Whittles Croft Wharf (Manchester)
This is a small wharf and basin in central Manchester, which provides an outpost of character in an otherwise bland expanse of extensive property developments.
The basin is a short branch off the Ashton Canal at the west end of the historic Store Street Aqueduct. It is not shown on 1849 O.S. town plan[1].
Two features of historic interest are a hand crane made by Ellis and Noton, and a simple iron bridge. The bridge is a curiosity. It has simple cast iron beams supported by stone abutments and having a central stone pier. This Google Maps image shows that the bridge has stone setts for wagon wheels, suggesting that heavy loads might have been carried, despite the modest dimensions of the cast iron beams. An old brick wall separates this road from the adjacent Ducie Street (formerly called Whittles Croft). At first sight it looks as though the bridge would have led somewhere, but old maps show no evidence of the waterway extending under Ducie Street. Further, reference to photo 3 above shows stone cappings and brickwork which suggests that this was always the end of the wharf. It was presumably built to allow vehicles to cross the basin without having to leave the security of the wharf and use Whittles Croft.