River Douglas (Lancashire)

Douglas
River
River Douglas at Appley Bridge, West Lancashire
Country	England
Tributaries
- right	River Yarrow
Source
- location	Winter Hill
Mouth	confluence with River Ribble
- coordinates	53°44′4.92″N 2°51′18.26″W / 53.7347000°N 2.8550722°WCoordinates: 53°44′4.92″N 2°51′18.26″W / 53.7347000°N 2.8550722°W
Length	56 km (35 mi)

The River Douglas, also known as the River Asland or Astland,^[1] is a river that flows through Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England. It is a tributary of the River Ribble and has itself two tributaries, the River Tawd and the River Yarrow.

In 1720 an act of Parliament was passed allowing Thomas Steers and William Squire to make the Douglas navigable to small ships between Wigan and its mouth. Amid financial irregularities, the Douglas Navigation was not completed until 1742, and by 1783, it had been superseded by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.^[2] It reverted to being a river, although the remains of several locks can still be seen between Parbold and Gathurst.^[3] The Rufford Branch of the canal joins the river at Tarleton. The river rises on Winter Hill on the West Pennine Moors, and flows for 35 miles (56 km) through several towns and onto the Ribble estuary past Tarleton, the last 10 miles (16 km) or so being tidal. In 1892 the Douglas was diverted in Wigan to allow the construction of Wigan Central railway station.

Tributaries

Hesketh Bank

Tarleton

Rufford

Parbold

Appley Bridge

Wigan

Standish

Adlington

Horwich

Winter Hill

River Hodder

River Calder

River Darwen

River Ribble

Lancaster Canal

Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Settlements near the River Douglas
(shown with other rivers and canals in Lancashire)

• Longton Brook
• Centre Drain
• Carr Heys Watercourse
• Tarra Carr Gutter
  • Hall Pool
• Dunkirk Dib
• Rakes Brook
• Carr Brook
• Strine Brook
• River Yarrow
  • tributaries of the Yarrow listed under River Yarrow

Main Ditch Eller Brook Wham Ditch Black Brook Abbey Brook New Park Brook Castle Brook Sefton Brook Dungeon Brook Dicket's Brook Goose Brook

Mill Ditch New Reed Brook Bentley Brook River Tawd Slate Brook Grimshaw Brook Middlehurst Brook Dock Brook Alder Lane Brook Sprodley Brook Calico Brook Lees Brook

Dean Brook Sand Brook Ackhurst Brook Mill Brook Bradshaw Brook Close Brook Barley Brook Smithy Brook Poolstock Brook Ince Brook Hawkley Brook Reed Brook Park Brook

Clarington Brook Bradley Brook Bucklow Brook Moss Ditch Buckow Brook Hic-bibi Brook Stars Brook Almond Brook Tunley Brook Pearl Brook Arley Brook

The River Douglas passing under Bank Bridge at Tarleton.

River Douglas from the gardens at Bank Hall.

References

1. Bland, E (1903). Annals of Southport and district. A chronological history of North Meols from Alfred the Great to Edward VII. Southport: J J Riley.
2. Charles Hadfield; Gordon Biddle (1970). The Canals of North West England, Vol 1 (pp.1-236). David and Charles. pp. 61–62, 77. ISBN 0-7153-4956-2.
3. Nicholson Guides (2006). Volume 5: North West and the Pennines. p. 93. ISBN 0-00-721113-9.

External links

• Ribble Link Trust
• Photographs of the River Douglas
• A few views of the River Douglas in a personal 'blog'