Stainforth and Keadby Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stainforth and Keadby Canal
Godnow Swing Bridge with level crossing control box
Specifications
Maximum boat length	61 ft 8 in (18.80 m)
Maximum boat beam	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Locks	3
Status	Operational
Navigation authority	Canal & River Trust
History
Original owner	Stainforth and Keadby Canal Navigation Co
Principal engineer	John Thompson, Daniel Servant
Date of act	1793
Date of first use	1802
Geography
Start point	Bramwith
End point	Keadby
Connects to	River Don Navigation, River Trent

The Stainforth and Keadby Canal is a waterway in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England. It connects the River Don Navigation at Bramwith to the River Trent at Keadby. The canal passes through towns like Stainforth, Thorne, and Ealand. It first opened in 1802. Over time, different railway companies and navigation groups managed the canal. It became part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation in 1895. There were plans to make it bigger for larger boats. However, a new canal, the New Junction Canal, opened in 1905. This made the upgrades less important, as the port of Goole was already busy and easy to reach.

The canal was also a busy place for building boats. From 1858 to 1984, Richard Dunston had a boatyard in Thorne. His company was known for new ways of building boats, like using welding instead of rivets. They also created special tugs. The size of boats built was limited by Keadby Lock. Sometimes, very long ships could pass through the lock only when the river and canal levels were the same. This allowed both sets of lock gates to open at once. Once, a huge ship was built that was too wide for the lock. The company had to build a temporary dam across the canal to prevent flooding or draining.

The canal goes through mostly countryside. Much of this land needs special drainage. The canal is often next to two drains, the North Soak Drain and the South Soak Drain. These were built because the canal changed the natural water flow. Thorne Moors are to the north, and Hatfield Chase is to the south. Until 1966, the Axholme Joint Railway crossed the canal at Ealand. The railway swing bridge stayed open for a few years after the railway closed. This was so heavy parts from Keadby Power Station could be moved for repairs. No road bridges nearby could hold such a heavy weight.

Building the Canal: A Look Back

The River Don flows through cities like Sheffield and Doncaster. Long ago, it split into two paths below Stainforth. One path went to the River Trent, and the other went north to the River Aire. A Dutch engineer named Cornelius Vermuyden worked to drain Hatfield Chase. After his work, the path to the River Trent was closed. The path to the River Aire was made better for all the water. But this didn't work perfectly. There was bad flooding and even riots near some towns. So, a new path was dug from Newbridge to the River Ouse near what is now Goole. The old path of the Don slowly filled up with mud.

Boats could travel on the Don better after new cuts and locks were built. The lowest lock was at Stainforth. From there to the Ouse, boats used the Dutch River. This was an artificial drain built by Vermuyden. It was dangerous because the water flowed fast, the tides changed, and it was sometimes too shallow.

Why the Canal Was Needed

People first thought about connecting the Don to the Trent again in 1763. James Brindley, a famous engineer, helped survey a route for a canal. In 1772, John Thompson, the Don Navigation's engineer, surveyed another route. This plan was for a canal from Stainforth to Althorpe on the River Trent. It would have three locks and cost about £14,614. An agreement was made, but nothing happened.

The idea came back in 1792. By then, the cost had gone up to £24,200. In 1793, a special law called an Act of Parliament was passed. This allowed the Stainforth and Keadby Canal Navigation Company to raise money. They could get £24,200 by selling shares, and another £12,000 if needed. Work on the canal started at the Keadby end in late 1793. Another law in 1798 let the company raise even more money. The canal officially opened in early 1802.

Canal Locks and Boat Sizes

The canal had a lock at Thorne and another where it met the River Trent at Keadby. The Keadby lock was special because it had four sets of gates. This meant it could be used whether the river was higher or lower than the canal. It could fit boats called "keels" that were up to 81 feet (24.7 m) long and 22.5 feet (6.9 m) wide. These boats could carry up to 200 tons of goods.

Boatbuilding on the Canal

Many boats were built next to the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. Richard Dunston opened a boatyard at Thorne in 1858. It was on the north bank, just below the lock. Before this, he had a boatyard at Torksey. At first, he built sailing barges with overlapping wooden planks, called "clinker-built." These could carry up to 80 tons. The boatyard made most of its own parts. They used local wood and cut it by hand. They even had a "ropewalk" to make ropes for boats and other local businesses.

Over time, boats with smooth hulls, called "carvel-built," became more popular. Boat sizes also became more standard. There were "Sheffield-sized" keels and larger sloops. In 1910, Richard's grandson took over the yard. He changed it to build ships from iron and steel. After that, only one more wooden boat was ever built there.

Building Bigger Boats

One challenge for the boatyard was that the size of boats they could build was limited by the locks on either side of the yard. Sheffield-sized boats were about 61.5 feet (18.7 m) long and 15.5 feet (4.7 m) wide. They could leave the yard through Thorne Lock to the Don Navigation, or go to Keadby and enter the Trent. Larger sloops could only use the Keadby route. Before the 1940s, the biggest boats built at Thorne were tugs, small cargo ships, and barges.

In 1933, the yard started trying out welding instead of rivets to join metal parts. Their first fully welded steam tugs were built for the British Navy in 1942. They continued to invent new ways for tugs to move in the 1960s. By the late 1970s, they had built many tugs with special steering and propulsion systems. With another yard in Hessle, they became one of the biggest private shipbuilders in Britain.

The Empire Laird and Wartime Production

The Empire Laird was a very large ship built at Thorne in 1943. It was a diesel-powered coal ship, 140 feet (42.7 m) long and 21.5 feet (6.6 m) wide. It was built for the Navy to deliver coal to power stations. Keadby Lock was much shorter than this ship. So, the ship could only pass through when the river and canal levels were the same. This allowed both sets of lock gates to open at once.

However, the canal company worried that the ship might get stuck in the lock because it was so wide. This could cause flooding at high tide or drain the canal at low tide. So, Dunston's had to build a temporary dam across the canal beyond the lock. Once the ship passed safely, the dam was removed.

During the Second World War, Dunston's also designed and built special tugs called TID (Tugs in Dock). These tugs were made from eight pre-built sections. Other companies, not usually involved in shipbuilding, made these sections. The sections were light and small enough to be delivered by truck to the yard. There, welders, many of whom were women, joined them together and added steam engines. The first TID tug was finished in February 1943. For over a year, a new tug left the yard every five days!

End of an Era

In the early 1980s, about 80 workers were still building boats at Thorne. Between 1932 and 1984, a total of 1,358 vessels were built there. The boatyard completely closed in 1987 and was cleared by 1993. Now, houses stand where the boatyard once was. Some street names, like Capstan Rope Way and Dunstan Drive, remember the area's shipbuilding past.

Exploring the Canal's Route

The Stainforth and Keadby Canal runs mostly straight from west to east. It is about 14.9 miles (24 km) long. It starts at Bramwith Junction, where it meets the New Junction Canal and the River Don Navigation. It ends at Keadby Lock, where it joins the River Trent. There is a lock at each end and one in the middle at Thorne. The Thorne lock is smaller than the other two. The biggest boats that can use the entire canal are 61.7 feet (18.8 m) long and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide. Boats can be up to 7.25 feet (2.2 m) deep, and bridges have a height limit of 10.9 feet (3.3 m).

The New Junction Canal and the Stainforth and Keadby Canal both start near the end of the River Don Navigation. They both head northeast. The New Junction Canal stays straight, but the Stainforth and Keadby Canal slowly turns east. Soon after the start, Bramwith Lock lowers the canal's water level. The River Don flows under the New Junction Canal and then runs close to the north bank of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal for several miles.

Bramwith Swing Bridge is the first of many swing bridges. Most of these bridges are operated by boaters themselves. The small village of Kirk Bramwith is just north of the canal and river. Its church, St Mary, is very old, with parts from the 12th to 15th centuries. South Bramwith is to the south, with Bramwith Hall, a large 18th-century country house. The canal passes north of Stainforth. Here, there is a fixed bridge and a basin used for boat moorings. This first part of the canal is now considered part of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, but it was originally part of the Don Navigation.

Along the Canal's Path

After a large pipe bridge, the canal gets wider. This was once a loading area where coal from Hatfield Main Colliery was put onto barges. A railway, now gone, connected the mine to this spot. About 1 mile (1.6 km) from Stainforth, the River Don turns north, but the canal keeps going east. It passes under the M18 motorway. As it gets close to Thorne, it goes under the Sheffield to Hull Railway near Thorne North railway station.

Right after the railway bridge is Stanilands Marina. Then comes Thorne Lock, with a swing bridge at its start. The canal briefly turns south to go under the A614 road and another railway line near Thorne South railway station. This railway stays close to the north bank for most of the way to Keadby. There is another marina near Wykewell Lift Bridge. After Moor's Swing Bridge, the canal goes through open countryside.

The land next to the canal is very flat and low. You can see signs of old "strip farming" here. Farms had long, thin strips of land, about 1 acre (0.4 ha) each. The land is crossed by many drainage ditches. To the north are the drains of Thorne Moors. To the south, drains include Boating Dyke, which was used to move peat in the 17th and 18th centuries. The old peat canals were mostly destroyed when the Stainforth and Keadby Canal was built in 1802. Boating Dyke now flows into the North Engine Drain, which crosses Hatfield Chase and empties into the River Trent at Keadby.

After Maud's Swing Bridge, there is a long straight section with the railway on the north bank. The North Soak Drain and South Soak Drain run along both sides of the canal. They were built because the canal changed the natural drainage of the area. Near Crook o'Moor Swing Bridge was Medge Hall peat works. This factory sent peat from the moors by railway until it closed in 1966.

Vazon Swing Bridge, which crosses the canal near the sliding railway bridge. The gas-fired power station is on the right.

Just before Godnow Swing Bridge, the northern soak drain crosses to the north side of the railway. As the canal nears Ealand, there are large lakes to the north, now used for sailing. Crowle Bridge carries the A161 road over the railway and the canal. Crowle railway station is between the canal and the North Soak Drain. A bit further east are the remains of Crowle railway bridge. This bridge carried the Axholme Joint Railway over the canal. It had four brick arches and a central swinging part for boats to pass.

The railway bridge stayed even after the railway closed in 1966. This was because heavy parts called "stators" from Keadby Power Station were too heavy for the A161 road bridge. The stators were driven to Ealand, put on the railway, crossed the bridge to Belton, and then put back on a road vehicle. This process was no longer needed when Lindsey County Council rebuilt the A161 bridge in 1970. The old railway bridge was taken down in 1972.

The End of the Journey

On the edge of Keadby, there are two more bridges. Vazon Swing Bridge is a normal swing bridge. But the railway crosses to the south side of the canal on a special sliding bridge. The bridge deck is only about 2 feet (0.6 m) above the water. When boats need to pass, the deck is pulled sideways. It moves out of the way because it crosses the canal at an angle. This bridge was built in 1925–26 and rebuilt in 2004. A signal box nearby controls it. Beyond this bridge, Keadby gas-fired power station is on the north bank.

The very last bridge is Keadby Swing Bridge, at the start of Keadby Lock. This lock controls boats going into the River Trent, which has tides here. So, it has four sets of gates. The main part of the lock is from when the canal first opened. Its gates and sills were replaced in 1932. There are docks on the river for larger ships. Keadby pumping station is just to the south. It was built in the 1930s to pump water from Hatfield Chase into the Trent. Since 1945, it has also handled water from the North and South Soak Drains. When the South Yorkshire Railway opened its line along the canal in 1859, it ended near the lock. But it was later moved south to cross the Trent on Keadby Bridge in 1864.

Points of Interest