Leigh Branch: 7¼ miles

The Leigh Branch was first proposed in 1800 after the completion of the extension of the Bridgewater Canal from Worsely to Leigh. The link would connect the canal to Manchester, the capital of the English cotton industry. There was a lot of disagreement with different canal companies over rights and routes. The first Act failed in 1803 and it wasn't until after the main line of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was completed that a successful bill was presented to Parliament that was agreeable to all parties. The branch opened in December 1820 and cost £61,419. The branch linked the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to the rest of the canal network. The link to the other canals meant that narrow boats would be used on the wide L&L Canal. It was decided that two narrow boats would be charged the same toll rate as one wide boat. This also meant that the locks between Wigan and Liverpool would have to be lengthened to accommodate the longer narrow boats.

The landscape around the Leigh Branch has suffered over the years from subsidence caused by coal mining. This resulted in large flashes or lakes developing in what was previously damp farmland. Subsidence also meant that some locks had to be abandoned and new ones built. In recent years collieries have gone and around Plank Lane whole streets have been demolished. The area now is one of lakes and fields.