CanalPlanAC

Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Main Line)

 
 
Information about the waterway

The Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Main Line) is a broad canal and is part of the Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line). It runs for 8 miles and 4 furlongs through 3 locks from River Dee Branch Junction (where it joins the Shropshire Union Canal (Dee Branch) and the Shropshire Union Canal (Chester Canal - Bunbury to Chester)) to Ellesmere Port Junction (where it joins the Manchester Ship Canal (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 Trust

Relevant publications — Waterway Travels:

Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:

Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:

River Dee Branch Junction
Junction with the Shropshire Union (Chester Canal) and the River Dee Branch
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
 
 
Maps
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External websites
 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

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.

Other Wikipedia pages that might relate to Shropshire Union Canal
[Shropshire Canal] The Shropshire Canal was a tub boat canal built to supply coal, ore and limestone to the industrial region of east Shropshire, England, that adjoined [Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company] The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company was a Company in England, formed in 1846, which managed several canals and railways. It intended to convert [Shropshire Union Canal Society] The Shropshire Union Canal Society is an organisation formed to promote interest in and enhance the Shropshire Union Canal system, in England and Wales [Shropshire] Shropshire Union Canal. The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers about a quarter of the county, mainly in the south. Shropshire [Listed buildings in Church Eaton] Easton, High Onn, and Marston, and the surrounding countryside. The Shropshire Union Canal passes through the parish, and a high proportion of the listed buildings [Ellesmere Canal] these were eventually incorporated into the Chester Canal, Montgomery Canal and Shropshire Union Canal. Although several major civil engineering feats were [Listed buildings at Norbury, Staffordshire] the surrounding countryside. Passing through the parish is the Shropshire Union Canal, and this meets the former Newport Branch, now disused, at Norbury [Llangollen Canal] navigable feeder, both of which became part of the Shropshire Union Canals in 1846. The Ellesmere Canal was proposed by industrialists at Ruabon and Brymbo [Shrewsbury Canal] The Shrewsbury Canal (or Shrewsbury and Newport Canal) was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury
 
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