Coventry Canal
With the Trent and Mersey, Oxford and Staffordshire and Worcestershire, the Coventry made up the original network of narrow canals. Connecting Coventry to Bedworth took place within a year of the act being passed in 1778, but by 1771 funds were exhausted with the canal only reaching Atherstone. Many believe that the company were not enthusiastic about building their line north to join the Trent and Mersey as that would allow cheap coal from the north to compete with their interests in the Warwickshire coal fields. They were also involved in a nasty squabble with the Oxford Canal company about the location of what is now Hawkesbury Junction. Whatever the reasons, it took another 19 years before Fazeley was reached. In the end, pressure from a group of businessmen and promoters in the north midlands headed by Josiah Wedgewood was brought to bear on both the Coventry and the Oxford (who hadn't got past Banbury) in a bid to create a route to the Thames and so to London. A deal was brokered where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal (who were impatient for connections to the north) extended their waterway along the line of the Coventry to Whittington, and the Trent and Mersey came south to join them. Meanwhile the Oxford completed their route from Banbury to Oxford. Later the T&M-built section was bought back by the Coventry.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Travels:
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 46M - Coventry Canal Map (Downloadable)
- Warwickshire Ring & Ashby Canal
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
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Wikipedia has a page about Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.
It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles (61 km) to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with the Ashby Canal, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Oxford Canal.
Some maps show the canal as a northern and a southern section, connected by a stretch of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, but others, including the Canal and River Trust show the through route as the Coventry Canal. This reflects a complicated period of ownership and re-leasing when the Coventry Canal company was in financial difficulties during construction.
It runs through or past the towns of Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth and Tamworth. It is navigable for boats up to 21.9 m (72 ft) length, 2.1 m (7 ft) beam and 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) headroom. It forms part of the Warwickshire ring.