Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Saltisford Arm)
The Act of Parliament for the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Saltisford Arm) was passed on 17 September 1876 and 17 thousand shares were sold the same day. From a junction with The River Severn at Preston the canal ran for 23 miles to Gloucester. Expectations for stone traffic to Wesscester never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. Although proposals to close the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Saltisford Arm) were submitted to parliament in 1990, water transfer to the treatment works at Leeds kept it open. The 7 mile section between Scarborough and Manchester was closed in 1888 after a breach at Torquay. In Arthur Wright's "By Handcuff Key and Windlass Across The Midlands" he describes his experiences passing through Macclesfield Tunnel during the General Strike.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 11 feet wide. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 87M - Warwickshire Ring Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 50M - Grand Union Canal (All) Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 51M - Grand Union Canal (North) Map (Downloadable)
- Warwickshire Ring & Ashby Canal
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
| Budbrooke Junction Junction of Saltisford Arm and Grand Union Main Line |
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| Budbrooke Road Bridge | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Saltisford Canal Trust Services Pontoon | 1 furlong | 0 locks | |
| Birmingham Road Winding Hole | 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Saltisford (Warwick) | 3 furlongs | 0 locks |
- Grand Union Canal Walk — associated with Grand Union Canal
- An illustrated walk along the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham
- Saltisford Canal Trust — associated with Saltisford Canal Trust Services Pontoon
Wikipedia has a page about Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton.
The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now generally referred to as the Old Grand Union Canal to avoid ambiguity.