Chester Canal
Chester Canal | |
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Specifications | |
Maximum boat length | 72 ft 0 in (21.95 m) (originally 80 ft 0 in or 24.38 m) |
Maximum boat beam | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) (originally 14 ft 9 in or 4.50 m) |
Locks | 14 |
Status | Navigable |
Navigation authority | Canal & River Trust |
History | |
Original owner | Chester Canal Company |
Date of act | 1772 |
Date of first use | 1779 |
Geography | |
Start point | Nantwich |
End point | Chester |
Branch of | Now part of Shropshire Union |
The Chester Canal was an English
The Ellesmere Canal was also building branches in North Wales, which were intended to link up to the River Dee at Chester, but eventually linked to the Chester Canal at Hurleston Junction, just to the north of Nantwich, in 1805. The canal then became the middle section of a much longer and more profitable canal. The two companies merged in 1813, becoming the Ellesmere and Chester Canal. When the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was proposed in 1826, which would provide a link from Nantwich to Wolverhampton and the Birmingham canal system, the company saw it as an opportunity to build the Middlewich Branch, which would provide a connection to Manchester and the Potteries. The branch opened in 1833, and the Junction Canal opened in 1835. Amalgamation followed in 1845, with the new company retaining the name of the Ellesmere and Chester Canal. The following year, the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company was formed from the Ellesmere and Chester company, which also took over a number of canals which joined theirs. Plans to convert some of the canals to railways were put on hold in the 1847, when the canal company was leased to the London and North Western Railway. Under railway control, the canals continued to operate successfully, but decline set in during the 20th century, and when many of the adjoining canals were closed in 1944, the sections which had been the Ellesmere and Chester Canal and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, together with the Middlewich Branch, were retained.
The canals were nationalised in 1948, and long-distance commercial traffic had all but ended by 1958. In 1963, the
History
In 1771, the people of Chester, fearing that the construction of the
Chester Canal Act 1772 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 1 April 1772 |
Other legislation | |
Amended by | Chester Canal Act 1777 |
The bill became an Act of Parliament (
The project was hampered by financial and engineering problems, and so progress was slow. At the Chester end, the River Dee Company had managed to insert a clause into the Act which restricted the width of the final lock into the river to 7 feet (2.1 m). Although the lock was built, and some narrow boats capable of using it were constructed, agreement was reached on a wider connection after four years of argument. The solution adopted was a single pair of gates, which provided a 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) entrance into a basin from which the canal rose to the Northgate level. The land on which the basin was built was owned by the River Dee Company, who therefore charged tolls on all traffic using it. In 1774, part of an aqueduct collapsed, and had to be dismantled and repaired.[6]
Chester Canal Act 1777 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 2 June 1777 |
Other legislation | |
Amends | Chester Canal Act 1772 |
Soon afterwards, Weston left the project, and Thomas Morris was recalled from Ireland to take over. He had previous experience building the extension of the
The money was used to complete the line to Nantwich, and to build a reservoir at Bunbury Heath. The work was completed in August 1779, and the company hoped to raise enough money to then build the line to Middlewich. They proposed building it with narrow locks, to reduce the cost, but the shareholders were not prepared to support them; instead they concentrated on trying to generate traffic on the line that had been built. They attempted to mine salt at Nantwich, but failed to find any, and tried running boats on the Trent and Mersey, from which goods were carried over land to Nantwich, for onward carriage to Liverpool. They also ran boats for cargo and passengers on the canal itself. By the end of 1781, the company had no money and was unable to meet interest payments on the loans. They decided to forfeit the canal to Egerton, the main mortgagee, but he did not respond to their offer. Angry landowners who had not been paid drained Bunbury reservoir in March 1782, but somehow the committee managed to keep the canal open, by selling boats and land. Disaster struck in November 1787, when Beeston Staircase Locks collapsed, and there was no money to fund repairs.[9]
The impact of the Ellesmere Canal
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In 1790 the plans for the
Work began on the Wirral line from Ellesmere Port to Chester in November 1793, and packet boats began using most of it on 1 July 1795. The locks connecting it to the River Mersey were completed early the following year, and the connection to the Chester Canal opened in January 1797. The 8.75 miles (14.08 km) line was supplied with water from the Chester Canal, supplemented by a steam engine at Ellesmere Port which pumped water from the Mersey. Passenger boats along the canal proved very popular, with connections from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool provided by larger boats, although passenger services from Chester to Nantwich lasted for less than a year. Commercial traffic also grew steadily, helped by the construction of new basins at Chester and the provision of a tide lock into the Dee, which made access into the lower basin possible at all times, and helped to keep it free from silt.[13]
The Ellesmere Canal company had been constructing canals to the west, linking Llangollen to Frankton, but the route from there to Chester had not been decided. In 1796, they obtained an Act of Parliament (
In 1804, the Ellesmere company offered to buy out the Chester Canal for 1,000 of their shares, and to take over debts up to £4,000. The Chester Canal held out for more, and the negotiations failed. Three years later, the financial position of the Chester Canal was better, and they began paying off their debts. Finally in 1813, they agreed to amalgamate, and the action was authorised by a further Act of Parliament. The Ellesmere company paid just half of their 1804 offer, and the 500 Ellesmere shares were distributed between the various Chester shareholders. The Ellesmere and Chester Canal Company took over on 1 July 1813. A new section of canal and an iron lock were built at Beeston in 1827, to resolve continual problems with leakage there.[16]
A new route to the south
In 1826, the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament, to construct a canal from Nantwich to a junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley in the Midlands. With the prospect of being part of a link between Liverpool and the Midlands,[4] the joint company had again pressed for the construction of the Middlewich branch, which would give them an outlet to Manchester and the Potteries industrial centre around Stoke-on-Trent. The Trent and Mersey Canal refused to sanction the idea of a canal which would effectively reduce their income until the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was authorised. Once it was, the Ellesmere and Chester company obtained an Act of Parliament in 1827, but the Trent and Mersey insisted that they build a short connecting canal, the Wardle Canal, consisting of a lock and not much more, the tolls for which were exorbitant. The 1827 Act repealed all previous legislation for the Ellesmere and Chester Canals and consolidated their position. The branch was built as a narrow canal, and cost £129,000. It opened on 1 September 1833, but was little used until the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was completed. It finally opened on 2 March 1835,[17] having suffered from engineering problems during construction. Again, it was a narrow canal, suitable for boats which were 7 feet (2.1 m) wide.[4]
The two canal companies worked together from the start, in a bid to ensure that both remained profitable despite competition from the railways.[4] This came soon, for the Grand Junction Railway from Warrington to Birmingham had been authorised before the canal opened, and was carrying goods by January 1838. Tolls on the canals were considerably lower than had been envisaged when the route was promoted.[18] Experiments with steam tugs to haul trains of narrow boats were carried out in 1842, and a report in 1844 indicated that they were then used extensively. By the following year, however, the Ellesmere and Chester company were thinking about converting the canal to a railway, and argued that steam tugs were no cheaper than locomotive haulage on a railway. A merger with the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was discussed in 1844, and was authorised on 8 May 1845, the new company retaining the name of the Ellesmere and Chester Canal.[19]
Part of the Shropshire Union
Almost immediately, the company began looking at the possibility of converting all or part of the system into railways. W. A. Povis, their engineer, was convinced that railways could be built along the routes at around half the cost of building a new line. The move was opposed by the
Profitability was maintained, with the result then when most of the Shropshire Union network of canals were abandoned in 1944, the sections which had originally been the Chester Canal, the northern part of the Ellesmere Canal, the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal and the Middlewich Branch were all retained. The only other section which was not abandoned was the Llangollen branch; this was kept because of its function as a water supply channel, rather than for navigation.[4]
Leisure era
In common with many operational canals, the remains of the Shropshire Union system, including what had been the Chester Canal, were nationalised on 1 January 1948, and became the responsibility of the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive, which was part of the British Transport Commission.[23] At the time, the function of canals was still viewed as commercial. An official reply to the Inland Waterways Association in 1947 stated that the Ministry of Transport "... do not look very favourably upon any scheme for pleasure craft on the canals at the present time."[24] Despite such official attitudes, Eric Wilson, who produced the first edition of Inland Waterways of Great Britain in 1939, noted that those wishing to use the Shropshire Union for leisure cruising should apply to the Agent at Chester. He advised that application should be made well in advance, in case there were problems due to the condition of the waterway and its locks.[25]
Control of the canal passed to the British Waterways Board on 1 January 1963, and for the first time in over 100 years, it was managed by an organisation which was not under railway control. The
The canal is popular with pleasure boaters, as much of it is pleasantly rural, with added interest provided by the city of Chester and Ellesmere Port with its
The Chester Canal Heritage Trust was set up in 1997 to promote the canal and its heritage.[31] Among other projects, they have received funding from the Local History Initiative and the Nationwide Building Society, which has allowed them to research the history of the canal and publish the results as a book.[32] In 2012, responsibility for the canal passed from British Waterways to the newly formed Canal & River Trust.
Traffic
Although the Chester Canal was not a success as traffic was sparse, this changed once it was connected to the Ellesmere Canal. The Ellesmere company expected to carry limestone from the quarries at Llanymynech and Trevor, iron from the ironworks at Ruabon and Bersham, and coal from mines at Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham to Chester, Liverpool and Shrewsbury. The canal to Bersham and Wrexham was not built, and that to Shrewsbury was built much later on, but trade in coal, limestone, lime and building materials developed within the network of canals, and traffic between the canals and Liverpool increased steadily, much of it passing along the former Chester Canal.[33] Receipts for the Ellesmere Canal were £12,568 in 1807 and £15,707 just two years later.[34]
In 1836, a review of trade on the canals showed that limestone from Llanymynech and coal from Chirk was used to produce lime at a number of locations along the canals. Coal from Chirk for industrial and household use was carried, although there was a competing trade in coal from Flintshire, which travelled along the River Dee and entered the canal system at Chester. There was trade in iron from Ruabon to Chester, but the tolls were very low, as the canal route was 58 miles (93 km) long, whereas the land journey was only 20 miles (32 km). In 1838, the canals carried 60,406 tons of iron bound for Liverpool, most of it manufactured goods, of which 38,758 tons came from Staffordshire, 11,687 tons from North Wales and 9,961 tons from Shropshire. An additional 10,370 tons, most of which originated in North Wales, passed along the Middlewich Branch, bound for Manchester.[35]
The canal company carried goods in their own boats, and produced a report on the four years from August 1846 to June 1850 in 1851. This showed an income of £180,746 from tolls, and identified six main types of traffic. These included iron goods from the Wolverhampton area to Liverpool; limestone from Trevor and Crickheath to Nantwich or Wappenshall on the Shrewsbury Canal, with a back trade in iron ore from near Burslem; general merchandise, which was carried between Chester and Liverpool; and general merchandise for Shropshire and North Wales. All of these were profitable. The carriage of general goods from Birmingham to Liverpool and the Chester coal trade both made a small loss.[36]
Once the canals were owned by the
Route
The River Dee branch heads eastwards from the river, and passes through two locks before turning to the north. Another two locks raise its level to that of the Ellesmere Canal, and the junction was the site of a historic boatyard. Originally, the branch continued eastwards after the first two locks, and another two brought it up to the level of the Chester Canal main line. From the junction, the Ellesmere main line headed south, to another right-angled band where it joined the Chester Canal. There are moorings at Tower Wharf, just before the bend. To the south of the canal is the old city, one of the few English cities which retains nearly all of its
The canal passes along the south-western edge of
The castle is opposite Wharton's Lock, which is followed by the village of
The next lock is Tilston Lock, situated about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north of
Boat sizes
As built, the locks on the Chester Canal were originally 80 by 14.75 feet (24.38 by 4.50 m).[3] Over the years the maximum size for vessels using the canal has altered. By 1985, it had been reduced to 72 by 13.25 feet (21.95 by 4.04 m),[55] and in 2009, sizes were quoted as 72 by 9 feet (21.9 by 2.7 m).[56]
Points of interest
See also
- Canals of Great Britain
- Chester Canal Heritage Trust
Bibliography
- Cumberlidge, Jane (2009). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (8th ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-1-84623-010-3.
- Edwards, L A (1985). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (6th ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-0-85288-081-4.
- Emery, Gordon; et al. (2005). The Old Chester Canal. Gordon Emery for Chester Canal Heritage Trust. ISBN 978-1-872265-88-9.
- Hadfield, Charles (1985). The Canals of the West Midlands. David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8644-6.
- ISBN 978-0-00-721112-8.
- Priestley, Joseph (1831). "Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain". Archived from the original on 13 March 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Squires, Roger (2008). Britain's restored canals. Landmark Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84306-331-5.
- Wilson, W Eric (1939). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (1st ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. [ISBN unspecified].
References
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 42–43.
- ^ Priestley 1831, p. 236.
- ^ a b Hadfield 1985, p. 43.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nicholson 2006, p. 80
- ^ Nicholson 2006, p. 156.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 44.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 151.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 45.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 167.
- ^ a b Hadfield 1985, p. 168.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 169–170.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 173–174.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 177–178.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 178–179.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 181.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 186–187.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 188–189.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 231–232.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 232–233.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 233–234.
- ^ a b Edwards 1985, p. 9
- ^ Squires 2008, p. 20.
- ^ Wilson 1939, p. 123.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 39.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 251.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, pp. 270–272.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 273.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 185.
- ^ "Our Waterways Heritage". Chester Canal Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ "Researching History". Chester Canal Heritage Trust. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 178.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 179.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 181–182.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 235–236.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 240.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 241.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, pp. 248–249.
- ^ Hadfield 1985, p. 250.
- ^ a b Nicholson 2006, pp. 108–109
- ^ Nicholson 2006, p. 111.
- ^ a b Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map
- ^ Historic England. "The Mill, Eggbridge Lane (1330259)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Church of St Peter, Waverton Village (1135747)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Davies Bridge Waverton (1130608)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ a b Historic England. "Salmons Bridge Waverton (1330258)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Nicholson 2006, p. 104.
- ^ Historic England. "Beeston Cast Iron Lock, Tiverton (1240680)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Beeston Stone Lock, Tiverton (1160260)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Nicholson 2006, pp. 104–105.
- ^ Nicholson 2006, pp. 100–101.
- ^ Nicholson 2006, pp. 98–99.
- ^ Historic England. "Dorfold Hall (1312869)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ^ Edwards 1985, p. 303.
- ^ Cumberlidge 2009, p. 271.
External links
Media related to Chester Canal at Wikimedia Commons