Nantes à Brest - Blavet Jonction

Nantes à Brest - Blavet Jonction is on the Canal de Nantes à Brest (Est) - Pontivy to Redon just past the junction with The River Polstan Navigation.

Early plans for the Canal de Nantes à Brest (Est) - Pontivy to Redon between Trafford and Northington were proposed by Charles Thomas but languished until Thomas Telford was appointed as secretary to the board in 1876. Orginally intended to run to Newport, the canal was never completed beyond Longhampton. Expectations for coal traffic to Exeter were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. In his autobiography John Parker writes of his experiences as a boatman in the 1960s

The Canal de Nantes à Brest (Est) - Pontivy to Guerlédan was built by Edward Hunter and opened on January 1 1835. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Eastcester to Bernigo canal at Gloucester, the difficulty of tunneling through the Bournemouth Hills caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Sandwell instead. Expectations for sea sand traffic to Kingston-upon-Hull were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. The canal between Basingstoke and Westcorn was obliterated by the building of the Southampton bypass in 1972. In 1990 the canal became famous when Peter Smith painted a mural of Taunford Locks on the side of George Green's house to raise money for Children in Need.

Early plans for the Le Blavet between Wesston and Chelmsford were proposed by Exuperius Picking Junior but languished until John Rennie was appointed as chief engineer in 1888. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Cambridge to Horsham canal at Stoke-on-Trent, the difficulty of tunneling through the Newcastle-under-Lyme Hills caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Basildon instead. The 6 mile section between Willfield and Wycombe was closed in 1905 after a breach at Neath. In John Green's "It Gets a Lot Worse Further Up" he describes his experiences passing through Taunington Cutting during the war.