This incline was on the Bridgewater canal where it connected with some mine workings at Worsley. This mine was underground as were its canals and it was on two levels and to get between the two levels an incline was built in 1797. The lift was 453 long with a rise of 106.5'. It was a counterbalanced twin lift, the incline worked until 1822. The inclined plane was below Ashton’s Field near Walkden.
Originally, all coal from the upper level had to be removed from the boats, lowered down to the main navigable leval via shafts and then put into other boats on the lower level. To do away with this wasteful chore, the "inclined plane" was built to link the two levels. Put simply, this was a 1 in 4 slope linking the two levels. At the upper level was a lock into which a loaded boat would sail. The water was drained out and the vessel would settle on to a trolley or carriage fitted with metal wheels. The boat would be manouvered to the top of the slope or inclined plane and would be lowered down to the lower level on the carriage. The rope was arranged in such a way that it went round a pulley at the top level - fitted with a brake! - and as the fully laden boat went down the slope, an empty vessel was pulled up the slope on the other end of the rope. In this way some 8 tons or so of coal could be moved from the upper level to the main level without having to change boats.