Arbury Canals facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arbury Canals
Arbury Hall, with the Hall Pool in the foreground
Specifications
Locks	13
Status	defunct
History
Principal engineer	William Bean
Date of first use	1764
Date completed	1795
Date closed	1819 and 1962
Geography
Start point	Seeswood Pool
Connects to	Coventry Canal

The Arbury Canals were a group of private waterways located on the Arbury Estate in Warwickshire, England. They were built between Nuneaton and Bedworth. These canals connected to the larger Coventry Canal.

Sir Roger Newdigate built these canals between 1764 and 1795. They were mostly used for moving coal and other goods around his estate. After Sir Roger passed away in 1806, the canals slowly stopped being used. One part, the Griff Hollows Canal, was separate and carried coal until 1961.

What Were the Arbury Canals Like?

The Arbury Canals had seven different sections, each with its own name. The Griff Hollows Canal was not physically connected to the others. It linked a coal mine at Griff to the Coventry Canal.

About a mile south, the main canal system connected the Coventry Canal to the Arbury Estate. These canals were used to transport coal and other farm products. Both canal systems got their water from Seaswood Pool, located northeast of Astley.

There were also several smaller branches. The Seeswood Canal, for example, connected to Seaswood Pool. Another short branch led to Hall Pool, which was one of the estate's water storage areas.

The entire canal system was about 6 kilometers (6 miles) long. It featured thirteen locks. Each lock was 40 feet long and 6 feet wide. One special feature was the Triple Lock. It had a unique 'Y' shape, allowing boats to enter from two different branches.

History of the Canals

Early Coal Mining

Coal was discovered on the Arbury estate, owned by the Newdigate family, in the early 1700s. Sir Richard Newdigate, the 3rd Baronet, wanted to use these coal resources. He brought in Newcomen atmospheric engines to pump water out of the mines. The first engine was installed in 1716.

Sir Richard also built three "boatways" between 1700 and 1711. These were small canals used to move coal from the mines. His son, Sir Roger Newdigate, later included these into a much larger canal system.

Sir Roger's Canal Building

Sir Roger Newdigate, the 5th Baronet, became the owner of Arbury Hall. He was very interested in canals. He even helped with the Bridgewater Canal project. He began building canals on his estate in 1764. By 1795, there were about 5.5 miles (9 km) of waterways.

William Bean from Derbyshire was the engineer for the project. He was helped by John Morris, a builder from the Arbury estate.

Building the Main Canals

The Communication Canal was built to link a wharf (a loading dock) near a factory to the Coventry Canal. This part was started in 1771 and finished in 1773. It was 1078 yards (986 meters) long and had a stop lock near the Coventry Canal.

This canal eventually connected to the Arbury Lower Canal, also known as the Griff Canal. Most of the Griff Canal was in use by 1771. A new branch was added in 1793 to connect the Griff Canal to a main road. This wharf also had a tramway to bring coal from the mines.

The connection between the two canals was made in 1794. This involved building two sets of locks: one with four locks and another with two. A branch to the wharf crossed over these locks on an aqueduct. This kept the link to the factory open. This canal was 1540 yards (1408 meters) long. It received water from Kenilworth Pool.

The next section was the Coventry Wood Canal, which was ready by 1771. Locks connecting it to the Griff Canal and the Arbury High Level Canal were finished in 1772. This section was 528 yards (483 meters) long.

The Arbury High Level Canal was the oldest part, used for boating as early as 1764. It was connected to the Garden Pool in 1773 by a lock. Boats could reach Hall Pool two years later after two more locks were built. This canal was 2505 yards (2289 meters) long.

Water for the canals first came from a feeder from Seeswood Lake. In 1777, this feeder was made wider so boats could use it. In 1784, another lock was built to access the lake from the canal. The Seeswood Canal ended up being 1980 yards (1810 meters) long.

The final part of the estate canals was the Coton Lawn Canal. It ran for 2112 yards (1931 meters) from the Arbury High Level Canal to a wharf. It was completed in 1795.

Sir Roger also built tramways on his estate. These were like small railways for wagons. One connected mines to an old wharf. Another linked a new wharf to the Griff Hollows wharf. It opened in 1787 but was replaced by a double-track tramway in 1793. These tramways likely stopped working when the canals did.

Decline of the Canals

After Sir Roger Newdigate passed away in 1806, the estate canals were used until 1812. However, they slowly fell out of use. By 1819, the upper parts of the canals could no longer be used by boats. The locks were replaced by weirs (small dams). Only the Communication Canal, which connected directly to the Coventry Canal, remained open for boats.

Today, you can still see some parts of the old canals on the Arbury Estate. Original maps of the system are kept at the Warwickshire County Record Office. Arbury Mill, which used water from the canal, is a historic building. It might have inspired George Eliot's famous book The Mill on the Floss.

The Griff Hollows Canal

The Griff Hollows Canal was separate from the main canal system. It was built to carry coal from the Griff Hollows wharf to the Coventry Canal. Construction began in 1785, and it opened in 1787. It was 1320 yards (1207 meters) long and all on one level.

This canal was used for business until the coal mine closed in 1961. It remained open for boats until 1973, when a new road (the A444) was built across it. You can still see the entrance to the canal today, and it still provides water to the Coventry Canal.

Griff Hollows also inspired George Eliot's "Red Deeps" in The Mill on the Floss. The canal itself probably inspired her "Brown Canal" in her poem Brother and Sister.

The route of the Griff Hollows Canal is now owned by the Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. It has been filled in and acts as a green pathway through an area with houses and businesses. The basin at the far end still has water and is called Bermuda Lake. There are plans to explore if this canal could be brought back into use.

Points of Interest