexy… but ridiculous – idea of ​​The Cloud. We started to wander, and finally we were told that we would not receive funding. We continued to lobby.

“The Cloud project eventually collapsed when they realized the cost would be almost double what was originally planned. They are left with EU money to spend, government money to spend and nothing to spend it on.

“The pendulum swung because of the collapse of The Cloud scheme. After being told to go away and stop being a nuisance, they came to us and asked if we could deliver.”

Despite initial opposition from English Heritage, British Waterways (now renamed The Canal and River Trust) succeeded in obtaining planning permission for the canal link. Construction began in 2007 and ended in December 2008, opening in April of the following year.

Martin said: “We were opposed every step of the way. Everything was against us and look what happened. Every time there is an image of Liverpool, the channel is there. In the end we felt fully vindicated. The channel went from being an idea many didn’t want to enter to the centerpiece of Liverpool 2008.

“I’ve done a lot in my career, but as someone who lives in the city whose father was a dockworker, I feel extremely proud. What I’ve achieved can never be surpassed.”