Sir Edward Leader Williams (1828-1910) was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire.

Family

Edward Williams was born in Worcester in 1828, the son of a Worcester-based civil engineer also named Edward (responsible for works to make the River Severn navigable; also a keen amateur artist and friend of John Constable) and his Quaker wife Sarah Whiting. His brother Benjamin Williams Leader became a famous landscape artist. The family lived at Diglis House in Worcester (today the Diglis Hotel).

Early career

After attending the Royal Grammar School Worcester Edward Williams became an apprentice to his father. In 1856 he was chosen out of 110 applicants to be chief engineer for the development of the navigable northern section of the River Weaver in Cheshire. He began to specialise in canal construction and in 1865 produced plans for enlarging the Weston Canal, a short stretch of canal linking the river near Frodsham to docks at Weston Point , Runcorn.

On 1 September 1872, he joined the Bridgewater Navigation Company and worked on the Bridgewater Canal.

The Big Ditch

After submitting proposals in competition with another engineer (Hamilton Fulton), Williams was then appointed in 1882 to design a new ship canal linking Manchester with the Irish Sea. Williams became chief designer and chief engineer, helping the Manchester Ship Canal Company formulate its proposals for the necessary Act of Parliament. From its initial reading in 1883, it took two years for the Bill to receive Royal Assent, and a further two years before the first construction work started, in November 1887.

When the canal opened in 1894 it was described as the greatest piece of engineering in the world. As well as the canal itself, major engineering landmarks of the scheme included the Barton Swing Aqueduct (carrying the Bridgewater Canal over the Ship Canal) and a neighbouring swing bridge for road traffic at Barton.

At the official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal by Queen Victoria on 21 May 1894, Williams was knighted.

Williams' other works include the Anderton Boat Lift (1875) near Northwich in Cheshire, which links the navigable stretch of the River Weaver with the Trent and Mersey Canal.

See also

• Delamere Dock