River Douglas, Lancashire
The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland,[1] is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England. It is a tributary of the River Ribble and has itself several tributaries, the River Tawd and the River Yarrow.
In 1720 an act of Parliament was passed allowing Thomas Steers and William Squire to make the Douglas navigable to small ships between Wigan and its mouth. Amid financial irregularities, the Douglas Navigation was not completed until 1742, and by 1783, it had been superseded by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.[2] It reverted to being a river, although the remains of several locks can still be seen between Parbold and Gathurst.[3] The Rufford Branch of the canal joins the river at Tarleton. The river rises on Winter Hill on the West Pennine Moors, and flows for 35 miles (56 km) through several towns and onto the Ribble estuary past Tarleton, the last 10 miles (16 km) or so being tidal. In 1892 the Douglas was diverted in Wigan to allow the construction of Wigan Central railway station.
Tributaries
(shown with other rivers and canals in Lancashire)
- Longton Brook
- Centre Drain
- Carr Heys Watercourse
- Tarra Carr Gutter
- Hall Pool
- Dunkirk Dib
- Rakes Brook
- Carr Brook
- Strine Brook
- River Yarrow
- tributaries of the Yarrow listed under River Yarrow
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References
- ^ Bland, E (1903). Annals of Southport and district. A chronological history of North Meols from Alfred the Great to Edward VII. Southport: J J Riley.
- ^ Charles Hadfield; Gordon Biddle (1970). The Canals of North West England, Vol 1 (pp.1-236). David and Charles. pp. 61–62, 77. ISBN 0-7153-4956-2.
- ^ Nicholson Guides (2006). Volume 5: North West and the Pennines. p. 93. ISBN 0-00-721113-9.
External links
- Ribble Link Trust
- Photographs of the River Douglas
- A few views of the River Douglas in a personal 'blog'
