What: The Anderton Boat Lift, a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Where: Lift Lane, Anderton, Northwich. Carries boats in the 50ft drop between the Trent and Mersey Canal and the River Weaver.

When: Designed by Edwin Clark and built in 1875. The lift is 85ft in length and towers 60ft. The aqueduct that connects to it is 165ft long. Each lift tank, called a caisson, weighs 80 tonnes empty and 252 tonnes full of water. Each tank is 15’6” wide, 9’6” deep and 75ft long. Each will hold two narrow boats abreast, or one barge. The Anderton Boat Lift is one of the ‘seven wonders of the waterways’ and is known, fittingly, as ‘The Cathedral of Canals’. The lift closed in 1983 due to corrosion.

Now: There are certain historic structures the futures of which should be guaranteed at all cost. Brighton Pier is one that has been grossly neglected. The Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank must surely be safe as long as it is doing a job, but beyond its useful life it will need its champions. Similarly, the great Anderton Boat Lift has been in peril. Seeing it today, with a dedicated smart new visitors centre set to open alongside, must be a great relief to the many committed people who, not long ago, thought they had seen it rust into history, but were determined to bring it back.

I know little of canals, except that I like the way they map out industry. They connect coalfields to iron foundries, quarries to cement works, timber to saw mills. Today, the Anderton Lift is overlooked by industry as it has always been. Its backdrop now is the Anderton Nature Park. Suburbia almost drops on top of it. The towpath on the Trent and Mersey is being got ready for the opening of the new Operations Centre on 7 April. There are two tow horses and a narrow boat sculptured in willow that have clearly survived the winter. The entire area looks set for re-invention.

Future Prospects: Much is made of the leisure potential of Britain’s waterways. Anglers and boaters will, I guess, continue to have their battles. Arguably, it is in cities that canals are undergoing their most appealing reinvention. In the recent past, when not launching supermarket trolleys and beer bottles into them, we’ve been inclined to turn our backs on them. Not any more. From the Ashton Basin to Castlefield via Canal Street, we are putting buildings up close, and selling them on the strength of their canal outlook.

The masterplan for the redevelopment of the Cardroom Estate in Ancoats, that will be reborn as New Islington, proposes all-new canal arms and cuts as the thriving infrastructure of a glamorous new city centre village. There are many young mothers who doubt the wisdom of this. The possibility that narrow boats and cruisers will be jockeying for berths in brand new marinas that spread out like a towrope from the City of Manchester Stadium to The Lowry seems remote. Unless it is that the 2,000-mile network of canals throughout Britain undergo a truly sustainable take-up. In the circumstances, the £7m restoration of the Cathedral of Canals, and its associated Operations Centre seems significant.

Those of us who find Canal Boat Rallies pretty resistible may like to think again. There is no doubt that the Rochdale Canal, well maintained and busy, both as waterway and walkway, will always be a welcome prospect in the centre of Manchester. As I stand and look at the outright scale and ambition of the Anderton Lift, I feel myself considering a trip through the industrial hinterland at walking pace, with my hand on the tiller. Then again, maybe I’ll start with a one-off descent in the lift aboard the Edwin Clark on 7 April. Adult ticket, £5.50-£6.50, depending on time and day. And I’ll see how I feel.