Galloway's
Society for the Blind		 Bringing the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Back to Life - A Heritage Lottery Project
About the Project

Johnson's Hillock

Salterforth to
Greenberfield

Johnson's Hillock - Walk Guide - Section 01

The walk begins at the first interpretation board, situated close to the lock keeper's cottage and the top lock of the Johnsons Hillock flight of locks. The first part of the walk, down the locks, provides much of interest, with many features remaining from the days of horse towage on the canal and other historic details. For example, just above the top lock are the recesses for an extra pair of gates. These gates marked the boundary between the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Lancaster Canal. Canal companies were extremely jealous of their water supplies and always provided gates like this where two canals met. The gates were probably removed after 1864 when the southern section of the Lancaster Canal was leased by the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Controlling water levels and water supply were an important part of the lock keepers work. The water came from reservoirs around the canal's summit at Foulridge, or from rain water draining into the canal. Byewashes carried excess water downwards around the locks, the water flow controlled by a weir set at the level of the water in the canal above the locks. Byewashes can be found at all the locks, and water can be heard running down them to feed lower sections of the canal.

At Johnsons Hillock, just above the top lock, there is also a paddle, the canal name for a water control valve, which allows a regulated amount of water to flow down the locks to keep the canal at its correct level. The lock keepers looked after the water supply as well as the boats passing through the locks. Around 1900, because there were so many boats, there were three lock keepers, two during the day and one at night. One of them lived in the lock house here.

Horses were used extensively for towing boats, the 80 feet long cotton tow lines often rubbing grooves into the stonework of locks and bridges. To avoid this damage, wooden rollers and iron plates were fitted to places where the ropes touched. The remains of iron plates can still be found on the towpath side of the lower bridge parapet here, across the road from the lock house, and there was also a vertical wooden roller at the end of the parapet, just the holes for the bearings surviving today. Take care when looking at these details as you are on a road which can be quite busy. Afterwards, continue down the towpath to the next lock. Both a ramp and steps take you down from the road to the towpath.