Ketley Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ketley Canal
A small part of the canal in Paddock Mount, Ketley still holds water
Specifications
Locks	1 + 1 inclined plane
Status	mostly destroyed
History
Principal engineer	William Reynolds
Date of act	Privately built
Date of first use	1788
Date closed	1880s
Geography
Connects to	Shropshire Canal

The Ketley Canal was a special kind of waterway called a tub boat canal. It stretched for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) (about 2.4 kilometers) from Oakengates to the Ketley industrial works in Shropshire, England. Built around 1788, this canal was famous for having the very first inclined plane in Britain.

The main things carried on the canal were coal and ironstone (a type of rock used to make iron). The inclined plane stopped being used in 1816 when the Ketley Works closed. However, the upper part of the canal continued to be used until the 1880s. Today, you can still find a few small parts of the canal in the landscape.

What Was the Ketley Canal?

The Ketley Canal was a short but important canal built to move heavy materials like coal and ironstone. It helped connect mines in Oakengates to the ironworks in Ketley. Canals were like highways for boats, making it easier to transport goods before trains and trucks existed.

Who Built the Ketley Canal?

The Ketley Canal was built between 1787 and 1788 by a clever man named William Reynolds. He was born in 1758 in Ketley. His father, Richard Reynolds, was also a famous ironmaker.

William Reynolds learned a lot about making iron and building things. He met many important engineers and thinkers of his time, like James Watt (who improved the steam engine) and Thomas Telford (a famous civil engineer). William Reynolds was known for trying new ideas and was one of the most innovative ironmasters in Shropshire.

Why Was the Canal Built?

William Reynolds and his father started building the Ketley Canal in 1787. Their goal was to easily move ironstone and coal from the mines in Oakengates to their iron foundries (factories) in Ketley. The canal ran west from Oakengates, went through a tunnel, and ended near Ketley Hall. At this point, there was a big drop of 73-foot (22.3 m) (about 22 meters) down to his works.

Britain's First Inclined Plane

Building traditional locks (water elevators for boats) to lower the canal's level was difficult because there wasn't much water available. The canal's water mostly came from underground mine drainage channels. Moving the loads from boats to wagons would also take too much effort.

Since William Reynolds loved new ideas, he decided to build an inclined plane. This was a special ramp that could lower loaded tub boats down the hill.

How Did the Inclined Plane Work?

The inclined plane had two tracks. A boat would enter one of two small locks at the top. The water from the lock was then pumped into a storage area, leaving the boat resting in a special cradle.

The clever part was that a loaded boat going down on one track would help pull an empty or lightly loaded boat up on the other track. Ropes and chains connected the boats to a large winding drum at the top. A special brake controlled the movement, and a steam engine helped pump water back into the canal.

During its construction, between 200 and 300 men worked on the project. The rails on the inclined plane were made of strong cast iron.

Was the Inclined Plane Successful?

Yes, it was very successful! In 1789, William Reynolds wrote to James Watt, saying, "Our Inclined Plane answers my most sanguine expectations... we have already let down more than forty boats per day each carrying 8 tons – in average about thirty boats daily and have not yet had an accident."

Before this, a similar system in Ireland had failed. But Reynolds's inclined plane worked well for 28 years until the Ketley Works closed in 1816.

The Canal's Later Years

After building the Ketley Canal, Reynolds and others went on to build the Shropshire Canal. This new canal connected to the Ketley Canal at the Oakengates end. The Shropshire Canal's water level was 1 foot (0.3 m) (about 0.3 meters) higher than the Ketley Canal, so a lock was built where they joined. The Shropshire Canal also used inclined planes, but Reynolds improved his design for them.

Even though the inclined plane stopped being used by 1818, the Ketley Canal still served a coal wharf (a place where coal was loaded and unloaded) near Ketley Hall in 1842. The canal was finally closed down in the 1880s.

What Remains Today?

Today, not much of the Ketley Canal is left. However, you can still see the path of the inclined plane. There are also some traces of the upper part of the canal where it passed near Ketley Hall.

Images for kids

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  A small part of the canal in Paddock Mount, Ketley still holds water