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The District of Barton upon Irwell, Salford
in the County of
-- Lancashire --

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Barton upon Irwell. Photograph by permission and © of the Mark Fynn Collection
Barton upon Irwell
Photograph by permission and © of the Mark Fynn Collection

A village and hamlet on the north bank of the river Irwell, forming a part of the large township of Barton upon Irwell. Barton anciently within the Parish of Eccles was in 1867, created a chapelry with St. Catherines on the south bank of the river.

Barton together with Eccles, Winton and Monton came together in 1892 to form the Municipal Borough of Eccles.

The river Irwell which divides the township of Barton upon Irwell is crossed at Barton by both a road bridge and an aqueduct. The Bridgewater Canal, built to traffic coal from Worsley to Manchester crossed the river on James Brindley’s aqueduct, constructed under his supervision and opened to canal traffic in 1761.

Barton found itself engulfed in the early 1890’s by a pioneering waterway scheme and became a focus for new engineering feats that surpassed even the wonder of James Brindley's 18th century aqueduct. The Bridgewater Canal aqueduct was a casualty of the new Ship Canal scheme it was demolished together with the adjacent stone road bridge, excavation of the canal channel swept away the locks and Barton Mill.

The aqueduct and road bridge you see today spanning the Manchester Ship Canal, is balanced on a central island, and swings to a central position to let the occasional ship pass.

 
Barton Swing Bridge. Photograph by permission and © of the Mark Fynn Collection
Barton Swing Bridge
Photograph by permission and © of the Mark Fynn Collection
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