Runcorn and Latchford Canal
The Runcorn and Latchford Canal (also called the Old Quay Canal, Old Quay Cut, and Black Bear Canal) was a man-made canal that ran from Runcorn to the Latchford (east of Warrington). It was part of the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, which improved communication between the sea and the burgeoning industries of the Manchester and Salford area.
Opened in July 1804, the canal was built to bypass a difficult part of the River Mersey. It extended for 7 miles from Runcorn to Latchford, where it joined the Mersey at a lock above Howley Weir.
The canal and the Mersey and Irwell Navigation were bought out by the Bridgewater Canal Co in 1844, but they took little interest in it. They in turn were bought out by the Manchester Ship Canal Co, whose large canal would follow much of the course of the Runcorn and Latchford. Much of the western end of the canal disappeared, but at the eastern end the section between Twenty Steps Bridge and Latchford Lock was retained. A new lock, called Twenty Steps Lock, was built where the old canal left the course of the ship canal, and it was used to supply tanneries at Howley with hides, and this trade continued until the 1960s.
The above information is largely condensed from the Wikipedia entry, which also includes an overview of the remaining traces of the canal. These include a section remaining in water on Wigg Island. On Moore Nature Reserve it is possible to walk along the dry bed of the canal, where the extensive masonry remains give a good indication of the impressive width of the canal (see photo).
See also here for old photos and a brief description of the canal.[1]
Note: Access to Wigg Island is via the Old Quay Swing Bridge (Runcorn).
Access to Moore Nature Reserve is via Moore Lane Swing Bridge.