135-811: The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal is located in Cheshire , in the north west of England, and runs between Middlewich , where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal , and Barbridge Junction , where it joins the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal . It is 10 miles (16 km) long, and was planned as part of the Chester Canal , which was authorised in 1772, but the company ran out of money, and construction did not begin until 1827. The Trent and Mersey insisted that there should be no direct connection at Middlewich, and instead built
270-580: A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the Countryside Council for Wales . Negotiations took place between the Trust, the Council and English Nature to ensure that this did not happen and an agreement was eventually worked out in 2005 which would ensure that the flora and fauna would be protected by off-line nature reserves, to allow full navigation on the main line of the canal. In
405-487: A brake van . A 70 metres (230 ft) section of northern bank of the canal failed on 16 March 2018 at an aqueduct over the River Wheelock , near Middlewich , leaving 15 to 20 boats stranded on a 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) stretch between Wardle Lock and Stanthorne Lock. One boat close to the 12 metres (39 ft) deep hole had to be evacuated, and minor damage to one local's garden was recorded. According to
540-445: A halt at Penygarreg Lane near to the canal. Since 2006, a short section either side of Llanymynech has been navigable and boats can turn around at a winding hole at each end. The wharf at Llanymynech has also been restored. Canal trips are provided on this Llanymynech stretch by the narrowboat George Watson Buck . As the canal passes underneath Llanymynech Bridge it passes from Shropshire, England into Powys, Wales. The section of
675-756: A breach in 1936 and was officially abandoned in 1944. With the revival of canal use in the late 20th century, the Western and Eastern branches of the Montgomeryshire Canal and the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal together became known as the Montgomery Canal although the canal does not, and never did, go to the town of Montgomery . At present only 8 miles (13 km) from Frankton Junction to Crickheath Bridge
810-500: A canal to Bryn-derwen and a tramroad beyond that. A meeting of the shareholders held in October 1813 narrowly voted to press on and Josias Jessop was asked to survey the route. His initial estimate was £28,268 although some of the committee later thought that he had forgotten to include the cost of puddling and lining the canal. The company agreed to put a Bill before Parliament to obtain the necessary powers but factions developed within
945-817: A career in America and, at the suggestion of Thomas Dadford, had been replaced by his father Thomas Dadford senior. During construction, there had been problems with both the Berriew Aqueduct and the Vyrnwy Aqueduct where one arch had collapsed. The management committee were unhappy with this and the engineer William Jessop was called in to advise but he explained that such issues were merely teething problems and allayed their fears. To reach Garthmyl, £71,000 had been spent. The canal thus far included 13 locks: four descending between Carraghofa and Burgedin and nine rising from there to Garthmyl. It also included
1080-635: A condition for not opposing the construction of a newer one). The link with the Staffs and Worcester provides a choice of onward journeys: The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company was formed in 1846. The Ellesmere and Chester canals had amalgamated in 1813, and the absorption of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal by the Ellesmere and Chester Company was authorised by an Act of Parliament passed in 1845. A further Act, passed in 1846, changed
1215-486: A further £20,000 if required. John Dadford was appointed Engineer while his brother Thomas Dadford Junior was appointed his assistant. There had been suggestions in 1793 for a connecting canal between Garthmyl and the Leominster Canal at Woofferton . It would have been 40.25 miles (65 km) long but the plan came to nothing. By February 1796, parts of the canal were completed and the first boat, named
1350-512: A hamlet on the A5 trunk road , followed on 21 September 1996 extending the length of navigable canal connected to the national network to 4 miles (6 km). The 2.5 miles (4 km) section from Maesbury to Redwith benefitted from European Regional Development funding awarded in 2000 but there were fears that restoration might be hampered by the designation of large lengths of the canal in Powys as
1485-455: A large whirlpool being observed. To operate the paddle, the winding gear is purely a geared design rather than rack and pinion. An effect of this is that there is no pawl to be operated and the paddles cannot be accidentally dropped shut. The paddle gear was designed by George W. Buck , who was appointed Engineer of the Eastern branch in 1819, and Clerk to the Western branch in 1822. Many of
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#17327807902771620-422: A large marina shortly afterwards, followed by Cholmondeston lock, which raises the level by 11.25 feet (3.43 m). Benyon's Bridge, Sandholes Bridge, and Rutters Bridge are the final three accommodation bridges , before the canal arrives at Barbridge Junction, where a graceful roving bridge made of red and blue brick with an elliptical arch, carries the towpath for the main line over the branch. On 16 March 2018
1755-551: A legacy of £200,000 left by Humphrey Symonds via the Inland Waterways Association, specifically for the Montgomery Canal. Frankton Locks were reopened on 12 September 1987 by the Prince of Wales when he announced that volunteers had worked for 12,000 man-hours on the project and that the value of this contribution was £200,000. The British Waterways Act 1987 became law on 17 December 1987, and authorised
1890-474: A level branch to Guilsfield , some 2.25 miles (3.6 km) long. Although conceived as a means to serve agricultural communities, trade on the canal developed steadily. There were a number of quarries in the Llanymynech area which delivered limestone to the canal for transport to kilns at Belan and elsewhere. Grain prices rose from 1800 onwards and there was a large demand for lime as a fertiliser so that
2025-400: A maximum of 14. Repeat visits cannot be made within six weeks of leaving the canal. The locks consist of a two-chamber staircase lock and two single locks. Alongside the locks are several canal buildings including a boatbuilder's house. The remains of a dry dock can be seen in the garden and it was here that the grain boat Cressy was converted for leisure use in 1929 by Jack Beech. The boat
2160-693: A narrow-gauge engine from Crewe railway works, but no further action was taken. The canal became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. The railway company closed 175 miles (282 km) of canals in 1944, but the Shropshire Union main line and the Middlewich Branch were spared, and passed into the jurisdiction of the British Waterways Board following nationalisation in 1948. The canal follows
2295-402: A rural route through farmland across Cheshire, with a short urban section near the junction at Middlewich. Many of the structures are original, and consequently, most of them are grade II listed . There is no commercial traffic on the waterway, but transition to the leisure age has resulted in two marinas being constructed to provide moorings for pleasure craft. The idea of a canal to Middlewich
2430-539: A section of the bank failed next to the aqueduct carrying the canal over the River Wheelock . The canal was drained between Stanthorne Lock and Wardle Lock resulting in the stranding of 20 boats. The Canal and River Trust repaired the breach with the help of hundreds of volunteers and two major civil engineering companies at a cost of £3 million. The repaired branch was officially re-opened on Friday 21 December 2018. Download coordinates as: Shropshire Union Canal The Shropshire Union Canal , sometimes nicknamed
2565-403: A short section remains, part of which is used for mooring and part as a nature reserve. There is a Canal & River Trust amenity block alongside. Just beyond the junction is Lockgate Bridge (70), a red-brick humped-back road bridge dating from 1785 which remains almost in its original state. It is a grade II listed structure. The canal passes through a peat bog which has been drained since
2700-545: A subcommittee in January 1845 to consider how best to protect themselves from such competition. Meanwhile, the London and Birmingham Railway were negotiating with the Ellesmere and Chester Canal who were planning to convert some of their canals into railways. They asked William Cubitt to investigate whether their own canal could also be converted but that plan was dropped soon afterwards as the Ellesmere and Chester offered to buy
2835-443: Is 10 miles (16 km) long, and rises from Middlewich to Barbridge through four locks. Apart from the first mile at Middlewich, where the canal is bordered by housing, the route is entirely rural, passing through farmland and woods, with superb views over the valley of the upper River Weaver . A large number of the structures of the canal are original, dating from the construction of the canal, and are grade II listed , beginning with
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#17327807902772970-618: Is a partially restored canal in eastern Powys and northwest Shropshire . The canal runs 33 miles (53 km) from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown via Llanymynech and Welshpool and crosses the England–Wales border . Originally, the canal from Llanymynech to Newtown was known as the Montgomeryshire Canal . It was named after the county of Montgomeryshire that it ran through and it
3105-462: Is available along sections of the canal at Maesbury Marsh. Bridge 81 is a lift bridge, which requires a windlass to operate, and immediately to its west, the Mill Arm (or Peate's Branch) has been restored for much of its length giving access to a boatyard and private moorings. The section of the canal from Gronwen Wharf to Redwith Bridge (No. 83) was re-opened in October 2007. In 2014, restoration of
3240-402: Is equipped with flood gates at both ends to prevent loss of water should the canal be breached in this area. During World War II these locks were kept closed at night because of the risk of bomb damage. At Gnosall the canal enters the 81-yard (74 m) Cowley Tunnel. Originally the tunnel was planned to be 690 yards (630 m) long, but after the rocky first 81 yards (74 m), the ground
3375-414: Is navigable and connected to the rest of the national Canal & River Trust network. Separately, a short stretch at Llanymynech and a central section of the canal around Welshpool are also navigable though isolated from the national canal network. Ongoing restoration work continues to expand the navigable sections. The Montgomeryshire Canal was devised with a different purpose from most other canals of
3510-530: Is no winding hole at the end of it, the limit of navigation remained at Gronwen Wharf for most boats. In 2007, restoration of Crickheath Basin was started by the Shropshire Union Canal Society though in 2008, work was postponed due to land ownership issues. Between 2014 and 2022, the section of canal between Pryces Bridge and Crickheath Bridge was restored. This was aided by the award of a National Lottery grant in 2016. The section
3645-567: Is officially the first section of the Montgomery Canal. The previous history is reflected in the numbering of the bridges which start from 70 following on from a sequence which begins at Hurleston Junction where the Llangollen Canal meets the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal. The section of the canal from Frankton Junction to Gronwen Wharf (just north of Bridge 82) is navigable by narrowboat . Access through
3780-503: The London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The Shropshire Union had obtained powers in their enabling act to build railways and thus became a threat to the London and North Western Railway who offered to lease the Shropshire Union in the autumn of 1846. This was formalised by an act of Parliament in June 1847 although the powers were not fully implemented until 25 March 1857. Part of the deal
3915-552: The Royal Montgomery , was launched into the canal near Welshpool amidst great celebrations. In July 1797, the connection to the Ellesmere Canal at Llanymynech was opened although the Llanymynech branch was still suffering from problems with leakage. A month later, the canal had reached Garthmyl providing 16 miles (26 km) of navigable canal from Llanymynech but stopping 7 miles (11 km) short of Newtown. In early 1797 John Dadford had resigned his post in order to pursue
4050-629: The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company . The main line between Nantwich and Autherley Junction was almost built as a railway although eventually it was decided to construct it as a waterway. The canal starts from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey traversing the Wirral peninsula to Chester . This stretch, which was completed in 1797, was originally part of the unfinished Ellesmere Canal . The industrial waterway
4185-527: The Staffordshire village of Knighton . There is an aqueduct south of Norbury Junction and deep cuttings at Loynton near Woodseaves (Staffordshire) and Grub Street . The canal then continues as the 1-mile-long (1.6 km) Shelmore Embankment. Repeated soil slippage during construction meant that this was the last part of the B&;L Junction Canal to be opened to traffic. The lengthy embankment
Middlewich Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
4320-713: The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal ) the SU is part of an important circular and rural holiday route called the Four Counties Ring . The SU main line was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford . The name "Shropshire Union" comes from the amalgamation of the various component companies ( Ellesmere Canal , Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal , Montgomeryshire Canal ) that came together to form
4455-633: The West Coast Main Line railway over the canal, but beyond the bridge, the views over the Weaver Valley and of Winsford Top Flash open out. After several more listed bridges, the canal passes the village of Church Minshull and then crosses over the River Weaver carried on an aqueduct with three arches, a large circular central arch with smaller arches for flood relief on both sides, and curved wing walls. Nanneys Bridge carries
4590-668: The " Shroppie ", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales . The canal lies in the counties of Staffordshire , Shropshire and Cheshire in the north-west English Midlands . It links the canal system of the West Midlands , at Wolverhampton , with the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port , Cheshire, 66 miles (106 km) distant. The "SU main line" runs southeast from Ellesmere Port on
4725-429: The 1923 grouping of the railways. Another breach of the canal occurred a mile (1.6 km) from Frankton Junction on 5 February 1936. The owners paid compensation to George Beck, the main user of the canal, and applied for a warrant of abandonment but this was refused. The LMS finally obtained an act of abandonment in 1944 which gave them powers to close the whole of the canal from Frankton Junction southwards, including
4860-451: The B5074 road over the canal just before Minshull Lock. It is made of brick with a single basket arch, but the parapets are not original, as they have been rebuilt. The lock raises the canal by 11 feet (3.4 m), and is grade II listed because it shows few signs of having been altered since its construction. Bridge 5A carries the railway line from Crewe to Chester over the canal, and there is
4995-624: The Canal and River Trust, the breach was caused by a member of the public leaving open a paddle gate on a lock, allowing water into the section of the canal, and causing it to overflow. After emergency repairs costing £3 million, the Middlewich branch of the canal reopened on 21 December 2018. To promote the interest in, use of, and restoration of parts of the Shropshire Union Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal Society
5130-731: The Cheshire Plain by means of a flight of 15 locks at Audlem . The canal passes through the eastern suburbs of the town of Market Drayton in Shropshire. The canal then passes through Tyrley Locks and enters the Woodseaves Cutting (named after Woodseaves (Shropshire) but also known as Tyrley Canal Cutting), the longest cutting on any canal in Britain. It is about 2.7 km long and up to about 21.3m deep. Further south there are substantial lengths of embankment through
5265-666: The Chester Canal, to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley Junction, near Wolverhampton. An important lost link can be seen at Norbury Junction , where a branch (1841) ran south-west through Newport to connect with the Shrewsbury Canal at Wappenshall Junction . After Nantwich basin, a long sweeping embankment incorporating an aqueduct carries the canal across the main A534 Nantwich-Chester road. The canal then has to climb out of
5400-536: The Eastern Branch of the Montgomeryshire were of a different design to those on other canals. Whereas most other canal locks have culverts in the side walls to fill and empty the lock, with paddles opening and closing vertically, the locks on the Montgomeryshire were designed with a culvert in the base of the canal with the paddle sliding horizontally over the culvert. During operation, this can lead to
5535-540: The Lledan Brook flood paddle was opened to assist in the drainage of the canal and over 200 people set to work using hand tools and borrowed equipment including a mobile crane, ten dumper trucks, four 7-ton tipper trucks, three JCB diggers and a Hy-Mac long arm excavator. Brian Haskins, the British Waterways area engineer from Northwich , visited the site and overlooked the use of the flood paddle. There
Middlewich Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue
5670-530: The Lledan Brook. Welshpool Borough Council refused the use of their tip for material removed from the canal but a local farmer called W Davies offered the use of his land. Buttington Contractors offered items of equipment and the event was planned for the weekend of 18 and 19 October 1969. Some 100 volunteers were expected and pumping began on Friday evening. The Severn River Board removed over 700 fish on Saturday morning and numbers attending exceeded expectations. Despite warnings by British Waterways not to touch it,
5805-524: The Montgomery Canal (Lockgate Bridge) is therefore number 70, the numbering beginning at Hurleston Junction . Because of this, the Llangollen Canal has two separate series of bridge numbering, one ending at Frankton Junction and the other beginning at Frankton Junction. In the years following the closure of the canal, wildlife flourished. The whole of the Welsh section and parts of the English section (notably
5940-833: The River Mersey to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley Junction in Wolverhampton. Other links are to the Llangollen Canal (at Hurleston Junction ), the Middlewich Branch (at Barbridge Junction ), which itself connects via the Wardle Canal with the Trent and Mersey Canal , and the River Dee (in Chester ). With two connections to the Trent and Mersey (via the Middlewich Branch and
6075-556: The Shropshire Union Canal Society. The scheme was also backed by the Variety Club of Great Britain who wanted to use the restored canal as a recreational base for the benefit of handicapped children. The Prince formally opened Welshpool Town Lock on 23 May 1974 as the scheme got under way. Despite the progress being made, the Welsh Office approved a scheme in 1976 to construct a bypass road at Arddleen which would have crossed
6210-480: The Shropshire Union Canal. By July, these plans had crystallised. The Montgomeryshire Canal , the Shrewsbury Canal and the Shropshire Canal network would become part of the new company. A number of new railways were proposed, and parts of the canal network would be converted to railways, but the canal link from Ellesmere Port to Middlewich via Barbridge was to be retained as a waterway. The company became
6345-497: The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, and Acts to authorise three of the new railways were passed in 1846. The new company was independent for less than a year, as the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) offered them a perpetual lease in 1846, which was formalised by Act of Parliament in June 1847, although it was not fully implemented until March 1857. The Shropshire Union attempted to deal with
6480-517: The Welsh hill-lands could be enclosed and developed for agriculture. Once the Chirk and Pontcysyllte aqueducts were opened on the Ellesmere branch to Llangollen, there was an easy route for the transport of coal used in the lime kilns to produce fertiliser. Other cargoes included stone for building, roofing slates, timber and bark. At its outset, the Earl of Powis had been one of the principal shareholders in
6615-568: The Weston Arm, as part of a plan to close 175 miles (282 km) of canal. The act of abandonment allowed bridges to be lowered although none of the route of the canal was sold at that time. The Transport Act 1947 resulted in the nationalisation of the railways and canals with control of the Montgomery Canal passing to the British Transport Commission in 1948 and ultimately to British Waterways in 1963 following
6750-457: The arm was only open for about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) to Hordley wharf but there were complaints and the issue was referred to the Board of Trade . They ruled in 1920 that repairs were not justified and so the arm stayed closed. The Shropshire Union was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway in late 1922 and itself became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) under
6885-430: The autumn of 2002 work was started on the restoration of Newhouse Lock, the penultimate lock on the southern section still owned by British Waterways. Soon after work started, it became evident that there were structural problems which had not been apparent when the first engineering inspection had been carried out. Further funding was obtained and the quality of the work done by volunteers resulted in them completing some of
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#17327807902777020-511: The bank of the Llangollen branch of the canal failed near Sun Bank Halt , Denbighshire . Escaping water washed away a 40-yard (37 m) section of the trackbed of the Ruabon to Barmouth railway line . A Great Western Railway mail and freight train was derailed, killing one person and injuring two others. The train's consist was entirely destroyed in the ensuing fire, with the exception of
7155-496: The bed of the canal through Welshpool into a road and the Welshpool By-Pass Action Committee was formed to oppose this. They requested the help of the Shropshire Union Canal Society who organised a "Big Dig" at Welshpool which was attended by over 200 volunteers who cleared a section of the canal. The Shropshire Union Canal Society had already begun campaigning for the restoration of the canal and in
7290-675: The bottom. As a result of the Western Branch needing to be profitable to allow the branches to merge, a higher tonnage charge was imposed on the Western Branch. On 23 June 1821 a further act of Parliament, the Montgomeryshire Canal Act 1821 ( 1 & 2 Geo. 4 . c. cxix), was obtained to alter the line of the Tanat feeder and to make a navigable cut from the Guilsfield Branch. This act also stipulated that
7425-457: The bridge which carries the Trent and Mersey towpath and Booth Lane over the entrance to the branch. It is constructed of brown brickwork, and carries the inscription "Wardle Canal 1829". Both Wardle Lock, which raises the level of the canal by 9.75 feet (2.97 m), and the adjacent lock cottage are listed structures. Bridges 31, 30, and 28 are all made of blue-brown and blue bricks, with a skewed basket arch . A single-arched aqueduct then carries
7560-657: The canal and are its navigation authority). As of 2023, Crickheath Basin remains the limit of navigation for larger powered craft on the northern section of the canal which is connected to the Llangollen Canal and the wider Canal & River Trust network at Frankton Junction. A very short section of navigable canal exists in Llanymynech and a separate longer navigable section operates in the Welshpool area; however these two sections are not connected to any other navigable canal and are therefore 'isolated'. The lock gear on
7695-450: The canal and the Chester and Shrewsbury Railway . This finished in the 1850s and it subsequently served a bone mill. Although the link to the basin still exists and there is a swing bridge over the entrance, it is not used for boats as it is a nature reserve. At Queen's Head the canal passes under both the old and the new A5 road . There are mooring spaces and some Canal & River Trust buildings at Queen's Head. Following Queen's Head are
7830-415: The canal at low level and culverted the canal beneath it. The Inland Waterways Association and the Shropshire Union Canal Society worked together to get the scheme changed and by mid-1978, an engineering solution had been worked out but the costs involved brought delays to the restoration. The next threat to restoration occurred in 1979 when following the collapse of James Callaghan 's Labour government and
7965-410: The canal for £110 per share and the offer was accepted. The Ellesmere and Chester Canal obtained an act of Parliament to enable them to become the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company and to take over several canals including both the Eastern and Western Branches of the Montgomeryshire Canal. The Eastern Branch was formally transferred to become part of the Shropshire Union on 1 January 1847 with
8100-444: The canal from bridge 120, located to the south of Welshpool, northwards. However within weeks, British Waterways announced that the future restoration beyond the locks at Frankton and Carreghofa, was uncertain. The Restoration Trust met with Sir Frank Price, chairman of British Waterways, on 5 April 1982 and it was agreed that an economic assessment of the viability of restoration should be carried out and completed by October. By 1985,
8235-489: The canal from just after Pant through Llanymynech to Carreghofa is in water although Carreghofa Lane now crosses the canal just to the north of Walls Bridge (No. 93) and this new crossing (built after the canal's closure) obstructs the canal. Wern Aqueduct was built after the canal was originally opened to allow a newly constructed branch of the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway to pass below. A temporary diversion of
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#17327807902778370-483: The canal has been gradually – but so far only partially – restored for use by pleasure boaters. In some places, the canal has been filled in, roads have been built over the channel, bridges have been lowered and infrastructure such as pipes and manhole covers have been built in the canal bed presenting several obstacles to restoration. The end section from Freestone Lock to Newtown is dry and no longer in Canal & River Trust ownership. In 1969, there were plans to convert
8505-502: The canal included local landowners who hoped to achieve a return on their investment through greater crop yields rather than relying upon share dividends. The original 1792 proposal for the Montgomeryshire Canal was for a route from Llanymynech , where it would join the proposed Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal , to Welshpool . By 1793, it had been decided that the canal should continue through to Newtown . The canal
8640-436: The canal over the A530 Nantwich road, and another crosses the River Wheelock immediately afterwards. The approach to Stanthorne Lock, which raises the level by 11.1 feet (3.4 m) is through a cattle bridge built of red bricks laid in an English garden wall bond, with stone coping and large retaining walls which end in piers with pyramidal stone caps. The relative peace of the branch is disturbed at bridge 22A, which carries
8775-406: The canal providing that there was no physical connection to the Trent and Mersey at Middlewich. The canal was authorised on 1 April 1772, and the company started to build a line to Nantwich, with locks 80 by 14.75 feet (24.38 by 4.50 m). The cost was much more than anticipated, and the canal was opened to Nantwich in mid-1779, after another Act of Parliament was obtained to raise more money. There
8910-431: The canal; he and his son, Lord Clive , were both landowners and owners of quarries and mills along the canal. The first dividend of 2.5 per cent was paid in 1805 and thereafter, a dividend was paid in most years while the canal remained independent at rates up to 5.5 per cent. Volumes of limestone carried rose from 14,082 tons in 1806 to 44,592 tons in 1814 while carriage of slack coal rose from 6,757 tons to 11,560 tons over
9045-446: The canals across Britain and within a year had become the Waterway Recovery Group . It was agreed that volunteers would tackle the section from Welshpool Lock northwards to Mill Lane. Despite high-level opposition to restoration by British Waterways, at local level they agreed to shut off the feed to the southern section and lower the water level so that water could be pumped out of the section through Welshpool, rather than discharged into
9180-401: The classification from the 1968 Act. A second Act was obtained on 29 July 1988 to undo the provisions of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (Canals) Act 1944 which had removed the right of navigation and prohibited such use. The new Act reinstated the right to allow navigation on any sections open at the time the Act was obtained and on any sections subsequently re-opened. British Waterways
9315-470: The company could not meet the interest payments on the loans and factions developed. One group was led by Pugh who complained that the engineer Williams had muddled the accounts since the canal had opened and another group thought that Pugh had borrowed money beyond the powers granted by the act of Parliament. They wanted the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners to investigate the company's financial position. However both parties agreed that George Buck, who had been
9450-451: The company receiving £78,210 of which £7,920 was in shares in the new company and the rest was in cash. The Western Branch remained under Pugh's control for three more years but was bought for £42,000 on 5 February 1850 although some £7,000 of this cannot be traced from the accounts. The Shropshire Union company had negotiated with several railway companies who had initially been rivals but on 1 January 1846, they had all amalgamated to become
9585-403: The consolidation of the Eastern and Western branches would no longer be automatic but would require the consent of the proprietors of each and clarified that the commencement of the Eastern branch was to be taken as the distance of thirty-five yards from the sill of the upper gate of the higher of the two Carreghofa locks. This alteration to the line of the Tanat feeder resulted in it now supplying
9720-559: The construction of the canal. This lowering of the water level has meant that during restoration the canal had to be lined to prevent leakage and a new lock was required to lower the water level. This lock was named Graham Palmer Lock after the founder of the Waterway Recovery Group . The Perry Aqueduct crosses the River Perry and was replaced during restoration. The old aqueduct had three small arches and restricted
9855-536: The court ruled in favour of lowering the bridge. British Waterways objected on the basis that restoration was already ongoing. Soon afterwards, the Secretary of State suggested that a note should be added to the Shropshire County structure plan indicating that the line of the canal should be protected but the lowering of the bridge went ahead. The Powys structure plan was amended in early 1982 to protect
9990-496: The election of Margaret Thatcher , economic conditions were tight. Powys County Council were faced with the cost of repairing and upgrading bridges over the canal and wanted to lower bridge 96, below Carreghofa bottom lock, to remove a weight restriction. They applied to the High Court for a "writ mandamus" which put the onus on the court to decide who was responsible for the costs. Again, the restoration movement objected but
10125-531: The engineer for the Eastern Branch since 1819, should become engineer and clerk and he was appointed to this post in December 1832 with a mandate to investigate the accounts. Buck presented his findings in November 1833 but the meeting took no action as Pugh was absent. Buck moved on the following month to assist Robert Stephenson on railway projects. Pugh then paid off both the capital and interest of most of
10260-482: The environmental lobby was growing and in order to avert a situation where boaters and environmentalists clashed, the Manpower Services Commission funded a scheme to document the flora and fauna of the unrestored canal. It also included an experimental off-line nature reserve which could provide a habitat for rare or interesting plants and the first such reserve was built at Rednal. The concept
10395-498: The flow on the river in flood conditions. As it was in a poor state of repair, it was replaced by a single span steel structure. Beyond the aqueduct, the canal is very straight as a diversion was built in 1822. (The original route of the canal had followed a less direct path at the insistence of one of the Proprietors, who wanted the canal to serve his Woodhouse Estate. ) Rednal Basin was originally used for transshipment between
10530-536: The gap with the next navigable section. In this section, the demolished Schoolhouse Bridge was replaced but no other bridges need to be replaced and there are no locks. Through Pant, the canal ran alongside the Oswestry and Newtown Railway which later became part of the Cambrian Railways network. The Cambrian Railways Trust has restored a short section of the line between Llynclys and Pant and has built
10665-550: The idea until the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was authorised, and then insisted that the canal should join a short branch from their canal, which they would build. This would become the Wardle Canal, and goods transferred along it had to pay high compensation tolls. The canal was authorised in 1827, one year after the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, and it was opened on 1 September 1833. The total cost, which included wharves and warehouses at Barbridge Junction,
10800-425: The junction is a very shallow stop lock built to prevent the loss of water to the new rival canal from the preexisting Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal . Unusually, the B&L Junction canal's summit level was designed to be a few inches lower than the older canal, so the newer canal gains a small amount of water each time the lock is cycled (the reverse of the practice usually insisted on by canal companies as
10935-429: The late arrival of railways in the area. The Western Branch, in contrast, was hampered by the fact that nearly all of the traffic was in one direction towards Newtown with very little goods travelling in the opposite direction. The prospect of railway competition arrived in the 1840s and in 1845 the company was approached by the proposed Shrewsbury to Newtown Railway to work out a deal. The company responded by setting up
11070-478: The lock gates on the Montgomeryshire Canal were replaced with cast iron gates. These gates were curved with tubular cast iron balance beams. The last surviving pair were removed from Welshpool and taken to Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum in the early 1970s. Bridge numbers on the Montgomery sections of the canal continue on from the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal at Frankton Junction . The first bridge on
11205-576: The lock was named Welsh Project of the Year by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in May 2007. This completed the restoration of all of the locks on the section of the canal owned by British Waterways and was the eleventh lock on the Welsh section of the canal to be restored by the Shropshire Union Canal Society . In 2003, the 3-mile (5 km) section from Queen's Head to Gronwen Wharf
11340-422: The locks at Frankton Junction is strictly controlled and must be booked in advance. The locks are operated by a Canal and River Trust lock-keeper and passage was only allowed between 09:00 am and 12:00 noon in 2020. The number of boats using the locks is restricted to a maximum of twelve in either direction on any one day and having passed down the locks onto the canal, boaters must stay for a minimum of one day and
11475-590: The name of the company to the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company and authorised the acquisition of the Shrewsbury Canal and other canals in the east Shropshire network (linking modern-day Telford with the River Severn to the south at Coalport ). Then (in 1847), the latter was taken over by the London and North Western Railway Company, which allowed the Shrewsbury Canal and the branch from Norbury Junction to decline. On 7 September 1945,
11610-584: The navigable and connected part. The towpath of almost all the canal is used as a footpath. The section between Pool Quay Lock and Newtown forms part of the Severn Way . Shorter sections south of Llanymynech and Pool Quay are followed by the Offa's Dyke Path . This section was originally the Llanymynech branch of the Ellesmere Canal but since the passing of the British Waterways Act 1987, it
11745-413: The new company responsible for the Western Branch. Any profits that the Eastern Branch made above 5 per cent would be used to fund the extension and on completion, the two branches would be jointly managed. Surpluses from the Eastern Branch would continue to be transferred to the Western Branch until it was able to pay a 5 per cent dividend at which point the two companies would be formally amalgamated. This
11880-487: The northern Wirral section was joined to the pre-existing Chester Canal ; eventually becoming part of the network Shropshire Union. Although the Ellesmere Canal was not completed as intended, the central section of the Ellesmere Canal was built. These sections now form part of the waterways: Llangollen Canal and Montgomery Canal . Both are actually branches of the Shropshire Union mainline, although in modern times they are considered to be separate canals. In Chester, from
12015-492: The one adjacent to Crofts Mill Lift Bridge having had boat barriers installed and the one adjacent to Park Mill Bridge having been allowed to become overgrown. A maximum of 1,250 boats per year are allowed passage on the navigable section in England (i.e. that part connected to the Llangollen Canal). In addition, there are stricter speed restrictions than normally found on British canals, for example, 2 and 3 mph on
12150-399: The original terminus of the Chester Canal. The two junctions on this stretch are very important links in the English and Welsh connected network. The odd angle between Nantwich basin and the next stretch of the SU shows that the journey southwards is on a newer (and narrow) canal originally constructed as the narrow Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal to connect Nantwich, at the end of
12285-417: The other creditors resulting in the company owing him £38,106 which was split into a mortgage for £25,000 and £13,000 in shares. He then obtained his own act of Parliament to authorise his position and to allow the company to raise their tolls. By June 1835, the Western Branch declared that receipts were sufficient to pay the interest on all mortgages but there is no evidence that any dividends were ever paid on
12420-481: The passing of the Transport Act 1962 . The Transport Act 1968 classified canals into one of three categories and the Montgomery Canal became a Remainder Waterway meaning that British Waterways could only carry out certain statutory work on it. As a result of the act, the final 2 miles (3.2 km) to Newtown were sold off. Since 1969, when the canal through Welshpool was threatened by a proposed road bypass,
12555-633: The peat had also caused subsidence of the canal and a new lock was built with a drop of 2.5 feet (0.76 m). On 3 June 1995, the restored section between Frankton Locks and the aqueduct over the River Perry was opened and the new lock was named the Graham Palmer lock, after the man who had been instrumental in so much canal restoration through the creation of the Waterway Recovery Group. The section onwards to Queen's Head,
12690-470: The potential of the "Remainder Waterways" which had been defined in the Transport Act 1968 . This advocated the complete restoration of the Montgomery Canal among other suggestions. The Prince of Wales announced a plan to restore 7 miles (11 km) of the canal to amenity waterway standards in October 1973. This was achieved through the Prince of Wales Committee of the House of Lords and was to be managed by
12825-564: The pound above the Carreghofa locks whereas it had previously fed the canal below the locks. The cost of the Western Branch was £53,390 which was well in excess of the £22,300 which had been raised by issuing new shares. The company had borrowed £6,000 from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners and the rest from various others, the majority coming from William Pugh. Income on the new branch was meagre so that
12960-597: The problem of high tolls on the Wardle Canal by proposing a 327 yards (299 m) bypass in 1852, arguing that the Middlewich Branch was "almost useless" without it. However, the LNWR requested that they withdraw the bill from Parliament and they did so. A similar proposal was made in 1868, for a longer bypass, but this was defeated in the House of Lords . An experiment was carried out on the branch near Worleston in 1888. About 1 mile (1.6 km) of 18-inch (460 mm) railway track
13095-578: The purpose as part of his annual budget. The award comes from the government's 'Levelling Up Fund', and covers restoration of 4 miles (6.4 km) in Wales. The money has to be spent by the spring of 2024 but will not include the restoration of two dropped bridges near Ardleen. Restoration is being carried out by a partnership of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust and the national Canal & River Trust (who own
13230-442: The rest of the canal in order to avoid undercutting traffic on that route. In 1838, the canal carried 60,406 tons of iron to Ellesmere Port, and 10,370 tons along the Middlewich Branch, most of it travelling from North Wales to Manchester. Once the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was open, the route from Birmingham to Manchester via it and the Middlewich Branch was 5.25 miles (8.4 km) shorter and contained 30 less locks than
13365-462: The restoration of the canal from Newtown Pumping Station to Frankton Junction, including the Guilsfield and Weston arms. It formalised the change of name to the Montgomery Canal and the construction and maintenance of nature reserves. It also specified that any refurbished or new sections of the canal, when they were brought into use, would automatically be designated as Remainder Waterways using
13500-399: The route using the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Ellesmere Canal and Chester Canal companies had amalgamated to become the Ellesmere and Chester Canal company in 1813, and on 8 May 1845, an Act of Parliament authorised amalgamation with the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal. The Ellesmere and Chester name was retained for the joint company, but plans were already being made for the idea of
13635-467: The run-up to the event, members attended council meetings, mounted displays in the town and organised a visit to Market Drayton for Welshpool Town Council, to see another section of the Shropshire Union where progress was being made. Key players included Graham Palmer, the organiser of the London and Home Counties Working Party Group of the Inland Waterways Association. They published a journal called Navvies Notebook which co-ordinated volunteer activity on
13770-473: The same period. There was a significant drop in volumes with the end of the Napoleonic Wars but trade had picked up again by 1820. A lack of capital and income prevented completion of the canal and Garthmyl remained the terminus for 20 years but by 1812, Newtown was experiencing significant growth and there were calls to extend the route southwards, either as a canal from Garthmyl to Newtown or as
13905-448: The section from Redwith Bridge to Pryces Bridge (No. 84) was completed. Redwith Bridge had been lowered after the canal's closure but has been rebuilt and is now capable of taking narrowboats underneath once again. In 2023, the canal was re-opened from Pryces Bridge to Crickheath Wharf, just north of Bridge 85. The section of the canal from Crickheath Wharf through Pant to Llanymynech is dry but restoration continues to take place to close
14040-588: The section from the Aston Locks to Keeper's Bridge) were designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The notable wildlife includes Floating Water Plantain and Grass-wrack pondweed . To preserve the wildlife, nature reserves have been created at points along the canal. These include Rednal Basin, most of the Weston Branch and a specially constructed reserve alongside the Aston Locks. Some winding holes have been given over to nature with
14175-520: The section of canal between Crickheath Bridge to Schoolhouse Bridge to be re-opened to navigation as there is no winding hole on this section. A joint bid by Powys County Council and the Canal and RIver Trust for funding to further restore the canal between Llanymynech and Arddleen succeeded when in October 2021, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak , announced the award of £16 million for
14310-476: The shareholders with some fearing that they might lose their investment if the canal were completed. Heated meetings were held in September 1814 and January 1815 at which neither side was entirely successful but on 3 February 1815, the company agreed that the new section would effectively be built by a separate company with its own committee and accounts. The old company would be known as the Eastern Branch with
14445-457: The shares. The two branches remained separate companies throughout their life. Major structural repairs to the Vyrnwy aqueduct had been required in 1823 when all of the arches were strengthened by iron bands under the supervision of Buck. Otherwise, the Eastern Branch continued to be relatively prosperous apart from a brief dip during a trade recession between 1840 and 1844. This was partly due to
14580-453: The short Wardle Canal to join the two, charging large compensation tolls for traffic passing along it. The canal became part of the Shropshire Union system in 1846, which was taken over by the London and North Western Railway within a year. Traffic on the branch was always limited by the compensation tolls, and it was not until 1888 that they were abolished. The canal was the location for trials with locomotive haulage of boats in 1888, using
14715-494: The tasks originally assigned to professionals. £250,000 was spent on the project, significantly less than the revised budget, and the contribution of volunteer labour was valued at £45,000. The restoration was completed six months ahead of schedule in 2006 and the lock was opened officially on 25 June 2006 by Lembit Opik MP in conjunction with the Annual Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle . The restoration of
14850-421: The three Aston Locks. The top lock has a nature reserve alongside, built during restoration. The canal passes through Maesbury Marsh , a village built largely alongside the canal. Canal Central, an environmentally-friendly building incorporating a post office, shop, tearoom, accommodation and bike and canoe hire was built alongside the canal near the village (just to the west of Spiggots Bridge) in 2006. Mooring
14985-484: The time. Whereas other canals could generate sufficient revenue from cargo carrying to be financially viable, the Montgomeryshire was planned to serve a more rural area which would not offer such opportunities. Instead, the primary purpose of the canal was to transport lime for agricultural purposes which would allow the Upper Severn Valley to become better agricultural land. As a result, the promoters of
15120-467: The top of the arm leading down to the Dee, the SU follows the old Chester Canal built in 1772 to connect Chester and Nantwich. The canal passes alongside the city walls of Chester in a deep, vertical red sandstone cutting. After Chester, there are only a few locks as the canal crosses the nearly flat Chester Plain, passes Beeston Castle, and the junctions at Barbridge and Hurleston and arrives at Nantwich basin,
15255-427: Was a success and paved the way for other reserves that allowed restoration to proceed, both on the Montgomery Canal and on other canals where there were sensitive environmental concerns. Montgomeryshire County Council committed £1 million to canal restoration over a five-year period as British Waterways submitted a private bill to Parliament to authorise restoration of the whole canal. The restoration also benefited from
15390-478: Was absorbed by the LNWR in late 1922, and the LNWR became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) within days of the amalgamation. In 1944, the LMSR obtained an Act of Parliament to close 175 miles (282 km) of the canals for which it was responsible, which included much of the Shropshire Union system, but the line from Ellesmere Port to Autherley and the branch to Middlewich were retained. The canal
15525-548: Was authorised in 1794 by an act of Parliament , the Montgomeryshire Canal Act 1794 ( 34 Geo. 3 . c. 39), entitled "An act for making a navigable Canal from or near Porthywain Lime Rocks in the parish of Llanyblodwell, in the county of Salop, to or near Newtown, in the county of Montgomery, and also certain collateral Cuts from the said Canal." The company was authorised to raise £72,000 from shares and
15660-515: Was bought by L.T.C. Rolt in 1939, who used it to tour the decaying canal network and was instrumental in the setting up of the Inland Waterways Association . A plaque commemorating this was attached to the lock entrance and unveiled by his widow, Sonia Rolt, on 17 January 2009. The now-infilled Weston Branch, which terminated at a wharf at Weston Lullingfields branches off between Frankton Locks and Lockgate Bridge. Only
15795-457: Was completed on 10 June 1861. The plan was supported by some of the former Montgomeryshire Canal shareholders, who were disappointed that the sale of the canal to the Shropshire Union had not resulted in it being converted into a railway. Although the Shropshire Union had a fairly free hand in running the canals, the goods that could be carried were restricted by the terms of their lease and the canals gradually became less profitable. Consideration
15930-535: Was considerable interest from the townspeople and the number of onlookers became a bit of a hazard. The cleared canal was refilled on the Sunday and the Mayor and Mayoress rode along the section on a cruiser that had been trailed from Market Drayton. The canal route for the bypass was subsequently rejected by a public enquiry. The Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council published a review on 20 August 1971 which assessed
16065-512: Was divided into Western and Eastern branches which met at Garthmyl. At Carreghofa Locks near Llanymynech, the Montgomeryshire Canal connected to the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal . These elements of the present-day Montgomery Canal were unified when they each became part of the Shropshire Union system: the Ellesmere Canal in 1846, the Eastern Branch in 1847 and the Western Branch in 1850. The canal fell into disuse following
16200-464: Was enshrined in the Montgomeryshire Canal Act 1815 ( 55 Geo. 3 . c. lxxxiii) which authorised the raising of £40,000 in new shares to complete the canal. The new company kept themselves separate failing to notify the Eastern Branch how the work was progressing. Under the supervision of John Williams, the resident engineer, who used Jessop's plans, the new canal was completed in March 1819 although it
16335-555: Was first proposed by the River Dee Company , who feared that the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal , authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1766, would draw traffic away from the river and from Chester . They envisioned a canal from Chester to Middlewich, where it would link up with the Trent and Mersey, with a branch to Nantwich. There was little support, although the Duke of Bridgewater stated that he would not oppose
16470-538: Was formed. Today their main restoration activities are on the Montgomery Canal , which is slowly being restored into Wales. The canal in Chester is promoted by Chester Canal Heritage Trust . 53°17′N 2°53′W / 53.283°N 2.883°W / 53.283; -2.883 Montgomeryshire Canal The Montgomery Canal ( Welsh : Camlas Trefaldwyn ), known colloquially as "The Monty",
16605-412: Was given to closing the Weston Arm in 1875 and again in 1885 but no action was taken. The idea of closing the whole of the former Montgomery Canal was considered in 1887 but study of the figures revealed that it was still making a small profit of £432 per year and so it was reprieved. In May 1917, the Weston Arm suffered a breach at Dandyfield which it was estimated would cost £14,000 to repair. Thereafter,
16740-552: Was intended to connect the Port of Liverpool on the River Mersey to the River Severn at Shrewsbury via the North East Wales Coalfields . However, only eight years after the completion of the contour canal between Netherpool and Chester, the proposed project became uneconomical. This meant the planned 16-mile (26 km) mainline from Chester to Trevor Basin near Wrexham was never constructed. Instead
16875-399: Was laid alongside the canal, and a small locomotive from Crewe railway works was used to haul barges. The trials were suggested by the LNWR's mechanical engineer Francis Webb, and a report was produced by the Canal's engineer G. R. Jebb in 1889. Although the locomotive had successfully pulled two, four and then eight boats at speeds up to 7 mph (11 km/h; 6.1 kn), no further action
17010-582: Was no money left for the Middlewich Canal, and a plan to save costs by building it with narrow locks did not find favour with the shareholders, and so no work was done. With plans to link Nantwich to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley, to create the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal , talks were again held with the Trent and Mersey Canal about a canal from Barbridge to Middlewich. The Trent and Mersey refused to consider
17145-434: Was not formally declared to be complete until 7 December 1821. It descended through six locks from Newtown and was supplied with water from the River Severn by a 24-foot (7.3 m) water wheel and a backup steam engine. An additional supply came from a weir and feeder at Penarth. The six locks were each 8 feet (2.4 m) deep with the cut being 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) deep and 15 feet (4.6 m) wide at
17280-448: Was officially opened on 2 June 2023. As there is a winding hole at Crickheath Basin, just north of Crickheath Bridge, re-opening allows navigation of the canal between Redwith Bridge and Crickheath Bridge. Restoration of the section of canal between Crickheath Bridge and Schoolhouse Bridge started in 2023. A separate project to rebuild the dropped Schoolhouse Bridge was also completed in 2024. The two projects will not in themselves allow
17415-519: Was partially funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and EU Interreg funds. Restoration then started on the 490-yard (450 m) section onwards to Pryces Bridge. Rebuilding of the channel involved the laying of over 40,000 concrete bricks and the use of a Bentonite membrane. The refurbished channel was opened on 19 July 2014 by Owen Paterson , the MP for North Shropshire , but because there
17550-400: Was reopened opening the canal through the village of Maesbury Marsh . The 875-yard (800 m) section from Gronwen Wharf to Redwith Bridge was filled with water in October 2007. Rare flora and fauna were accommodated by the construction of an off-line nature reserve on land leased by British Waterways for 50 years. The cost of the reserve added an extra £250,000 to the projected cost and this
17685-512: Was succeeded by the Canal & River Trust in 2012. Gallowstree Bridge was opened by David Suchet on 7 June 1992. The canal from Frankton Locks to the River Perry crosses Perry Moor and historically, the bed had no puddling at this point relying instead on the water table of the peat moor to retain the water. Modern agricultural methods had changed this and a new lining using butyl, concrete and gabions had to be created during 1994. Shrinkage of
17820-652: Was taken. Some traffic on the branch was lost when the Anderton Lift was opened in 1875, providing a link from the Trent and Mersey to the River Weaver and the Manchester Ship Canal . The Shropshire Union continued to protest about the compensation tolls on the Wardle Canal until 1888, when the Railway and Canal Traffic Act was passed and they had to be abolished. The Shropshire Union company
17955-532: Was that the Shropshire Union would drop its aspirations to build railways but in return, would have a free hand to run the canals which they did vigorously. The LNWR applied for powers to build a railway linking Shrewsbury, Newtown, Welshpool and Oswestry in 1853 but after negotiation with the Great Western Railway, withdrew the bill and it was they who built the Oswestry and Newtown Railway which
18090-512: Was unstable, and the remaining length was opened out to form the present narrow and steep-sided Cowley Cutting. At Wheaton Aston, the canal climbs its last lock to reach the summit level, fed by the Belvide Reservoir just north of Brewood . North of the reservoir, the canal passes by Stretton Aqueduct over Watling Street (the A5 road ). The SU terminates at Autherley Junction on the Staffs and Worcester Canal. Immediately before
18225-419: Was £129,000, but trade was meagre until the new link to Autherley was completed some three years later. Since the opening of the Ellesmere Canal in 1797, which linked Chester to the River Mersey at Ellesmere Port , the importance of Chester had gradually declined, while Ellesmere Port had correspondingly become more important. Tolls on the Middlewich Branch were initially maintained at a higher level than on
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