This was the view at the western end of the Sellers' site before work began. The weed-covered canal in the foreground passed into a culvert beneath Sellers' Engineering, to emerge at Chapel Hill.

The same location with the canal drained in January 2000 just as work began. The canal originally ran to the left of the stone building, where the modern building now stands. The stone building is to be demolished and replaced by a new building in another part of the site. The canal will run in a tunnel along a new line where the stone building now stands.

(Photo: Costain Ltd)

Before the old buildings can be demolished a new building had to be constructed to accommodate the grinding shed and electricians' workshop. These older buildings (behind the crane) will be demolished when the new building is complete as they stand on the new route of the canal. The next phase of tunnel construction will then link the first phase to the new Lock 3E.

It is not until January 2001 that demolition of the older building gets underway. When the site is cleared work on the second phase of the tunnel can begin.

A view from Manchester Road as the older buildings housing the grinding shed and electricians' workshop are beginning to be demolished.

A start is finally made on the last phase of tunnel construction. Behind the third concrete strut can be seen some sheet piles beyond which is the previously constructed part of the tunnel. This earlier phase of the tunnel runs below the dumper truck and the factory yard to Chapel Hill, just visible in the distance. To the left is the new building, constructed to replace the old buildings demolished to make way for the second phase of the tunnel.

Next page: Sellers' Tunnel - page 5

My thanks to Costain Ltd for providing access to take some of these photographs.

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