Shropshire Union Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal near Norbury Junction
Specifications
Status	Open and navigable
Navigation authority	Canal and River Trust
Geography
Branch(es)	Middlewich Branch (open) Shrewsbury and Newport Canal (disused)
Connects to	Llangollen Canal

The Shropshire Union Canal, often called the "Shroppie", is a waterway in England. It's a special type of river built by people, called a canal. The Llangollen Canal and Montgomery Canal are also part of this system. Some parts of these canals even go into Wales.

This canal runs through the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, and Cheshire. It connects the canals of the West Midlands at Wolverhampton to the River Mersey. It also links to the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port. This journey is about 66 miles (106 km) long.

The main part of the Shropshire Union Canal goes from Ellesmere Port to Autherley Junction in Wolverhampton. It also connects to other important canals. These include the Llangollen Canal and the Middlewich Branch. The Middlewich Branch links to the Trent and Mersey Canal. The canal also connects to the River Dee in Chester. Because it links to the Trent and Mersey Canal in two places, the "Shroppie" is part of a popular holiday route. This route is called the Four Counties Ring.

The Shropshire Union main line was one of the last big narrow canals built in England. It was finished in 1835. This canal was the final major project by the famous engineer Thomas Telford.

The name "Shropshire Union" came from several canal companies joining together. These included the Ellesmere Canal and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal. They all combined to form the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. The main part of the canal, between Nantwich and Autherley Junction, was almost built as a railway. But in the end, they decided to build it as a waterway instead.

Exploring the Canal's Path

The Shropshire Union Canal takes you on an interesting journey. Let's explore its different sections.

Journeying Through the Wirral

The canal starts at Ellesmere Port by the River Mersey. It crosses the Wirral Peninsula to reach Chester. This part was finished in 1797. It was originally planned to be part of the Ellesmere Canal. This bigger project aimed to connect the Port of Liverpool to the River Severn at Shrewsbury. It would have also reached the coalfields in North East Wales.

However, the full plan for the Ellesmere Canal was never completed. The section from Chester to Trevor Basin was not built. Instead, the northern Wirral section joined the older Chester Canal. This became part of the Shropshire Union network.

Even though the Ellesmere Canal wasn't fully built, some of its central parts were. These sections are now part of the Llangollen Canal and the Montgomery Canal. Today, these are seen as separate canals, but they are still branches of the Shropshire Union system.

Discovering the Chester Canal Section

In Chester, the Shropshire Union Canal follows the path of the old Chester Canal. This canal was built in 1772 to connect Chester and Nantwich. The canal goes right next to Chester's old city walls. It passes through a deep cut in red sandstone. After Chester, there are only a few locks. This is because the canal crosses the flat Chester Plain. It goes past Beeston Castle and the junctions at Barbridge and Hurleston. Finally, it reaches Nantwich basin, which was the original end of the Chester Canal.

Two important junctions are found on this part of the canal:

• At Barbridge, the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union goes northeast. It leads to Middlewich on the Trent and Mersey Canal. This was originally meant to be the main line of the Chester Canal.
• At Hurleston, the old Ellesmere Canal from Llangollen and Montgomery connects. This link was made when it was clear the planned main line from Trevor to Chester would not be built. This canal eventually joined the Chester Canal. It became the Llangollen Branch of the Shropshire Union. Today, these waters are known as the Llangollen Canal and the Montgomery Canal.

The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal

The way the canal turns sharply between Nantwich basin and the next part shows it's a newer section. This part was originally the narrow Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal. It was built to connect Nantwich to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near Wolverhampton. An important lost link was at Norbury Junction. From here, a branch used to run southwest through Newport. It connected to the Shrewsbury Canal.

After Nantwich basin, a long, curving embankment carries the canal over the main A534 road. Then, the canal climbs out of the flat Cheshire Plain. It does this using a series of 15 locks at Audlem. The canal then goes through the eastern edge of Market Drayton in Shropshire. Further south, there are long embankments near Knighton in Staffordshire. You can also see an aqueduct south of Norbury Junction. There are deep cuttings at Loynton, Grub Street, and Woodseaves.

The canal then continues along the Shelmore Embankment, which is about 1 mile (1.6 km) long. This part was difficult to build because the ground kept slipping. It was the last section of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal to open. The long embankment has special flood gates at both ends. These gates stop water from escaping if the canal bank breaks. During World War II, these gates were closed at night. This was a safety measure against bomb damage.

At Gnosall, the canal enters the Cowley Tunnel. This tunnel is 81 yards (74 m) long. The original plan was for a much longer tunnel. But after the first rocky part, the ground became unstable. So, the rest of the tunnel was dug out to form the narrow, steep-sided Cowley Cutting you see today.

At Wheaton Aston, the canal goes through its last lock to reach the highest point. This section is fed by the Belvide Reservoir. North of the reservoir, the canal crosses over the A5 road at Stretton Aqueduct.

The Shropshire Union Canal ends at Autherley Junction. Here, it meets the Staffs and Worcester Canal. Just before the junction, there is a very shallow stop lock. This lock was built to prevent water from flowing from the Shropshire Union Canal into the older Staffs and Worcester Canal. What's interesting is that the Shropshire Union's highest level was designed to be a few inches lower than the older canal. This means the newer canal actually gains a small amount of water each time the lock is used.

Connecting to Other Waterways

The link with the Staffs and Worcester Canal gives boaters many choices for their journey:

• Going north, the Staffs and Worcester Canal meets the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood. From there, you can travel east to the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union Canal or north towards Manchester.
• Going south, Aldersley Junction is only a mile away. This connects to the Birmingham Canal Navigations (a large network of canals near Birmingham). From there, you can reach the Grand Union Canal and London.
• Beyond Aldersley, the Staffs and Worcester Canal is a very popular route. It goes down to the River Severn at Stourport.

How the "Shropshire Union" Company Started

The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company was created in 1846. Before that, the Ellesmere and Chester canals had joined together in 1813. The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was then added to the Ellesmere and Chester Company in 1845. A new law in 1846 changed the company's name to the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. This law also allowed them to buy the Shrewsbury Canal and other canals in east Shropshire. These canals linked Telford to the River Severn.

Then, in 1847, a railway company called the London and North Western Railway Company took over the Shropshire Union. After this, the Shrewsbury Canal and the branch from Norbury Junction were not used as much and began to decline.

Canal Bank Failure in 1945

On September 7, 1945, a part of the canal bank on the Llangollen branch broke. This happened near Sun Bank Halt in Denbighshire. Water rushed out and washed away a 40-yard (37 m) section of the nearby railway track. A mail and freight train from the Great Western Railway went off the tracks. Sadly, one person died, and two others were hurt. The train caught fire and was completely destroyed, except for one brake van.

Bringing the Canal Back to Life

To encourage people to use and help fix parts of the Shropshire Union Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal Society was formed. Today, their main work is on restoring the Montgomery Canal. This canal is slowly being brought back to life in Wales.

In Chester, the canal is supported by the Chester Canal Heritage Trust.

Images for kids

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  Canal boats on the Chester Canal near Beeston

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  The A5 aqueduct, a bridge for the canal

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  Betton Mill on the Shropshire Union Canal at Market Drayton

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  A well-known bridge with a tiny telegraph pole

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  Where the Manchester Ship Canal meets the Shropshire Union Canal at Ellesmere Port