National Waterways Museum facts for kids
National Waterways Museum
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| Former name | National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port The Boat Museum North West Museum of Inland Navigation |
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| Established | 1970s |
| Location | Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England |
| Owner | The Canal & River Trust |
The National Waterways Museum (NWM) is a cool place to learn about boats and canals. It's a transport museum located in Ellesmere Port, in Cheshire, England. This museum tells the story of Britain's amazing network of rivers and canals where boats can travel.
The museum sits right where the Shropshire Union Canal meets the huge Manchester Ship Canal. Here, you can explore old canal boats, see traditional clothing, and admire beautifully painted canal art. The NWM is one of several museums managed by the Canal & River Trust. This trust looks after many of Britain's waterways.
Contents
The Museum's Story
Building a Port for Boats
The museum is built on what used to be a busy port called Netherpool. Famous engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessop designed this port. It was part of a big plan for the Ellesmere Canal. This canal was meant to carry goods between the Mersey and Severn rivers.
The historic buildings you see at the NWM are all that's left of this old port. Goods were moved from smaller canal boats onto bigger river boats here. These river boats then sailed to the docks in Liverpool. The northern part of the Ellesmere Canal opened in 1797. It connected Netherpool port to the Chester Canal.
However, building the canal was very expensive. By 1805, work had stopped because there wasn't enough money. The plans for the rest of the canal were given up.
A Busy Hub for Canals
For the next 40 years, the port served boats using the Chester Canal. In 1845, a company called the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company took over. They combined several canals, including parts of the Ellesmere Canal, into the Shropshire Union Canal. The port at Netherpool kept working until it finally closed in the 1950s.
From Port to Museum
In the 1970s, the old port became a museum. It was first called the North West Museum of Inland Navigation. Later, it was known as The Boat Museum. Until 2012, it was called the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port.
In the 1990s, The Waterways Trust started managing the museum. They received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This funding helped create new exhibits and make the museum better for visitors. In 2012, The Waterways Trust joined the new Canal & River Trust.
The name "National Waterways Museum" used to include two other museum sites. These are now called the Gloucester Waterways Museum and The Canal Museum in Stoke Bruerne.
Keeping History Alive
The NWM has a special collection of items. These items are important for understanding Britain's waterways. Sometimes, it's hard to find enough money to look after all the old boats. But a new project has helped a lot. This project created a heritage boatyard. It trains young people in old skills that might otherwise be forgotten. This helps keep the historic boats in good shape.
What You Can See and Do
The NWM has saved all the important parts of the original industrial port. Over the last 40 years, the historic site has been brought back to life.
- Locks and Docks: You can see the old locks and docks. These were used to move boats and goods.
- Warehouses: There are old warehouses, like the Island Warehouse built in 1871. It stored grain and now has exhibits about boat-building and canal life.
- Engine Room: The Pump House has steam engines. These engines powered the cranes and capstans around the dock.
- Blacksmith's Forge: See where ironwork for canals and boats was made. A real blacksmith still works there sometimes!
- Stables: The old stables where horses and pigs lived are still there.
- Porter's Row: These four cottages show how dock workers lived from the 1840s to the 1950s.
- Historic Boats: The museum has a large collection of old boats.
- Boat Trips: You can even take short boat trips along the Shropshire Union Canal!
The locks, a lighthouse, and a lock keeper's hut at the museum are all special historic buildings. They are protected by English Heritage.
On Television
The National Waterways Museum has been featured on TV shows.
- In 2010, it was on Richard Macer's BBC Four series Behind the Scenes at the Museum.
- In 2020, it was the starting point for Robbie Cumming's Canal Boat Diaries on BBC One. The episode showed a journey from the museum to Audlem.
- In 2025, the museum appeared in the Channel 4 show Narrow Escapes. This show looks at people living and working on the UK's canals. The museum's part explored how historic canal boats are saved and cared for.
See also
- Gloucester Waterways Museum
- The Canal Museum
- London Canal Museum
- J. H. Taylor & Sons
- The Daniel Adamson
