Old Quay.

The locks here , long disused, used to allow access into the Mersey for small boat and formed the terminus of the Mersey and Irwell Navigation.

On the southern side of the canal lies the lock gate repair and  manufacturing facility  which is notable for containing the largest and most powerful wood cutting machinery in the United Kingdom.

Just upstream from here is the Old Quay swing bridge - the lightest on the canal and weighing in at 650 tons. The bridge has a total length of 120 feet and carries a minor road  providing access to land which was cut off when the canal was built.

The swing bridge is constructed so that it rests on an annular girder of some 31 feet in diameter, this is supported on a   pivot  and  a roller path. Sunk into the concrete base of the mechanism is a lower roller containing  60 individual cast iron rollers. Bolted to the annular girder is a  toothed rack and this  is set in motion by hydraulic pinions to  turn the bridge.