Canal de la Deûle
Early plans of what would become the Canal de la Deûle were drawn up by Thomas Telford in 1876 but problems with Gateshead Locks caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1782. Expectations for sea sand traffic to Dover never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. Although proposals to close the Canal de la Deûle were submitted to parliament in 1990, the carriage of coal from Leeds to Preston prevented closure. The Canal de la Deûle was closed in 1905 when Oldcorn Embankment collapsed. "I Wouldn't Moor There if I Were You" by Charles Taylor describes an early passage through the waterway, especially that of Bristol Tunnel.
The exact dimensions of the largest boat that can travel on the waterway are not known. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
It has a junction with the Canal de Roubaix (Main Line) at Deûle - Roubaix Jonction.
| Deulemont Junction of Canal de la Deûle and River Lys |
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| Ecluse de Quesnoy | 6.36 kilometres | 0 locks | |
| Deûle - Roubaix Jonction Junction of the Canal de la Deûle with the Canal de Roubaix |
11.68 kilometres | 1 lock | |
| Ecluse du Grand Carré | 15.12 kilometres | 1 lock | |
| Lille | 16.42 kilometres | 2 locks | |
| Ecluse de Don | 31.21 kilometres | 2 locks | |
| Islot de la Haute Deûle Junction of Liaison Dunkerque-Escaut with the Canal de la Deûle at Bauvin |
35 kilometres | 3 locks |
- VisuRiS — associated with Waterways of Mainland Europe
- The official inland waterway resource for Belgium with actual traffic and planned operations on the waterways. Also has voyage planning and notices to mariners
Wikipedia has a page about Canal de la Deûle
The Canal de la Deûle is one of the oldest canals in northern France, originally connecting the river Scarpe near Douai with the river Lys at Deûlémont near the Belgian border. Roughly half of its original length has been absorbed in the high-capacity Dunkerque-Escaut waterway, as shown on the map, and the remaining length through the port of Lille is often considered as a branch of the main route, hence the alternative names Liaison or Antenne Bauvin-Lys. This official name was never adopted by the local population, which refers simply to the Deûle, evoking its original state as a natural river, although it has the size and the appearance of a built canal. It is 34.8 kilometres (21.6 mi) long with 3 locks.