Edward Leader Williams
Sir Edward Leader Williams (28 April 1828 – 1 January 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. Early life Williams was born in Worcester on 28 April 1828, the son of a 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 notable landscape artist. The family lived at Diglis House in Worcester (today the Diglis Hotel). Career After attending the Royal Grammar School Worcester 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. Manchester Ship Canal After submitting