Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Main Line)

The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 13 feet and 6 inches wide. The maximum headroom is 11 feet and 1 inch. The maximum draught is 4 feet and 10 inches.
It has junctions with the Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Ellesmere Port Ship Route) at Ellesmere Port Lower Basin and with the Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Ellesmere Port Basin Link) at Ellesmere Port Upper Basin.
Notable features of the waterway include Bache Brooke Embankment and Whitby Locks
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Travels:
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 32M - Shropshire Union Canal Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Shropshire Union Canal, including the Middlewich Branch
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
River Dee Branch Junction Junction with the Shropshire Union (Chester Canal) and the River Dee Branch |
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Taylor's Boatyard | a few yards | 0 locks | |
C&RT Services (Chester) | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Cambrian Road Bridge No 126E | ¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stone Bridge No 128 | 1¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Blacon Aqueduct | 4¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Deva Aqueduct | 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Former Railway Bridge No 128A The former railway is now a cycle path. |
5¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Blacon Avenue Bridge No 129 | 6¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Mollington Bridge No 130 | 1 mile and 2¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Knolls Bridge No 131 | 1 mile and 5¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Mollington Visitor Moorings Access to golf club walks. |
1 mile and 7½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Railway Bridge No 132 | 2 miles and 4 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Backford Bridge No 133 | 3 miles and ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Backford Bridge Winding Hole | 3 miles and ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Site of Caughall Pipe Bridge | 3 miles and 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Caughall Bridge No 134 | 3 miles and 7 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Caughall Visitor Moorings (Chester Zoo) | 3 miles and 7½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Wervin New Hall Pipe Bridges | 4 miles and 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Craughton Wharf Boatyard / private moorings plus possible winding |
4 miles and 5¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Craughton Bridge No 135 | 4 miles and 6¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
M53 Motorway No 135A (Craughton) | 4 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
M56 Motorway No 135B (Craughton) | 5 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stoak Minor Bridge No 136 | 5 miles and 1¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Picton Lane Bridge No 136A | 5 miles and 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stoak Bridge No 137 | 5 miles and 3 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Dension's Bridge No 138 | 5 miles and 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Meadow Lane Bridge No 139 | 5 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Mason's Bridge No 140 | 6 miles and ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanney Pipe Bridges Three pipe bridges in quick succession - oh! joy |
6 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
New Stanney Bridge No 140A | 6 miles and 2½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
New Stanney Pipe Bridge | 6 miles and 2½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanney Mill Bridge Visitor Moorings | 6 miles and 3 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanney Mill Bridge Winding Hole | 6 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanney Mill Bridge Pipe Bridge | 6 miles and 3½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanney Mill Bridge No 141 With accompanying pipe bridge |
6 miles and 3½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Newbridge Road Bridge No 141A (Little Stanney) | 6 miles and 6½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Weavers Bridge No 142 | 6 miles and 7 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Weavers Bridge Visitor Moorings 48 hour moorings. Access to Coliseum Leisure Park. |
7 miles | 0 locks | |
Bewley's Pipe Bridge (south) | 7 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Bewley's Bridge No 144 | 7 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Bewley's Pipe Bridge (north) | 7 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanlow Pipe Bridge | 7 miles and 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
M53 Motorway (Stanlow) | 7 miles and 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanlow Bridge No 145 | 7 miles and 5 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanlow Winding Hole | 7 miles and 6 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Stanlow Works Access Bridge | 7 miles and 6¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Railway Bridge No 145A | 7 miles and 6½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Pickering's Bridge No 146 | 7 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
M53 Motorway and Slip-road Bridges No 146A (Ellesmere Port) | 8 miles and ½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Visitor Moorings | 8 miles and 1 furlong | 0 locks | |
Powell's Bridge No 147 | 8 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Oil Sites Road Bridge No 147A | 8 miles and 1¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Boat Museum Visitor Moorings 48 hour moorings |
8 miles and 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
Winding Hole above Ellesmere Port Locks | 8 miles and 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
The Boat Museum | 8 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Top Locks | 8 miles and 2¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Top Lock Footbridge | 8 miles and 2½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Ellesmere Port Middle Locks | 8 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
Ellesmere Port Upper Basin | 8 miles and 3 furlongs | 2 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Bottom Lock and Swing Bridge | 8 miles and 3¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Lower Basin Access to the Manchester Ship Canal |
8 miles and 3½ furlongs | 3 locks | |
Ellesmere Port Junction Junction of Shropshire Union and Manchester Ship Canals |
8 miles and 4 furlongs | 3 locks |
- Taylor's Boatyard ~ Home — associated with Taylor's Boatyard
- Welcome to the Historic Taylor's Boatyard, Chester. Our unique location gives you access to Chester's city centre attractions via a pleasant stroll along the famous cit walls.
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.