Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Lathom) Leeds and Liverpool Canal Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Burscough) is a Grade II listed building in the West Lancashire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 March 1993. Canal basin and dry dock.

Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Lathom) Leeds and Liverpool Canal Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Burscough)

WRENN ID
moated-ashlar-sienna
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
West Lancashire
Constituency
West Lancashire MP: Ashley Dalton (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
1 March 1993
Type
Canal basin and dry dock
OS grid reference
SD 451 114
Coordinates
53.59712, -2.83099
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Junction Bridge Canal Basin and former dry dock at Top Locks, located on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, dates back to around 1781 and was designed by resident engineer Richard Owen for the Leeds-Liverpool Canal Company. The canal basin is constructed from coursed sandstone blocks, while the dry dock is made of coursed sandstone rubble.

The basin serves as the inner entrance to the Rufford Branch Canal, leading to the upper of the two Top Locks. The east side of the basin is straight, featuring a narrow flagged footpath alongside the towpath wall, which is made of coursed squared sandstone with a rounded coping. The west side has two convex sections, creating a curved entrance to the dry dock.

The dry dock is positioned at right angles to the basin and features an entrance gate made of large wooden beams fitted into the side walls. The south wall runs straight and is parallel to the main line of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, while the north side is curved and sloped. There are two flights of steps leading down, one at the east end and another in the west end wall. The floor of the dock includes a set of six wooden trestles, which are used to support boats and appear to have been restored. This site is a central feature among the canal structures at Top Locks and is situated on the boundary between Burscough and Lathom.

Local climate

Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Lathom) Leeds and Liverpool Canal Junction Bridge Canal Basin and Former Dry Dock, Top Locks (That Part in Burscough) sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,160 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 90% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 89% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 23 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 76% of listed buildings. Of these, 10 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

Sign in or create a free account to unlock:

  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • No related consent applications matched
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Create free account

Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.

Similar buildings

The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.

Nearby listed buildings

  1. Junction Bridge at Top Locks (That Part in Lathom) Leeds and Liverpool Canal Junction Bridge at Top Locks (That Part in Burscough) Grade II 23 m
  2. Leeds and Liverpool Canal Top Locks, Upper Lock (That Part in Burscough) Top Locks, Upper Lock (That Part in Lathom) Grade II 41 m
  3. Leeds and Liverpool Canal Top Locks, Lower Lock (That Part in Burscough) Top Locks, Lower Lock (That Part in Lathom) Grade II 146 m
  4. Runnel Brow Bridge (That Part in Burscough) Runnel Brow Bridge (That Part in Lathom) Grade II 361 m
  5. Briars Brook Culvert Grade II 422 m
  6. Lock Cottage Grade II 459 m
  7. Hatherleigh Grade II 482 m
  8. Railway Bridge Over Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Ainscough's Mill Grade II 562 m
  9. Office at Ainscoughs Mill and Attached Boundary Wall Grade II 577 m
  10. Ainscough's Mill Grade II 578 m