The Burnley Embankment, known locally as “The Straight Mile”, carries The Leeds and Liverpool Canal 60ft above the town.
Known principally for its industrial past, Burnley is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in England and is also home to one of the seven wonders of the waterways, Burnley Embankment. This mile-long stretch of embankment carries the Leeds & Liverpool Canal through the centre of the town, up to 60 feet above the buildings below.
When the canal was being built here at the end of the eighteenth century, Robert Whitworth, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company Engineer decided that an embankment, almost a mile long and up to sixty feet high, straight to the opposite hillside should be built rather than having the canal take a long detour following the contours around the valley, Although it was costly to construct, it meant the valley could be traversed by the canal without the need for two systems of locks.
Travelling along the 60 feet high embankment gives dramatic views across the rooftops of the town to the surrounding hills.
Photo © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0)
The Burnley Embankment, known locally as “The Straight Mile”, carries The Leeds and Liverpool Canal 60ft above the town.
Known principally for its industrial past, Burnley is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in England and is also home to one of the seven wonders of the waterways, Burnley Embankment. This mile-long stretch of embankment carries the Leeds & Liverpool Canal through the centre of the town, up to 60 feet above the buildings below.
When the canal was being built here at the end of the eighteenth century, Robert Whitworth, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company Engineer decided that an embankment, almost a mile long and up to sixty feet high, straight to the opposite hillside should be built rather than having the canal take a long detour following the contours around the valley, Although it was costly to construct, it meant the valley could be traversed by the canal without the need for two systems of locks.
Travelling along the 60 feet high embankment gives dramatic views across the rooftops of the town to the surrounding hills.
Photo © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0)