The Salt Warehouse

The Salt Warehouse is a canal warehouse located at Sowerby Bridge, likely built in 1796 for the Calder and Hebble Navigation Company. It is constructed from coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and was unroofed and undergoing reconstruction at the time of the last survey in October 1985. The building has three storeys, with two visible during the survey, and features six bays.

On the west front, the first three bays have two-storey elliptical archways with rounded corners. The two left archways provide access to wet docks, while the third serves as a throughway. The three right bays each have a wide central loading door on every floor, flanked by three-light windows, although the left ground-floor window has been altered to two lights. The previous description noted three-light windows above the archways and a hipped slate roof.

Inside, the ground floor of the right-hand bays is supported by large timber posts with chamfered edges that hold up cross-beams. The through-archway features stone cross walls with doorways on either side; the right side has a panelled double door. The left bay still contains a wet dock, while the other former wet dock has been flagged, with a large stone in the floor that has a socket for a wooden crane, which is currently leaning against a toilet block at the rear.

Historically, the warehouse was occupied by Richard Milnes, a significant Trans-Penning carrier, until his failure in 1799, after which it was leased to the Rochdale Canal Company. The 1793 Rochdale Canal Act mandated that the Calder and Hebble Navigation Company construct the necessary wharves and warehouses at Sowerby Bridge, with the Rochdale Company responsible for the costs of the space they utilized. A contract from 1796 is believed to pertain to this building.