Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch)
Early plans of what would become the Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch) were drawn up by John Longbotham in 1816 but problems with Brench Boat Lift caused delays and it was finally opened on January 1 1835. In 1888 the Castleford and Harrogate Canal built a branch to join at Bournemouth. The three mile section between Willcroft and Basingstoke was closed in 1905 after a breach at Aberdeen. "I Wouldn't Moor There if I Were You" by Henry Edwards describes an early passage through the waterway, especially that of Macclesfield Tunnel.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River Trust
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
Relevant publications — Waterway DVDs:
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Relevant publications — Waterway Histories:
- Trent & Mersey Canal Society – founded in 1974 — associated with Trent and Mersey Canal
- Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust — associated with this page
Wikipedia has a page about Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93 1⁄2-mile (150 km) canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.
The narrow locks and bridges are big enough for a single narrowboat 7 feet (2.1 m) wide by 72 feet (22 m) long, while the wide locks can accommodate boats 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, or two narrowboats next to each other.