The following list of canals in the United Kingdom, includes some systems that are navigable rivers with sections of canal (e.g. Aire and Calder Navigation) as well as "completely" artificial canals (e.g. Rochdale Canal).
The following list of canals in the United Kingdom, includes some systems that are navigable rivers with sections of canal (e.g. Aire and Calder Navigation) as well as "completely" artificial canals (e.g. Rochdale Canal).
| Canal | Length | Locks | Max boat length (ft) | Width (ft) | Where [1] | Year opened | Year abandoned | Navigable status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aire and Calder Navigation | 34 mi (55 km) | 12 | 200 | 20 | NE | 1704 | Fully navigable | |
| Andover Canal | 22 mi (35 km) | 24 | 65 | 8.5 | S | 1794 | 1859 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water |
| Arbury Canals | 6 mi (10 km) | 13 | 1786 | 1819, 1973 | ||||
| Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal | 22 mi (35 km) | 0 | 72 | 7 | M | 1804 | 1918, 1966 | Under restoration - part open, part under restoration |
| Ashton Canal | 6 mi (10 km) | 18 | 70 | 7 | NW | 1796 | 1961 | Fully navigable - restored 1974 |
| Barnsley Canal | 14.5 mi (23 km) | 15 | 84 | 14 | NW | 1799 | 1893, 1946 | Abandoned - restoration plans on hiatus |
| Basingstoke Canal | 32 mi (51 km) | 29 | 68 | 13 | S | 1794 | 1910 | Part navigable - Restored 1991, remainder of route lost |
| Baybridge Canal | 3.5 mi (6 km) | 2 | 1826 | 1875 | ||||
| Beaumont Cut | 0.6 mi (1 km) | 0 | 1832 | 1932 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Bentley Canal | 3.4 mi (5 km) | 10 | 1845 | 1953 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, stub in Wednesfield used for mooring | |||
| Beverley Beck | 0.5 mi (1 km) | 1 | 65 | 17.5 | NE | 1744 | Fully navigable | |
| Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal [2] | 2.5 mi (4 km) | 6 | 70 | 7 | M | 1844 | Fully navigable | |
| Birmingham Canal Navigations [3] | 29.8 mi (48 km) | 34 | 70 | 7 | M | 1772–1794 | ||
| Birmingham and Fazeley Canal [4] | 20.5 mi (33 km) | 44 | 70 | 7 | M | 1789 | Fully navigable | |
| Black Bear Canal | 8 mi (13 km) | 1804 | 1965 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | ||||
| Blyth Navigation | 7 mi (11 km) | 6 | 50 | 14 | EA | 1761 | 1911 | Abandoned - line of canal in water |
| Bradford Canal | 3.5 mi (6 km) | 10 | 1774 | 1922 | Abandoned - restoration being investigated | |||
| Bridgewater Canal | 40 mi (64 km) | 0 | 72 | 14.75 | NW | 1761 | Fully navigable bar short missing section at junction with Manchester Ship Canal | |
| Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Somerset | 14.5 mi (23 km) | 6 | 50 | 9.83 | SW | 1827 | 1907 | Fully navigable - Restored 1994 |
| Bude Canal | 35 mi (56 km) | 2 [5] | 20 | 5.5 | SW | 1823 | 1891 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost |
| Caistor Canal | 4 mi (6 km) | 6 | 61.5 | 15.25 | N | 1793 | 1855 | Abandoned - line of canal in water |
| Calder and Hebble Navigation | 21.5 mi (35 km) | 38 | 55 | 14 | NE | 1794 | Fully navigable | |
| Caldon Canal | 18 mi (29 km) | 17 | 72 | 7 | NM | 1779 | Fully navigable | |
| Cann Quarry Canal | 2 mi (3 km) | 1825 | 1839 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | ||||
| Car Dyke | 85 mi (137 km) | 0 | 120 (appr) | 1200 (appr) | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Chard Canal | 13.5 mi (22 km) | 4 [5] | 1842 | 1868 | Abandoned - some of the line still traceable | |||
| Charnwood Forest Canal | 6 mi (10 km) | 1794 | 1808 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | ||||
| Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation | 13.8 mi (22 km) | 13 | 60 | 16 | EA | 1797 | Fully navigable | |
| Chesterfield Canal | 45.5 mi (73 km), now 31.5 mi (51 km) | 62 | 72 | 7 | NE | 1777 | 1907 (part) | Under restoration - Less than 9 miles (14 km) of the original route remain to be restored to link the two navigable sections |
| Chichester Canal | 4.5 mi (7 km) | 3 | 85 | 18 | S | 1822 | 1906 | Part navigable - remainder of route in water but unnavigable |
| Cinderford Canal | 1.25 mi (2 km) | 0 | 1797 | 1810 ? | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| City Canal | 1 mi (2 km) | 2 | 1805 | 1829 | Abandoned - Route has been almost completely reconstructed to form the South Dock of the West India Docks | |||
| Coombe Hill Canal | 2.75 mi (4 km) | 1 | 1796 | 1876 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Coventry Canal | 32.7 mi (53 km) | 13 | 72 | 7 | M | 1769, 1788 | Fully navigable | |
| Cromford Canal | 14.5 mi (23 km) | 14 | 1794 | 1900 | Under restoration | |||
| Croydon Canal | 9.25 mi (15 km) | 28 | 1809 | 1836 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Dearne and Dove Canal [6] | 9.8 mi (16 km) | 19 | 58 | 14.83 | NE | 1804 | 1961 | Abandoned - restoration being investigated |
| Derby Canal | 14 mi (23 km) | 17 | 72 | 14 | NE | 1796 | Abandoned - restoration being investigated | |
| Derby and Sandiacre Canal | 14.5 mi (23 km) | 9 | 72 | 14 | NE | 1793 | 1964 | Under restoration |
| Digbeth Branch Canal [4] | 1.25 mi (2.0 km) | 6 | 72 | 7 | M | 1799 | Fully navigable | |
| Donnington Wood Canal | 5.5 mi (9 km) | 1767 | 1904 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | ||||
| Driffield Navigation, East Yorkshire | 11 mi (18 km) | 6 | 61 | 14.5 | NE | 1767 | 1955 (part) | Fully navigable |
| Droitwich Canal | 7.3 mi (12 km) | 15 | 71.5 | 7.08 | M | 1771, 1854 | 1939 | Fully navigable - restored 2011 |
| Dudley Canal [4] | 10.3 mi (17 km) | M | 1770, 1792 | 1948 | 1973 (part) full restoration requires diversion to avoid unrepairable tunnel | |||
| Eardington Forge Canal | 0.5 mi (1 km) | 1 | 1782 | 1889 | ||||
| Erewash Canal [2] | 11.8 mi (19 km) | 14 | 78 | 12.5 | NE | 1779 | 1962 (part) | Fully navigable - restored 1973 |
| Exeter Ship Canal | 5.2 mi (8 km) | 2 | 122 | 26.25 | SW | 1563 | Fully navigable | |
| Fairbottom Branch Canal | 1 mi (2 km) | 0 | NW | 1792 | 1932 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | ||
| Fletcher's Canal | 1.5 mi (2 km) | 2 | 1800 | 1952 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Foss Dyke | 11.3 mi (18 km) | 1 | 74.5 | 15.17 | E | 1121 | Fully navigable | |
| Galton's Canal | 1.4 mi (2 km) | 1 | 1822 | 1897 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Glastonbury Canal | 14 mi (23 km) | 2 | 1834 | 1854 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | |||
| Glastonbury Canal (medieval) | 1.1 mi (2 km) | 0 | 10th C | 14-16th C | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Gloucester and Sharpness Canal | 16.5 mi (27 km) | 2 | 240 | 30 | SW | 1826 | Fully navigable | |
| Grand Junction Canal [2] | 129.4 mi (208 km) | 90 | 72 | 14.7 | M | 1800, 1805 | Fully navigable | |
| Grand Surrey Canal | 4 mi (6 km) | 1 | 1810 | 1940 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Grand Union Canal [7] | 286.3 mi (461 km) | 236 | 72 | 14 | M | 1927 | Fully navigable (bar Buckingham Arm) | |
| Grand Union Canal (old) [2] | 24.3 mi (39 km) | 17 | 72 | 7 | EM | 1814 | Fully navigable | |
| Grand Western Canal | 10.5 mi (17 km) | 0 | SW | 1838 | Under restoration | |||
| Grantham Canal | 33 mi (53 km) | 18 | 75 | 14 | EM | 1797 | 1936 | Under restoration |
| Grosvenor Canal | 0.8 mi (1 km) | 1 | 1825 | 1858, 1925 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Hackney Canal | 0.6 mi (1 km) | 1 | 1843 | 1928 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Hatherton Canal [4] | 4 mi (6 km) | 8 | 70 | 7 | NM | 1860 | 1955 | Under restoration, but part of original route unsuitable for reopening so will be diverted. |
| Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal | 34 mi (55 km) | 22 | 70 | 7 | W | 1798, 1845 | 1881 | Under restoration |
| Hertford Union Canal [2] | 1.3 mi (2 km) | 3 | 78 | 14.5 | SE | 1830 | Fully navigable | |
| Hollinwood Branch Canal | 4.5 mi (7 km) | 4 | 70 | 7 | NW | 1792 | 1932 | Under restoration |
| Hollingwood Common Canal | 2 mi (3 km) | 0 | ? | ? | Abandoned | |||
| Horncastle Canal | 11 mi (18 km) | 12 | 1802 | 1889 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Huddersfield Broad Canal | 3.8 mi (6 km) | 9 | 57.5 | 14.17 | NE | 1780 | Fully navigable | |
| Huddersfield Narrow Canal | 19.9 mi (32 km) | 74 | 70 | 7 | NE | 1811 | Fully navigable | |
| Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation | 15.9 mi (26 km) | 15 | 55 | 14 | EA | 1793 | 1934 | Under restoration |
| Islington Branch Canal | 0.6 mi (1 km) | 0 | NW | 1801 | 1952 | Abandoned | ||
| Itchen Navigation | 10 mi (16 km) | 17 | 1710 | 1869 | Under restoration | |||
| Kennet and Avon Canal | 86.5 mi (139 km) | 105 | 70 | 12.5 | SW | 1727, 1810 | (1950) [8] | Fully navigable - restored and reopened 1990 |
| Kensington Canal | 1.75 mi (3 km) | 1 | 1828 | 1859, 1967 | Abandoned - route now lost | |||
| Ketley Canal | 1.5 mi (2 km) | 1 [5] | 1788 | 1880 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some short sections in water | |||
| Lancaster Canal | 60.9 mi (98 km) | 14 | 72 | 14.5 | NW | 1797, 1825 | 1955 | 2002 (part) - Under ongoing restoration |
| Leeds and Liverpool Canal | 142.6 mi (229 km) | 105 | 62 [9] | 14 | NE, NW | 1816 | Fully navigable | |
| Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal [2] | 48 mi (77 km) | 22 | 72 | 13 | EM | 1807 | Fully navigable - part of Grand Union Canal | |
| Leominster Canal | 18 mi (29 km) | 16 | 1794 | 1858 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Leven Canal | 3.25 mi (5 km) | 1 | 1805 | 1935 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Lichfield Canal [4] | 7 mi (11 km) | 30 | 70 | 7 | M | 1797 | 1955 | Under restoration |
| Limehouse Cut | 2 mi (3 km) | 0 | 88 | 19 | SE | 1766 [10] | Fully navigable | |
| Liskeard and Looe Union Canal | 6 mi (10 km) | 25 | 1828 | 1910 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | |||
| Llangollen Canal | 46.3 mi (75 km) | 21 | 70’ | 6.83 | W | 1808 | Fully navigable | |
| Louth Navigation | 11.8 mi (19 km) | 8 | 72 | 15 | NE | 1770 | 1924 | Abandoned - line of canal in water |
| Lydney Canal | 1 mi (2 km) | 1 | 100 | 24 | SW | 1821 | 1977 | 2005 (part) - Under restoration |
| Macclesfield Canal | 26.3 mi (42 km) | 13 | 70 | 7 | NW | 1831 | Fully navigable | |
| Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal | 12.9 mi (21 km) | 17 | 68 | 14.17 | NW | 1797, 1808 | 1941, 1961 | Under restoration |
| Manchester Ship Canal | 37.4 mi (60 km) | 5 | 600 | 65 | NW | 1894 | Fully navigable | |
| Market Weighton Canal | 9.5 mi (15 km) | 1 | 70 | 14.83 | NE | 1782 | 1971 [11] | Part navigable - remainder of route a mix of in water but unnavigable, and route lost |
| Melton Mowbray Navigation | 11 mi (18 km) | 12 | EM | 1797 | 1877 | Under restoration | ||
| Middle Level Navigations | 90 mi (145 km) | 7 | 80 | 11 | E | 1608–1832 | Fully navigable | |
| Montgomery Canal | 33 mi (53 km) | 24 | 70 | 6.83 | W | 1821 | 1944 | 1996 (part) - Under restoration |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal | 3.75 mi (6 km) | 0 | 1800 | 1935 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Newcastle-under-Lyme Junction Canal | 1 mi (2 km) | 0 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||||
| New Junction Canal | 5.5 mi (9 km) | 1 | 215 | 22.5 | NE | 1905 | Fully navigable | |
| Newport Pagnell Canal | 1.25 mi (2 km) | 7 | 1817 | 1864 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| North Walsham and Dilham Canal | 7.3 mi (12 km) | 6 | 50 | 12.33 | EA | 1826 | 1927 (part) | Part navigable - remainder of route in water but unnavigable |
| Nottingham Canal | 14.7 mi (24 km) [12] | 18 | 81 | 14.5 | NE | 1796 | 1937 (part) | Part navigable - remainder of route partly in water but unnavigable, partly lost |
| Nutbrook Canal | 4.5 mi (7 km) | 13 | 1796 | 1895 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | |||
| Oakham Canal | 15.5 mi (25 km) | 18 | 1802 | 1847 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | |||
| Ouse Navigation | 22 mi (35 km) | 19 | 1812 | 1950 | Fully navigable | |||
| Oxford Canal | 78 mi (126 km) | 43 | 70 | 6.83 | M | 1774, 1790 | Fully navigable | |
| Par Canal | 2.25 mi (4 km) | 3 | 1847 | 1873 | ||||
| Parnall's Canal | 0.5 mi (1 km) | 0 | 1720 | 1732 | ||||
| Peak Forest Canal | 14.8 mi (24 km) | 16 | 70 | 7 | NW | 1805 | 1960 | Fully navigable - restored 1974 |
| Petworth Canal | 1.25 mi (2 km) | 2 | 1795 | 1826 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water | |||
| Pidcock's Canal | 1.5 mi (2 km) | 3 | 1789 | 1845 | Abandoned - line of canal in water | |||
| Pocklington Canal | 9.5 mi (15 km) | 9 | 57 | 14.25 | NE | 1818 | 1932 | Under restoration - largely navigable |
| Portsmouth and Arundel Canal | 28 mi (45 km) | 6 | 1823 | 1847/1926 | Abandoned - majority of the route now lost | |||
| Regent's Canal [2] | 8.6 mi (14 km) | 13 | 72 | 14.5 | SE | 1820 | Fully navigable | |
| Ribble Link | 3 mi (5 km) | 9 | 62 | 10.5 | NW | 2002 | Fully navigable | |
| Ripon Canal | 2.5 mi (4 km) | 3 | 57 | 14.25 | NE | 1773 | 1906 | Fully navigable - restored 1996 |
| River Soar Navigation [2] | 21.9 mi (35 km) | 18 | 72 | 13 | EM | 1794 | Fully navigable | |
| River Lee Navigation [13] | 29.1 mi (47 km) | 22 | 85 | 16 | SE | 1577, 1769 | Fully navigable | |
| Rochdale Canal | 32 mi (51 km) | 91 | 74 | 14.17 | NW | 1800 | Fully navigable (bar some branches) | |
| Rolle Canal [14] | 6 mi (10 km) | 2 [15] | 1827 | 1871 | Under restoration | |||
| Royal Military Canal | 19 mi (31 km) | 0 | SE | 1804 | Fully navigable | |||
| St Columb Canal | 13 mi (21 km) | |||||||
| Salisbury and Southampton Canal | 13 mi (21 km) [16] | 16 | 1802 | 1808 | ||||
| Sankey Canal | 15.2 mi (24 km) | 11 | 72 | 13.83 | NW | 1757 | 1963 | |
| Selby Canal | 6 mi (10 km) | 2 | 78.5 | 16.5 | NE | 1776 | ||
| Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation [17] | 28 mi (45 km) | 24 | 61.5 | 15.25 | NE | 1802 | ||
| Shrewsbury Canal | 25 mi (40 km) | 34 | 81 | 7 | W | 1797 | 1944 | |
| Shropshire Canal | 10.5 mi (17 km) | 3 [5] | 1791 | 1912 | ||||
| Shropshire Union Canal | 76.5 mi (123 km) | 51 | 72 [18] | 7 [19] | NM | 1835 | ||
| Sir John Glynne's Canal | 1 mi (2 km) | 1768 | 1779 | |||||
| Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal | 3 mi (5 km) | 0 | 1776 | 1857 | ||||
| Sleaford Navigation | 12.5 mi (20 km) | 7 | 70 | 15 | NE | 1794 | 1940 | |
| Somerset Coal Canal | 18 mi (29 km) | SW | 1802 | 1898 [20] | 1986 (part) [21] | |||
| Southwick Ship Canal | 1.75 mi (2.8 km) | 1 | 240 | 40 | SE | 1855 | ||
| Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal | 46.1 mi (74 km) | 43 | 70 | 7 | NM | 1772 | ||
| Stamford Canal | 6.5 mi (10 km) | 10 | 1670 | 1863 | ||||
| Stainforth and Keadby Canal | 14.9 mi (24 km) | 3 | 61.67 | 17 | NE | 1802 | ||
| Stockport Branch Canal | 4.9 mi (8 km) | 0 | NW | 1797 | 1962 | |||
| Stort Navigation | 13.8 mi (22 km) | 15 | 86 | 13.25 | SE | 1769 | ||
| Stourbridge Canal | 7.8 mi (13 km) | 21 | 70 | 7 | M | 1779 | ||
| Stover Canal | 1.7 mi (3 km) | 5 | 1792 | 1943 | ||||
| Stratford-upon-Avon Canal | 25.5 mi (41 km) | 56 | 70 | 7 | M | 1802, 1816 | ||
| Stroudwater Navigation | 8 mi (13 km) | 13 | 70 | 15.5 | SW | 1779 | ||
| Tame Valley Canal [4] | 8.5 mi (14 km) | 13 | 72 | 7 | M | 1844 | ||
| Tavistock Canal | 4 mi (6 km) | 2 [5] | 1803 | 1873 | ||||
| Thames and Medway Canal [22] | 6.5 mi (10 km) | 1 | 24.5 | 6.5 | SE | 1824 | 1935 | |
| Thames and Severn Canal | 28.8 mi (46 km) | 44 | 74 | 12.75 | SW | 1789 | 1933 | |
| Titchfield Canal | ||||||||
| Tremadoc Canal | 1.5 mi (2 km) | 0 | 1815 | 1840 | ||||
| Trent and Mersey Canal | 93.4 mi (150 km) | 76 | 72 | 7 [23] | NE | 1777 | ||
| Ulverston Canal | 1.5 mi (2 km) | 1 | 112 | 65 [24] | NW | 1796 | 1944 | |
| Uttoxeter Canal | 13 mi (21 km) | 19 | NM | 1811 | 1849 | 2005 (part) | ||
| Walsall Canal [4] | 9.6 mi (15 km) | 16 | 72 | 7 | M | 1785–1841 | ||
| Wardle Canal | 0.1 mi (0.2 km) | 1 | NM | 1829 | ||||
| Warwick and Napton Canal [2] | 14.2 mi (23 km) | 25 | 72 | 7 [25] | M | 1794 | ||
| Warwick and Birmingham Canal [2] | 24.3 mi (39 km) | 28 | 70 | 7 [25] | M | 1794 | ||
| Wednesbury Old Canal [4] | 4.4 mi (7 km) | 3 | 70 | 7 | M | 1769 | 1955 (part) | |
| Westport Canal | 3.3 mi (5 km) | 1 | 1840 | 1875 | ||||
| Wey and Arun Junction Canal [26] | 23 mi (37 km) | 26 | 68 | 11.5 | S | 1816 | 1871 | in progress [27] |
| Wey and Godalming Navigations | 19.5 mi (31 km) | 16 | 72 | 13.83 | S | 1651, 1760 | ||
| Wilts and Berks Canal | 52.5 mi (84 km) | 42 | 72 | 7 | SW | 1810 | 1914 | 1995 (part) |
| Wombridge Canal | 1.75 mi (3 km) | 1 [5] | 1788 | 1921 | ||||
| Worcester and Birmingham Canal | 30 mi (48 km) | 58 | 71.5 | 7 | M | 1815 | ||
| Wyrley and Essington Canal [4] | 23.5 mi (38 km) | 39 | 70 | 7 | M | 1797 | 1900 (part) | |
| Canal | Length (miles) | Locks | Year opened | Year abandoned | Year restored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broharris Canal | 2 | 1820 | |||
| Coalisland Canal [28] | 7.2 | 7 | 1787 | 1954 | |
| Dukart's Canal | 3 [5] | 1777 | 1787 | ||
| Lagan Canal | 27 | 27 | 1802 | 1958 | |
| Newry Canal | 21 | 12 | 1742 | 1938 | |
| Shannon–Erne Waterway [29] | 39 | 16 | 1780 | 1948 | 1994 |
| Strabane Canal | 4 | 2 | 1792 | 1962 | |
| Ulster Canal | 46 | 26 | 1842 | 1931 |
| Canal | Length (miles) | Locks | Max boat length (ft) | Width (ft) | Year opened | Year abandoned | Year restored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeenshire Canal | 18 | 18 | 1805 | 1854 | |||
| Buchan Canal | |||||||
| Caledonian Canal | 62 | 29 | 150 | 35 | 1822 | ||
| Carlingwark Lane Canal | 1.5 | 0 | 1765 | 1840 | |||
| Crinan Canal | 9 | 15 | 86.75 | 19.65 | 1817 | ||
| Dingwall Canal | 1.1 | 0 | 1816 | 1840 | |||
| Forth and Clyde Canal | 35 | 38 | 68.58 | 19.75 | 1790 | 1963 | 2002 |
| Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal | 11 | 0 | 1811 | 1881 | |||
| Inchfad Canal | 0.25 | 0 | 19th century | ||||
| Inverarnan Canal | 0.33 | 0 | 1844 | c. 1870 | |||
| Monkland Canal | 12.25 | 18 [30] | 71 | 14 | 1794 | 1942 | |
| Stevenston Canal | 2.25 | 0 | 13 | 1772 | 1830 | ||
| Union Canal [31] | 31.5 | 3 [32] | 63 | 12.5 | 1822 | 1930 | 2000 |
| Canal | Length (miles) | Locks | Max boat length (ft) | Width (ft) | Year opened | Year abandoned | Year restored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdare Canal | 6.75 | 2 | 1812 | 1900 | |||
| Cyfarthfa Canal | 2 | 1770s | 1830s | ||||
| Glamorganshire Canal | 25 | 52 | 1798 | 1898, 1942 | |||
| Glan-y-wern Canal | c. 1.5 | by 1790 | c. 1810 | ||||
| Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal | 18 | 8 [33] | 1768, 1837 | 1865 | |||
| Llangollen Canal | 46.3 | 21 | 70 | 6.83 | 1808 | ||
| Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canal | 35 | 48 | 63 | 9.17 | 1796 | 1962 | 1970 |
| Montgomery Canal | 33 | 24 | 70 | 6.83 | 1821 | 1944 | 1996 (part) |
| Neath and Tennant Canal | 21.5 | 21 | 60 | 9 | 1795, 1824 | 1934 | 1990 (part) |
| Swansea Canal | 16.5 | 36 | 65 | 7.5 | 1798 | 1931 | |
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks from London. The Birmingham line has a number of short branches to places including Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover, and Northampton. The Leicester line has two short arms of its own, to Market Harborough and Welford.
The River Great Ouse is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wash and the North Sea near Kings Lynn. Authorities disagree both on the river's source and its length, with one quoting 160 mi (260 km) and another 143 mi (230 km). Mostly flowing north and east, it is the fifth longest river in the United Kingdom. The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known tributary is the Cam, which runs through Cambridge. Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens and has been extensively modified, or channelised, to relieve flooding and provide a better route for barge traffic. The unmodified river would have changed course regularly after floods.
Waterway restoration is the activity of restoring a canal or river, including special features such as warehouse buildings, locks, boat lifts, and boats.
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of 87 miles (140 km), made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section. From Bristol to Bath the waterway follows the natural course of the River Avon before the canal links it to the River Kennet at Newbury, and from there to Reading on the River Thames. In all, the waterway incorporates 105 locks.
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself that rises and falls.
The canal network of the United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly 4,000 miles in length. The canals allowed raw materials to be transported to a place of manufacture, and finished goods to be transported to consumers, more quickly and cheaply than by a land based route. The canal network was extensive and included feats of civil engineering such as the Anderton Boat Lift, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Worsley Navigable Levels and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in the United Kingdom is again increasing in use, with abandoned and derelict canals being reopened, and the construction of some new routes. Canals in England and Wales are maintained by navigation authorities. The biggest navigation authorities are the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, but other canals are managed by companies, local authorities or charitable trusts.
The Grand Union Canal was a canal in England from Foxton, Leicestershire on the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal to Norton Junction, close to Long Buckby Wharf on the Grand Junction Canal. It now forms the first 23 miles (37 km) of the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal.
Hanham Lock is a canal lock situated on the River Avon, at the village of Hanham near Bristol, England.
Saltford Lock is a canal lock situated on the River Avon, at the village of Saltford, between Bristol and Bath, England.
The London to Portsmouth canal was a concept for the construction of a secure inland canal route from the British capital of London to the headquarters of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth. It would have allowed craft to move between the two without having to venture into the English Channel and possibly encounter enemy ships. There is no naturally navigable route between the two cities, which resulted in several schemes being suggested. The first, which was put before Parliament in 1641, was for a canal to link the River Wey and the River Arun, whose sources were only 2 miles (3.2 km) apart, but the bill was defeated. Improvements to the River Wey were authorised in 1651, and navigation was extended to Godalming in 1763. During the American War of Independence, goods was conveyed to Godalming by water, and overland from there to Portsmouth, but this ceased when the war ended.
The River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation together provide a 20-mile (32 km) continuous navigable route from the River Thames near Weybridge via Guildford to Godalming. Both waterways are in Surrey and are owned by the National Trust. The River Wey Navigation connects to the Basingstoke Canal at West Byfleet, and the Godalming Navigation to the Wey and Arun Canal near Shalford. The navigations consist of both man-made canal cuts and adapted parts of the River Wey.
The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is planned. The project is being organised by the Environment Agency and financed from the Regional Development Agency and the European Union.
The Nicholson Guides are a set of books originally published by Robert Nicholson Publications, then jointly by Bartholomew and the Ordnance Survey, and now by HarperCollins, as guides to the navigable and un-navigable waterways of England and Wales.
The Foxton Inclined Plane Trust is a waterway society and a registered charity on the Grand Union Canal in Foxton, Leicestershire, England, UK. It was founded in 1980 to promote the restoration of the Victorian boat lift or inclined plane, a unique and famous piece of canal history.
Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust is an organisation formed in 1995 to promote a new waterway park, the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park.
The Seven Wonders of the Waterways is a list of landmarks on the navigable waterways of the United Kingdom. The list was originally compiled in 1946 by Robert Aickman, co-founder of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), at a time when the waterways network was largely derelict. Today, the Canal & River Trust—formerly British Waterways—has jurisdiction over all of the sites except for the Barton Swing Aqueduct, which is owned and operated by the Bridgewater Canal Company.
