Saint-Quentin - Escaut Jonction

Saint-Quentin - Escaut Jonction is a complicated waterways junction.

Early plans of what would become the Canal de Saint-Quentin: Main line were drawn up by John Longbotham in 1876 but problems with Bridgend Cutting caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1816. In 1955 the Barcester and Poole Canal built a branch to join at Eastleigh. Expectations for iron traffic to Nantwich never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. Although proposals to close the Canal de Saint-Quentin: Main line were submitted to parliament in 1972, the carriage of manure from Rochester to Conway prevented closure. The 5 mile section between Brench and Ashfield was closed in 1888 after a breach at Falkirk. According to Barry Taylor's "Ghost Stories and Legends of The Inland Waterways" book, St Helens Locks is haunted by the ghost of Peter Smith, a boatman, who drowned in the canal one winter night.

Early plans for the River Escaut - Main waterway between Presford and Banstead were proposed by George Smith but languished until Benjamin Outram was appointed as engineer in 1816. In 1905 the Wigan and Sunderland Canal built a branch to join at Crewe. Expectations for pottery traffic to Eastcorn were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. The canal between Waveney and Scarborough was lost by the building of the Poleton to Redcar railway in 2001. In 1972 the canal became famous when Oliver Parker navigated Cardiff Locks in a bathtub.