Thanks to SargeNI for the suggestion to place a MR Series cache
here.
Sprucefield
Sprucefield is a major out-of-town retail park at Blaris, on the
outskirts of Lisburn. The centre is the only purpose-built out of
town centre in Northern Ireland and serves a large catchment area.
The area has two distinct developments, the Sprucefield Centre and
Sprucefield Park, separated by the A1.
Sprucefield is also the site of the Lisnagarvey transmitting
station, a large radio transmitter.
The Lagan Canal
The Lagan Canal has been a vital artery of local life since the
17th century, when Belfast began its growth from a small village to
a major city.
During the city's industrial golden age in the 19th century, the
Lagan was the most commercially viable way of transporting heavy
goods, such as timber and coal, and became one of the busiest
commercial routes in the British Isles.
Work began on the Lagan Navigation in 1756 and by 1793, via a
flight of locks at Sprucefield, it was driven to Ellis Gut, a bay
in Lough Neagh.
All 27 miles of the canal were formally opened the following
year, opening up central parts of Ulster for development, and
through the growth of commercial trade, helping the rapid expansion
of Belfast.
Locks
There were 27 locks on the canal, with only 18 lock keepers to
look after them. Some had as many as three locks to look after.
One of the locks, situated at Stranmillis, was overseen by
William Ward. It was known as Molly Ward's, after the tavern his
wife Molly ran which was adjacent to the lock. It was one of the
busiest of all the locks as it was situated near the harbour.
Demise of the canal
The development of the railway network in the late 19th century
marked the beginning of the end for the canal, though reduction in
use was gradual.
In the 20th century, the effects of two world wars and, even
more dramatically, competition from the motor vehicle, completed
the demise of the canal.
After 1947, there was no more canal traffic above Lisburn and in
1954, control of the canal passed to the Government and the section
between the Union Loughs and Lough Neagh was abandoned for
navigational purposes. In 1958, the Stranmillis to Lisburn section
was also closed. Today, the M1 motorway, between Sprucefield and
Moira, runs along the route of the old Lagan Canal.
The way forward
Today, the Lagan is once again full of life. There are regular
boat tours along the river and trips to Titanic-related sites, and
a multitude of activities, such as angling, dragon boat racing and
rowing. Walking, running and cycling (there is a National Cycle
Route) along the canal towpath are also very popular.
But that is only the beginning of an exciting journey that has
the potential to transform the local and national landscape. The
restoration and regeneration of this much-loved part of our
heritage will bring countless benefits to the people of Belfast and
Northern Ireland.
The MournesRambler II Series
There are currently 24 caches in the MournesRambler II series
which is designed to lure you away from the bright city lights
along the Lagan Towpath:
The recommended mode of transport for this series is a bicycle,
but it should also be quite feasible to complete it on foot. Have
you found them all? If you have done them all one after the other
please let us know (in your log entry) how long it took you so that
others will know roughly how long it might take them.
The "Sprucefield" cache
The cache itself is a small tab-lock box. It only contains a
log, a pencil and a couple of small swaps.
The towpath is frequented by muggles so please use discretion
when hunting for and replacing the cache.