The tiny Manchester Ferry you've probably never seen or heard of ...? 

The Worsley brook video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nn92yyxIOVY.htmlsi=pNWHUafT0BDzbiQC Lewis's channel @RingwayManchester My favourite video by Lewis ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2Vb-Ndv1oo0.htmlsi=ftb5bOdelLPZHNXm REMEMBER !!! The ferry stops running later in autumn till spring

In 1958 as a student I had a summer job at Irlan Steelworks that used to stand on the other side of the Ship Canal from Flixton I crossed daily on the old ferry that was a large flat boat that took men and their bicycles and was driven across by the ferryman standing at the stern sing a sculling oar. The canal was not the least bit picturesque with oily black water that stank. Earlier aged 10 or so we kids used to gather on the viewing platform at the Barton swing bridge and aqueduct and get sailors on Canadian ships to throw sweets to us since in 1950 they had yet to reappear in the shops. Davyhulme is no longer recognizable with the farms having gone and new estates built plus motorways passing through but in those days one could walk across fields to the Mersey and they were still using horses for pulling bread and milk carts and the large Perceron and Shire railways horses were also stabled near us.

I am 81 and lived in Woodsend. I spent many hours of my youth at the Ferry or ‘Penny Ferry’ as we called it then. Hot Summers spent on the bank watching the big ships pass by and the American sailors often tossed us chewing gum packs if we were lucky. The old Ferryman was a friendly man and gave us the odd cigarette as he enjoyed our company. I can still recall the colour of the Ship Canal which was so dirty with shimmering oil spills reflecting the colours of the rainbow. Happy days and thanks for the memories.

You've made my day, Martin. I was born on the Flixton side, a couple of roads away and spent many a happy time crossing on the ferry. Thank you!

I'm Irlam, born and bred. I did my dissertation on the Manchester Ship Canal for my degree. I spent hours and hours researching it, all of it a pleasure, not a chore! Did you know over its course the MSC drops 126' from (the then) Salford Docks to it's end at Weaver Sluices, that's why there are 5 sets of locks!. Irlam locks is bigger and bowl shaped because this enabled ships to turn round and not have to travel in to Salford to do so. There was a railway that ran along the whole western bank for those heady days of industrialism. The Irwell was altered many times to try and straighten it, but Salti Brook was significantly changed when the AJ Bell Stadium was built. I remember that being waste land and originally a football pitch.

Thanks for this - must go and have a sail on that! 'Night Soil' was not the sludge from the sewage works. It was the contents of dry toilets of Manchester which went by barge down the Irwell and Bridgewater Canal to many distribution places to be spread on the fields as fertilizer. Where you were, on the north side, is Boysnope Wharf. From there the sh!te was loaded onto narrow gauge railway wagons to be distributed on Chat Moss. The bridge under the Irlam to Barton road for this railway is still there at Boysnope. The reason the first Manchester Airport was built at Barton is because the Manchester Corporation Cleansing Department owned land there. So that's why Barton Airfield is subject to flooding as it's a bog covered in decades of bog contents! That metal bridge you had your brew on was for the Ship Canal Railway, which ran the entire length of the canal

Immediately behind the lock gates at 14:56 there is a pale grey concrete building with a big fancy arch pediment over the door. This is the engine house which used to contain a very early Mirrlees 4-cyl diesel from about 1910 (?) attached to a big pump. The idea was to pump water back up the canal when flow in the Irwell was insufficient to replenish that lost to operating the locks. The engine was removed 20-odd years ago and is under restoration at the Anson Engine Museum out the back of Poynton, where I volunteer - one day it will run. We also have large chunks of the similar engine recently removed from the same structure at Mode Wheel locks, to make way for a micro-hydro power scheme there. Videos of both engine houses and engine removals are on youtube; viewers here are most welcome at the Anson to see the engine most summer Fridays and some Sundays and bank holidays, along with maybe a couple of hundred others! Perhaps Martin would like to come and video it, and loads of other engines made in the Manchester area.

Welcome to my home town, I was born and bred in Flixton, and lived there after I got married too until we moved to Urmston in 2003. I believe the night soil was unloaded at Boysnape Wharf to spread on the farms on Irlam Moss. I used to cross on the ferry with my dad as a kid when he went to the car scrap yard that was where the shed company is now. There was another ferry near Irlam locks until they made a proper foot bridge over the locks. Another ferry ran between Partington and Cadishead, and I've worked on the jetty when it was taken over by the GMPTE. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this, thank you

Thanks for the video, it stirred up some nice memories from my past. My grandfather used to drive me to school across Barton bridge and told me about the boat that carried treated sewage from the sewage works out to the Irish sea. He was something of poet and wrote a small poem about the boat that entertained me as a child. Bubble, bubble, bubble. Munch, munch, munch. All the little Fishes of Liverpool bay have come for their lunch. By James Henry Lea

Seeing this kicked off some deja vu with me ! Took me back to a memory of me as kid of maybe 7 or 8 in the late seventies being with my granddad and visiting a small boat on the side of a big river for some reason. That memory has sat there for years and I didnt know why, I know we didnt cross in it, just went to it and not as customers, my grandad seemed to know the ferryman or at least seemed to. So I rang my dad to see if he had any memories of this. My granddad was called George Jackson, and after the war he worked for Greater Manchester Corporation as what was known as a "VSI", a VSI was the person sent out to breakdowns and other incidents involving buses, in a van with a selection of spares and tools to assess, potentially repair or advise. Anyway, the ferry was apparently under the responsibilities of "The Corporation" so was also under my grandads remit and did mention it to my dad on occasion, apparently seen as a nice change from the back end of a broken down bus. As a kid he took me out on his van a few times and it looks like this was one of his jobs on one of those days.

My Grandad Arthur Walker worked on the canal as a Ferryman through the 1970s, he worked shifts and used to take me with him on Saturday mornings on 6-2. At that time he manned the partington ferry, it was still the old boat that he skulled across stood up with a single oar. He taught me to skull this ferry aged 10 (maybe younger), I can still remember how black the water was, it was like tar. No life jacket or H&S, different times!

Thanks Martin, we had a great time visiting the ferry with our grandson. Had a picnic on the other side, over a main road, at a dog training 'park'.

Wonderful little ferry! Thank you Martin and Louis.

I have heard of it but forgot all about it until now. I think it used to be on the A-Z. In the '60s we lived in Stretford and my Dad used to take my brother and I to watch the ships coming through. Used to amaze me how a ship could go up and down so much.

What a quaint idea that has stood the test of time. Well done Martin. Good to see you once again. Your channel NEVER fails to educate in some manner.Cheers from waaay across the pond here in Edmonton.

Hi 👋🏻 Martin. Oh what happy memories for me as I was born in Davyhulme in 1957 lol 😆 so this was our playground as was the Irlam ferry. We called it the penny ferry and the boat was wooden and the man had one ore at the back. We played for hours on the canal and crossed the ship canal so we could see the MSC railway and visit Lancashire steel works. We even floated on the canal on nice polystyrene blocks 😱 The water was so polluted. My late Dad worked for Massey Ferguson international parts department and he used to take me to Barton dock and see his ships he’d put tractor parts on for all over the world 🌎 I can remember big ships queuing at Barton waiting for entrance into Salford docks. I was once asked to be a deck hand on a big ship but I was frightened 😫 I wish I did. Can’t remember when but a Manchester liner crashed threw the lock gates at Irlam and emptied the canal so we all used the lock gates to cross them I think Irlam ferry closed. Martin could you find out when the Manchester liners crash? Great video cheers Stevie 😀

Another great video Martin. Davyhulme sewerage works always always has an affinity to me, as a junior engineer I designed a set of sludge tanks there, and some 40+ years later they are still standing! At around 8:30 you show Boysnope Wharf on the old course of the Irwell. It says Manchester Corporation and shows rail tracks leading to it. I suspect that was also for taking sewage sludge out to sea from the nearby ‘sewage farm’.

That was so very quaint. What a beautiful ferry. Thanks for taking me along, please take care

A great channel Louis has for all us radio Enthusiasts he puts content about different topics great to see him working with you on this channel hopefully more cooperation in the future

The disappointment Martin shows when he realised the tea bag was gone, and the ongoing discussion of how to do a cuppa,, priceless... And that bell, you couldn't make it up... Pure Gold 😎

Lovely little video Martin……….brought back a few memories. I used to live in Glazebrook and worked shifts at the Shell plant in Carrington. In summer I’d cycle to work via the Warburton Toll Bridge and return home via the Hulme’s Bridge ferry, which both crossed the ship canal. Although the bridge crosses the ship canal I seem to remember being told that the toll you pay is an anachronism left over from a previous bridge that used to cross the Mersey at this point.

Thanks Martin, Glad All is Well Stay safe .

Great video, brings back loads of memories. I grew up just near this ferry and still remember old ferry master "Irish John" who used to live in the house at the side of it and he would ferry us across so we could go to Barton airshow back in the day and he used to have to row the boat.

my Grandad Bill Dodd, used to use the ferry daily, to go to work at the CWS (CO-OP) margarine works.

I have grown up in this neck of the woods fr over 55 yrs and my mother lives no more than half mile away and never ever knew there was a ferry there till 3 years ago 1st video of this gaff you fella well done

Brilliant video. Yes, a service that deserves more publicity, and thanks for your contribution. A free service and yet sadly, one that could, and may, disappear before our very eyes forever if not used enough.

Great taste of the Ship Canal. A series on this would be great. So much to see and so much history. Sad to see Peel allowing it to fall into disrepair.

Great to see Martin and Lewis teaming up on this one 👏 👍. Hopefully there's more to come. Sorry to see Lewis hasn't topped the 100K subscribers but I'm sure it won't be long. Good luck to the both of you. 🤞🤞👍👍👍.

Used to use the old wooden boat ferry as a kid to cross over the canal

Thanks Martin crossed from Irlam to Flixton walked around the beauty spot then had a pint at the Fox and a trip back terrific afternoon.

The one little knows (knew) of is Bobs lane ferry in Cadishead. I loved taking that thing on visits to Partington back in the day.

My Dad used to catch this to get to work in the 60's/70's - thanks for the memory!

I sure love Martin Zero videos. It's amazing how much there is to explore around there.

This is brilliant Martin. Good to see the connection between the Worsley brook and the Dock 👍👍. The Worsley Brook video was fab and when I get back to Worsley I will check this out. Nice one 👍

Is that the cutest boat that ever existed?

How amazing is that? Hope it carries on for many more years. ❤

The insert at 19:16 refers to what I think is Bob's Lane ferry in Cadishead. It ran between Cadishead and Partington but is no longer running, sadly. There was also Irlam road ferry which crossed from Irlam to Flixton just North east of Irlam locks. There is another ferry in Woolston to Thelwall which is just before Latcthford locks in Warrington, still running. Update; A quick google about Bobs lane ferry reveals a disaster where people died in the 1970's.

A little bit more of info, the house on the bank @19:39 is the Hulme Ferry cottage this was built for the ferryman. It was derelict for a long time and due to be pulled down to make flats. Fortunately the present owner bought it and restored it.

This was magic! I love these little independent ferries which can shave a lot of time from road journeys, or in this case fulfills a need to maintain an old right of way. I think that's brilliant. Another really excellent entertaining and informative video and loved today's background music! Thanks so much guys for a great collab. Best not do too many together though. WW3 might break out over what constitutes strong tea!

Thanks Martin and Lewis. He knows me too. It is such a shame to see this lovely machinery just uncared for. That was somebody's pride and joy once. You could see the oil cans in the corner. Hopefully somebody will restore it before it gets totally vandalized or scrapped.

always great show i found lots of old tobaco pipes with the manchester ship canal on it while digging pond out for my mum in irlam i also live 200 yards from barton docks

Hi Martin an interesting fact that you might not know. Where you are standing by the locks once would have been known as dockside on the largest inland ports in the country, known as port Salford. Slated by a certain mr George Osborn chancellor. The gateway to the north almost 15 years later not a single shovel has ever penetrated the ground there. Enjoy your day

Thats a day out people and its free ,kids will love it

Spooky - you must have been there the same weekend as us! Yesterday, we did a bike ride from Sale to Davyhulme and crossed Irlam Locks. We were heading for Barton Airport when I saw the sign 'Hulmes Ferry'. We thought let's take a look but thought it would be a waste of time and a bit of a red herring. When we got there just before 5pm, the ferry man was just coming over to lock the gate on the Irlam side. He let us (and our bikes) cross to Flixton. I never knew it was here, the only one I had heard of was the Irlam (Bob's) Ferry which ended in disaster in 1970 when the Ship Canal caught fire after an oil leak. Thanks for another interesting video.

The banter between you is great, what a laugh.

I am so glad you mentioned Thelwall Ferry at the end; my Mum took me and my cousin on the ferry back in ‘67. I can’t wait wait to see what happened to it as I haven’t lived in the UK for a long time

We were driving past where the thelwall ferry is today and I said to my husband we should go one day, I had no idea about this one so we will be giving this one a go too 😊

Pretty kool. Therea another one I think done by David of Cruising the Cut. Another little Ferry service. Not sure it free, but, just as good. Thanks m8 done real well!

Absolutely brilliant video, as always Martin. It's a great pity James wasn't there to enjoy the fact he could have crossed on the ferry for absolutely FREE! - something you can no doubt taunt him about some time soon!

Great video Martin. Thanks best regards from Chicago

The Boat was originally summoned by a 12" diameter bell at floor level operated by a foot lever. That was back in the day when it was a rowing boat

Wonderful stuff Martin, ive a feeling Alan the ferryman maybe slightly busier in the future after your video, i would like to visit this place

Now I've got the "wrong" music in my ear: Ferry Cross The Mersey Always interesting, informative and fun, thanks. 🎉

In the music around 15:00, I'm certain the female vocalist is singing the melody of the refrain from "Angels We Have Heard On High". 😹

Brilliant video Martin. I shall certainly visiting this little ferry and having a walk to the Fox for Sunday lunch. Thank you for bringing these hidden gems so they can continued to be enjoyed

Nice one Martin, another Informative and entertaining video, nice to see you teamed up with Lewis once again. I hope one day you can find out enough Information to do a video on the little ferry that used to run from Partington to Cadishead. It was a pleasure meeting you and Lewis at the Honey Bee back in August, take care mate, hope to see you again next time Im over there. Cheer's.

The reason that Salteye Brook and the little bit of the Irwell have been diverted is because of the proposed Port Salford by Barton Locks. It is expected that a train link will come into Port Salford from the 1830 main line and by diverting the water courses it will not have to cross them.

A Brew without James is like a day without sunshine. From the look on your face when you took your first sip of tea it must have tasted like Earl Gray -- the perfume of teas. I would bet that Alan is a encyclopedia of local history. This was such a enjoyable watch. mike

I have some memories of this, we ùsed to do tours of swimming baths, as I remember we got the bus from stretford to the bottom of woodsend, pay a penny to visit irlam baths as it had a diving board, great days.

Great film, loved it! really interesting to see things like this ferry still going, thanks to a previous right of way. That old branch of the Irwell shows that it would have been a much more picturesque affair before the MSC came into being, a glance back to the olden days! The old mineral railway is interesting to see too, thanks!!

Brilliant video Martin! The history of the Mersey & Irwell Navigation / Manchester Ship Canal is well worth looking at. 🙂👍

Hi Martin. Takes me back to my childhood where we used the penny ferry that ran from woolson to thelwall. No fancy bel. Just had to shout ferry and he would scull across in a rickety old clinker build boat to collect you. You should go and have a look as you can walk up to the City of Thelwall (there is an inscription on the side of the Pickering arms pub explaining ) or to Latchford locks. Fascinating bit of living history.

Top Class video as ever...Martin...x

Brilliant , such an old piece of history still in use. Wonderfull. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

Missed your Sunday uploads, Martin lad. Hope all's good with you.

My Sunday isn't complete without your vids. You've done several vids with Lewis, i can find the guided tour, the Q&A, and i seem to remember when you went to his radio shack.

What a fascinating insight to a public right of way. Great video, Martin 👍

Never heard of this ferry before, Martin. Glad that you've showed a historical service going back to the origins of the ship canal. That ferry boat looks a real belter for the job, and it was also great to see the remains of the old Irwell course. I can recall seeing some ships of freight going up the canal, I think to that Carrington oil refinery, back in the 70s. By the way, good to see Ringway with you on this video, which is brilliant. Many thanks, Martin, and look forward to your next Manchester expeditions. Take care.

Great to see it's still running 😊

Lewis survived the tea criticism then? Poor James was absent, he would have made the right brew. Lovely though to see Lewis and that stylish hair do. LOL Loved the ferry story. Truly a hidden gem. I was waiting and waiting and waiting to learn how much it cost - and when you said across the screen F R E E I couldn't believe me eyes. Free is one of the four-letter words we love, Sale is another. Cheers Martin, keep up the interesting sites.

Hi Martin ! Your videos never fail to amaze me. Your love for the little details is truely intense. Really like it.

The boats used to carry the muck from sewage works were called the Percy Dawson. And the Gilbert Fowler.

Barton Airport is well worth a visit too it's just off the map on the Irlam side. And if you're on bikes Irlam Moss and Little Woolden Moss will make it a nice afternoon :)

Great video Martin, I went on that ferry twenty years ago when I was on a walk with The Ramblers, it was a rowing boat back then but still quite an experience.

Now my Sunday is complete… missed your uploads.

Great as always Martin nice to see you back again it’s been a while.I used to live in longsight as a kid and does anyone remember New Year’s Eve I went upstairs and put my head out of the window at midnight all you could hear was the ships 🚢 sounding there horns from Manchester ship canal

Been following gor a bit now. Loving every vid . Great work martin. james

Your Videos are getting slicker and slicker. Your interviewing skills photography and use of Music just gets better and better.

What I always find amazing is in the old pictures there is absolutely no trees anywhere. 😢 Compared to now the place is brimming with greenery.

Great video, know it well as I live in Urmston. Good to see the ferryman's cottage still there as about 20 years ago, the local Tories wanted to demolish it. Yes the ferry was to keep the right of way that existed when the River Irwell was in there. The photo you showed, shows a lock next to the bridge, and this was on the Mersey and Irwell Navigation (memory failing, but I think it was the Calamanco lock). The bridge never crossed the MSC of course. There was also a ferry near Irlam Locks and also one at Partington (Bob's Ferry). The River Irwell was much shallower of course. There is a dried up section of the River Irwell not far from Barton Swing Bridge, close to the Thirlmere Aqueduct valve house along Barton Old Road, on the Trafford side of the MSC. (I believe there has been recent work in that area so not sure what remains of it. (Getting old, don't get out much)!

Hi Martin, another really good video with interesting history. Please keep them coming. All the best from Oz.

Another fantastic video. Really look forward to these little nuggets of history

Hi Martin, completely off topic but the Williamson Tunnels are on abandoned engineering on the yesterday channel now 11.40 on Thursday, you will be able to catch it on UKTV play though.

Great little video Martin of a quirky ferry service, good to see Lewis with you again, I follow his channel too.

As you said, a little gem. Thanks for bringing it to wider attention.

Nice hydraulic accumulator tower at Barton locks. Very similar to ones that can be found in London. Water is pumped into a vertical shaft in the tower, and it pushes a heavy piston up until the shaft is full of water, and the piston is at the top. When say, a lock gate needs to be opened, valves at the base of the tower are opened, and the piston descends slowly, pushing the water down pipes connected to the lock gate mechanism, the pressure of the controlled flow of water opens the gates. The power of hydraulics. Fascinating video, Martin. Nice one. 👍👍👍

Hi Martyn I remember Irlam ferry back in the early 60s when it was just a rowing boat, ì used to push my niece from Flixton down to the canal in her pram, times change.

I remember as a boy crossing the MSC from Chorlton-cum-Hardy to Sale over a bridge on my bike. There was a wood on the Sale side called Bluebell Woods as I recall and I think a pub too. Haven't been there for over 50 years.

Hi Martin i was brought up just one road away on Flixton side and i could see the canal from our house. I spent many a childhood summer on that ferry to play on the irlam side. The path you wanted to use was a railway that ran up past Barton and all the way up past caddishead. The brook was still there when i was a kid. They had two boats that lived in that dock we called them shit boats and as you said every week the dumped out at sea. Next to Barton lock was a victorian tip where we dug bottles ect. At irlam locks is a better access to old irwell thats still there. Also there used to be a bigger ferry at irlam. Hulmes ferry the house you can see was the ferry man. The bell when i was young was a fire bell. Ferry was open all day every day. Cheers carl.

2 icons in the same video, great to see you both together.

Great vid great info.👍👏

Thanks Martin, Lewis. Wonderful video gents. Appreciated. Cheers.

Thanks for uploading, Martin. Hope you’re doing well!

That was just a lovely little video. Really pleasant way to spend 20 minutes.

Another fantastic video Martin ,I alway look forward to seeing your vlogs

Good to have you back Martin, just been reading books all about the Manchester Ship Canal, a frat of Victorian engineering facinating stuff. Also had a short break staying in Salford Quays, and exploring Manchester and using the trams, all good stuff, lots of history .I'll be back to explore more .

Brilliant never knew that was there

I agree, it does indeed look like it should be more busier than what it actually was, all things considered,

Was on it a couple of weeks ago. Nicely filmed and a lovely little ferry trip 🛥️😊

Great video Martin. Good to see you back! I know Irlam quite well, as my Dad grew up there. Always known about the ferry, but never been. Must pay a visit 😊