Shropshire Union Canal (Middlewich Branch)

The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is 7 feet and 8 inches. The maximum draught is 3 feet and 9 inches.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 32M - Shropshire Union Canal Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 84M - Four Counties Ring Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Shropshire Union Canal, including the Middlewich Branch
Relevant publications — Waterway DVDs:
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Barbridge Junction Junction with Shropshire Union - Middlewich Branch |
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Roving Bridge No 1 (Middlewich Branch) | a few yards | 0 locks | |
Barbridge Marina Home of Midway Boats |
½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Rutters Bridge No 2 | 2½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Sandholes Bridge No 3 | 5¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Benyon's Bridge No 4 | 1 mile | 0 locks | |
Crossbanks Farm Winding Hole | 1 mile and 1 furlong | 0 locks | |
Cholmondeston Visitor Moorings 48 hour moorings (towpath side) |
1 mile and 2¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Cholmondeston Lock No 1 | 1 mile and 3 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Cholmondeston Lock Bridge No 5 Pronounced Churmston |
1 mile and 3¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Venetian Marina | 1 mile and 3¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Cholmondeston Railway Bridge No 5A | 1 mile and 4½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Cholmondeston Hall Winding Hole | 2 miles and ¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Sykes Hollow Leisure Area 48 hour moorings |
2 miles and ¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Brickyard Bridge No 6 Egerton's Bridge |
2 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Jacksons Bridge No 7 | 2 miles and 5½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Minshull Lock No 2 | 2 miles and 6½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
1942 Line Pipe Bridge Decommissioned 18 inch main that carried bore hole water to Crewe - constructed in 1942. The main now runs under the canal in duplicated form one hundred meters further east. |
3 miles | 2 locks | |
Nanneys Bridge No 8 | 3 miles | 2 locks | |
Aqueduct Marina | 3 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Vernon's Bridge Narrows No 9 Site of demolished bridge |
3 miles and 2 furlongs | 2 locks | |
Weaver Aqueduct Visitor Moorings 48 hour moorings |
3 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
River Weaver Aqueduct No 10A | 3 miles and 4½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Prescott Bridge Narrows No 10 Site of demolished bridge |
3 miles and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Hoolgrave Bridge No 11 Providing pedestrian access to Church Minshull village centre to the north and Eardswick Lane to the south. |
4 miles and 1¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Eardswick Bridge No 12 | 4 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Eardswick Visitor Moorings | 4 miles and 4 furlongs | 2 locks | |
Eardswick Hall Bridge No 13 Providing footpath access to Church Minshull village to the north and Eardswick Lane to the south. |
4 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Church Minshull Visitor Moorings | 4 miles and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
The Badger Inn In Church Minshull village, a quarter of a mile west by road from Br 14. |
4 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Minshullhill Bridge No 14 Church Minshull village a quarter of a mile west. |
4 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Minshull Wharf Now a private house |
4 miles and 7½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Distinctive Designs Gift Shop | 5 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Morris Bridge No 15 | 5 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Hollingshead Bridge No 16 | 5 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Polstead Wood Winding Hole | 5 miles and 6¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Bridge No 17 Narrows Site of demolished bridge |
5 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Weaver's Bank Bridge No 18 | 6 miles and 1½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Weaverbank Stables Stable block for canal horses, now converted into a private residence. |
6 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Stockhouse Bridge No 19 | 6 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Twelve Acres Bridge No 20 | 6 miles and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Wimboldsley Bridge No 21 | 7 miles and ¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Clive Green Visitor Moorings (west) 48 hour moorings |
7 miles and 3 furlongs | 2 locks | |
Lea Hall Bridge No 22 | 7 miles and 4¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
West Coast Mainline Railway Bridge No 22A | 7 miles and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
West Coast Mainline Railway Bridge No 22B | 7 miles and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Cartwright Bridge No 23 | 7 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Clive Green Visitor Moorings (east) 48 hour moorings |
8 miles and ¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Clive Green Bridge No 24 | 8 miles and 2 furlongs | 2 locks | |
Hughes Bridge No 25 | 8 miles and 3¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Stanthorne Visitor Moorings 48 hour moorings |
8 miles and 6¾ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Normans Bridge No 26 | 8 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Stanthorne Lock No 3 Stanthorne Bridge No 27 |
9 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Stanthorne Lock Farm Bridge No 27 | 9 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 3 locks | |
River Wheelock Aqueduct | 9 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Aqueduct over the A530 | 9 miles and 3¾ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Flea Lane Bridge No 28 | 9 miles and 5¼ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Long Lane Bridge No 29 | 9 miles and 6 furlongs | 3 locks | |
Middlewich Visitor Moorings (Middlewich Branch) The VMs start east of [Flea Lane Bridge No 28] and continue east, in three lengths (between the bridges) up to west of [St Annes Bridge No 31]. |
9 miles and 6½ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Ettens Bridge No 30 | 9 miles and 7 furlongs | 3 locks | |
St Annes Bridge No 31 | 9 miles and 7½ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Wardle Lock No 4 Junction of Trent and Mersey Canal, Wardle Lock Branch and Shropshire Union Canal, Middlewich Branch |
10 miles | 3 locks |
- The Badger Inn Church Minshull — associated with The Badger Inn
- Public House
- Aqueduct Marina — associated with Aqueduct Marina
Wikipedia has a page about Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales.
The canal lies in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire in the north-west English Midlands. It links the canal system of the West Midlands, at Wolverhampton, with the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, 66 miles (106 km) distant.
The "SU main line" runs southeast from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley Junction in Wolverhampton. Other links are to the Llangollen Canal (at Hurleston Junction), the Middlewich Branch (at Barbridge Junction), which itself connects via the Wardle Canal with the Trent and Mersey Canal, and the River Dee (in Chester). With two connections to the Trent and Mersey (via the Middlewich Branch and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal) the SU is part of an important circular and rural holiday route called the Four Counties Ring.
The SU main line was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford.
The name "Shropshire Union" comes from the amalgamation of the various component companies (Ellesmere Canal, Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, Montgomeryshire Canal) that came together to form the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. The main line between Nantwich and Autherley Junction was almost built as a railway although eventually it was decided to construct it as a waterway.