Helena Frye
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK, and is considered one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'. The lift is an impressive feat of engineering, using two huge water tanks with watertight sealable doors to transport boats up and down. The original 1908 structure used a revolutionary new system of hydraulics, but the lift was closed in 1983 due to serious corrosion. It was restored to full hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of working boat lifts in the UK | 2 |
| Number of 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways' | 7 |
| Number of water tanks | 2 |
| Doors | Watertight and sealable |
| Tanks | Huge |
| Operation of gates, wedges and flooding valves | Performed by local operators |
| Operation of lift | Remote |
| Type of operation | Hydraulic |
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What You'll Learn
- The Anderton Boat Lift uses two huge water tanks with watertight sealable doors to transport boats up and down
- The tanks, or 'caissons', are supported by a single central hydraulic ram
- The lift was originally hydraulically operated but was changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation in 1906
- The lift was restored to full hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002
- The original 1908 structure and pulley wheels are on display at the visitors centre
The Anderton Boat Lift uses two huge water tanks with watertight sealable doors to transport boats up and down
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK. It uses two huge water tanks, or 'caissons', with watertight sealable doors to transport boats up and down. The tanks work as counterbalances to carry the boats. The original 1908 structure used a system of hydraulics, supported by a single central hydraulic ram. After a decade of operation, the lift was closed in 1906 due to corrosion of the pistons and seals caused by high levels of pollution in the river. It was then changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation. In 1983, during routine maintenance, serious corrosion was discovered and the lift was closed for a second time. The lift was fully restored to full hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002. The original 1908 structure and pulley wheels have been retained and are on display at the visitors centre.
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The tanks, or 'caissons', are supported by a single central hydraulic ram
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK. It is considered one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'. The lift uses two huge water tanks, or 'caissons', each with watertight sealable doors, to carry the boats up and down. The tanks are supported by a single central hydraulic ram. This revolutionary new system of hydraulics was the original solution to transporting boats up and down the lift. The tanks can fit two narrow boats each.
The lift was originally opened in 1908, but after a decade of operation, corrosion of the pistons and seals resulted in its closure in 1906. It was then changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation. In 1983, during routine maintenance, serious corrosion was discovered and the lift was closed for a second time. It was fully restored to full hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002. The original 1908 structure and pulley wheels have been retained and are on display at the visitors centre.
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The lift was originally hydraulically operated but was changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation in 1906
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK. It is considered one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'. The lift works using two huge water tanks, or 'caissons', each with watertight sealable doors, which work as counterbalances to transport boats up and down. The original system used hydraulics, with the tanks supported by a single central hydraulic ram. However, in 1906, after a decade of operation, the lift was changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation due to corrosion of the pistons and seals caused by high levels of pollution in the river. The lift continued to work in this way until 1983, when it was closed for a second time due to serious corrosion discovered during routine maintenance. The lift was fully restored to hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002, with the original 1908 structure and pulley wheels retained and on display at the visitors centre.
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The lift was restored to full hydraulic operation and reopened in 2002
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK and is considered one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'. It works using two huge water tanks, or 'caissons', with watertight sealable doors that work as counterbalances to transport boats up and down. The lift was originally powered by a hydraulic system but was changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation in 1906 due to corrosion of the pistons and seals caused by river pollution. In 1983, the lift was closed again due to further corrosion.
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The original 1908 structure and pulley wheels are on display at the visitors centre
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom. It is also known as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'. The science behind it is relatively straightforward: two huge water tanks, each with watertight sealable doors, work as counterbalances to transport the boats up and down. The original 1908 structure and pulley wheels are on display at the visitors centre. The weights that were once used to counterbalance the tanks were not rehung, but have been used to build a maze in the grounds of the visitor centre. The original solution was to use a revolutionary new system of hydraulics, where the huge tanks or 'caissons' carry the boats up and down the lift and are supported by a single central hydraulic ram. After a decade of operation, the lift was closed in 1906 due to corrosion of the pistons and seals caused by a high level of pollution in the river. It was then changed to an electrically driven mechanical operation. The lift was fully successfully restored to full hydraulic operation and re-opened in 2002.
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Frequently asked questions
The Anderton Boat Lift uses two huge water tanks, or 'caissons', each with watertight sealable doors, to carry boats up and down. The tanks work as counterbalances to transport the boats.
The Anderton Boat Lift is one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom. It is also known as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Waterways'.
The Anderton Boat Lift is located in the village of Anderton.
The Anderton Boat Lift is operated by local operators who interact with local Panel View HMI interfaces to perform the operation of the gates, wedges and flooding valves.
