It was a Sunny Day

The first sunny day of August. It has taken some time coming.

This is a view down the Manchester Ship Canal (extra is a close up of the distant view). Woden Street footbridge, where I am standing, is where the Ship Canal begins, and the waterway from here to Eastham on the Wirral is the responsibility of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, which these days is part of the Peel Group of companies. Management of the Ship Canal  is governed by the Manchester Ship Canal act of 1894.

Looking the other way, the "grey" Irwell from the footbridge to Manchester Cathedral is governed by the Irwell Navigation Act, and MSCCo/Peel are also the controlling party here (their permission is required to bridge the river). This Act originally covered everything along the river to the sea, but when the canal was created it became restricted to this small section. The Cathedral has the rights to the eel fishery on the river, although I don't think you would find an eel here now. But there are an estimated 500,000 fish between the cathedral and the Quays, testament to efforts to improve water quality.

There is a lot of new apartment development here, and you have to know your administrative boundaries to work out which in these photos are in Manchester, which in Salford, and which in Trafford. The two cities and the one borough all meet at this point.