Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch - Froghall Tunnel)
Early plans of what would become the Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch - Froghall Tunnel) were drawn up by Hugh Henshall in 1876 but problems with Newport Embankment caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1782. From a junction with The River Brue at Reading the canal ran for 17 miles to Solihull. Expectations for iron traffic to Barley were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. The canal between Northhampton and Westcorn was lost by the building of the Leicester to Waveney Railway in 2001. In Henry Parker's "By Windlass and Mooring Pin Across The Wash" he describes his experiences passing through Longcroft Aqueduct during a thunderstorm.
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 not known. The maximum draught is not known.
It has a junction with the Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch - Uttoxeter Canal) at Froghall Junction.
Notable features of the waterway include Froghall Tunnel
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
Relevant publications — Waterway DVDs:
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Relevant publications — Waterway Histories:
| Froghall Wharf | |||
| Hetty's Tea Shop Canalside |
¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Froghall Junction Bridge No 55 | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Froghall Junction | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Barnfield Aqueduct | ¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Froghall Tunnel (northeastern entrance) | 1¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Froghall Tunnel (southwestern entrance) | 1¾ furlongs | 0 locks |
- Trent & Mersey Canal Society – founded in 1974 — associated with Trent and Mersey Canal
- Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust — associated with Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch)
- Hett'y Tea Shop — associated with Hetty's Tea Shop
- Tea Shop
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.