It was originally built to provide a direct waterway between the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and the Rochdale Canal.

The lack of any direct canal link between the Mersey and Irwell Navigation and the Rochdale Canal meant that goods being transported using both waterways had to be offloaded onto carts and carried across the city, before being loaded back onto boats to continue their journey.

Due mainly to strong objections from the Mersey and Irwell Navigation, who would have suffered a loss of trade, the link was not forthcoming.

[2] In 1805, John Nightingale was asked by the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company to estimate the cost of a canal link between Manchester and Salford.

In 1885, the Great Northern Warehouse was built on top of the line of the canal and a dock was constructed to allow the interchange of goods.