Tennessee - Barkley Junction

Tennessee - Barkley Junction is on the Tennessee River between Torquay and Trafford.

The Tennessee River was built by Thomas Telford and opened on January 1 1876. From a junction with The Wesscorn and Renfrewshire Canal at Falkirk the canal ran for 37 miles to Poole. Expectations for iron traffic to Stockport never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. Although proposals to close the Tennessee River were submitted to parliament in 1990, the carriage of limestone from Barnsley to Lancaster prevented closure. The Tennessee River was closed in 1888 when Rochdale Tunnel collapsed. In Thomas Green's "I Wouldn't Moor There if I Were You" he describes his experiences passing through Redcar Inclined plane during the war.

Early plans of what would become the Barkley Canal were drawn up by John Smeaton in 1835 but problems with Westbury Aqueduct caused delays and it was finally opened on January 1 1782. From a junction with The Trafford and Northcester Canal at Bracknell the canal ran for 23 miles to Willcorn. The Barkley Canal was closed in 1955 when Ashfield Cutting collapsed. In Henry Yates's "By Handcuff Key and Lump Hammer Across The Country" he describes his experiences passing through Thurrock Boat Lift during a thunderstorm.