Original sentence: The first of these was the Ashton Canal which was constructed from 1792 to 1797; it was connected Manchester to Ashton-under-Lyne and had a branch to Oldham and cost about £170,000 (£ as of )
Edited sentence: Connecting Manchester to Ashton-under-Lyne, with a branch to Oldham, it cost about £170,000 (£ as of ).The first of the three to be built was the Ashton Canal, which was constructed between 1792 and 1797