Bradley Lock Cottage Exploration
by Peter Keen

The Sankey Canal rose more than 70 feet between sea level and the centre of St Helens via a series of locks, eight single chamber locks and two staircase pairs (known as double locks). Although originally operated by the crews of the sailing flats eventually the canal company employed lock keepers and installed cottages for their accommodation. Sadly none survive, the last two being demolished in the 1970s. The one at the New Double Lock was destroyed to make room for trailer parking at Pocket Nook, whilst that at Hulme Lock was demolished following an arson attack whilst the occupier was in hospital.

The Society has attempted to obtain photographs of each of the lock cottages but there are still some blank spaces. Most were simple two storey dwellings, usually following the same design but Bradley was unique. The photograph (left) of this cottage shows an extension, which doubled its size, most unusual - possibly being the canal company's response to the alleged thirteen children of the lock keeper (see photo below).

Society volunteers have spent many workdays at Hulme Lock cottage, the best-preserved remains of all the Sankey's lock keepers' accommodation. The ground plan of the cottage at Newton Lock has also been located but of the rest no evidence survived on the ground to show where they had stood.

The April working party at Bradley changed this situation surprisingly quickly.

The previous month volunteers had removed large amounts of self-seeded tree growth, which had covered the area assumed to have been the cottage site. This time, the whole area was raked clear of debris, the remaining sawn timber was removed and exploration commenced to locate the cottage. Using a combination of dousing and a photocopy of an old map the volunteers measured up on the ground and began to dig.

Almost immediately diggers uncovered a red shale-like surface, which was the sort of material that would have formed a sub floor for a path, a yard or interior floor. This was followed for some distance without finding the end until a small excavation revealed that it stretched all the way to the coping stones of the lock chamber, indicating that quite a large surface had been laid in front of the lock cottage during its working life. This may have been the shale alone, a brick surface or, as elsewhere on the canal, stone slabs, but if the latter two, they have all now gone.

Some 4' east of the shale, diggers revealed the tops of large sandstone blocks measuring approximately 7" wide, 24" long and 9" deep. Were these the foundation blocks for the cottage wall like those at Hulme Lock Cottage? These were "chased" along, to reveal a line of blocks, with right angle turns at each end, which was measured up and proved to be just the right size for the front face of the lock cottage. It was concluded that the blocks were very probably the foundations for the cottage but, as with all archaeological work, options were kept open in case new information is revealed at future digs.

Other volunteers had dug in what was probably the interior of the building and discovered a stone-slab covered surface, just what would be expected in dwellings of the period. By this time part of what was assumed to be one of the gable end walls had been revealed, with a brick-surfaced area let into the stone floor. The bricks continued below the infill so it is not known how far they stretch or what their purpose was.

The area had been covered in soil at some time in the past to level it up and this was of good quality and easy to dig. Unfortunately over the years the trees have colonised the area where the cottage once stood and work is hampered by their root systems.

Future work will lie where there is the densest root growth, and extensive tipping on the adjacent site has built up a substantial embankment on the eastern section of the cottage site, so it might not be possible to uncover the complete ground plan.

Since the area is open to the public and needs to be made safe underfoot, and it is not unknown for stone and timber to be "removed" by thieves, all the excavations had to be back-filled at the end of the day.

Volunteers were content to have made considerable progress in a short time, having located (probably) the cottage frontage, the 4' garden in front of this (above: one of only two photographs of the cottage found so far, taken in 1915) and the hard standing in front of this extending to the lock edge. Further work is intended when time allows. Anyone interested in joining our "time team" excavations should contact Colin at the usual email address for details of the work programme.

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