A feat of Victorian engineering which influenced the modern world is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Known as the Cathedral of the Canals, the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire allows boats and barges to rise 50ft (15m) from the Weaver Navigation Canal to the Trent and Mersey Canal.
While it is currently out of action pending repairs, Anderton is one of only two surviving boat lifts in the UK.
Andrew Fielding, Boatmaster at Anderton Boat Lift, said the lift's history all started with salt.
Cheshire has been a key salt producing area for centuries, with the Weaver Navigation opening in 1732 because of the industry, Mr Fielding said.
The Trent and Mersey Canal followed, linking the two major rivers, with pottery entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood behind its construction.
"That put the canal and river in competition with each other, and the lift is basically here because of that competition," explained Mr Fielding.
He said that goods had been moved between the canal and the river using chutes and inclines since the 1790s.
In the 1870s, though, a better way was sought.
"The lift was designed and built to transfer narrowboats from the canal to the river - and indeed big enough to carry barges as well back up - but principally narrowboats on to the river to transfer goods down here and then onwards to Liverpool and around the world," he said.
When the Anderton Boat Lift opened in 1875, it was the first of its kind.
By the 1960s, though, it began to fall out of use with transport moving on to the roads.
"By the middle of the 1960s there's very little commercial use, in fact very little use at all on the lift, so that was really the low point," said Mr.Fielding.
It finally closed in 1983 after issues with corrosion.
Backed by enthusiastic local support, the boat lift received a new lease of life with a major restoration project, culminating in it reopening in 2002.
It received the royal seal of approval the following year when then-Prince Charles paid a visit.
In addition to its regional significance, Mr.Fielding said the lift was "quite important" globally.
"Edwin Clark, the designer, went on to build further lifts to a very similar design," he said.
These included lifts in France and Belgium - and it also inspired other structures outside Europe.
"The boat lift in Peterborough in Canada - twice the size - operates on a very, very similar system."
"We even get a mention on the world's most modern boat lift on the Yangtze river, the Three Gorges Dam."
"That's a huge boat lift, carrying boats of a gross tonnage of around 3,000 tonnes."
"Our little 35-tonne boat is down there on the river, so we're talking about major engineering and they mention the boat lift here at Anderton."
For the boating community, the Anderton Boat Lift is a significant part of England's waterways.
"It's a rite of passage for any boater," said Robbie Cumming, who stars in BBC Four's Canal Boat Diaries.
"You can take these things for granted thinking it's always been there, it'll always be there, but these are important structures that can need a little bit of TLC."
He added that the boat lift can be more exciting for those watching its operation than those using it.
"The actual experience is quite funny for a boater because it’s a bit like being on a ferry," he said.
"You’re taking your boat on and then it goes very slowly; you can’t quite see much out of each side; you just emerge from the bottom and there’s a lot of waiting involved.
“But for visitors and locals who’ve talked to me about it, they love seeing the boats go up and down; for me that is the most extraordinary thing about it—just watching the boats go up and down—that’s the joy,” he said.
Jerry Marshall's home is next to the River Weaver, and he regularly uses the Anderton Boat Lift.
He said it is "a real problem" when it is not in operation.
"It's very difficult to get out of the River Weaver without the Anderton Boat Lift," said Mr Marshall. "It is absolutely key both for people that enjoy the river but also traders working along it.
"It's kind of embarrassing we're celebrating the 150th anniversary when it isn't actually working."
The Canal and River Trust's has Engineering the Future project aims to both restore the lift to full working order and enhance the visitor centre.
"It's part of our very important heritage - it is unique," said Mr Fielding.
"There's nothing like it in the world - it's very, very important. It's very special."