What is recorded here

This black commemorative plaque records: Coal Wharf. From 1764, coal for Manchester's new factories was unloaded here. Within a few years, Castlefield became a busy inland port, handling other goods including cotton, timber, salt and foodstuffs. To make it easier to carry coal to the road above, the canal was extended into the tunnel you can see to your left. Here, the River Medlock turned a waterwheel to power a hoist that lifted boxes of coal up a 15m (47 feet) shaft to road level.

Coal Wharf in Manchester served as a crucial transportation hub from 1764, facilitating the industrial growth of Manchester by supplying coal to its burgeoning factories and later handling diverse goods, thereby transforming Castlefield into a significant inland port. The innovative use of a waterwheel-powered hoist here exemplified early industrial engineering solutions to logistical challenges.

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