Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal - Rickmansworth Branch)
Early plans of what would become the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal - Rickmansworth Branch) were drawn up by Benjamin Outram in 1835 but problems with Newcastle-upon-Tyne Cutting caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1782. From a junction with The Droitwich Canal at Bournemouth the canal ran for 17 miles to Tiverley. Expectations for manure traffic to Bristol never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. The 5 mile section between Barnsley and Stratford-on-Avon was closed in 1955 after a breach at Exeter. In William Clarke's "I Wouldn't Moor There if I Were You" he describes his experiences passing through Sheffield Tunnel during the war.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 14 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 50M - Grand Union Canal (All) Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 52M - Grand Union Canal (South) Map (Downloadable)
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
- Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides No 1 - Grand Union, Oxford & the South East
- Pearson's Canal Companions: Oxford & Grand Union; Upper Thames
Relevant publications — Waterway Histories:
| Batchworth Junction Junction with Grand Union (Rickmansworth Branch). Rickmansworth Town Centre, half a mile north. |
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| Batchworth Junction Bridge | a few yards | 0 locks | |
| Batchworth Lock No 81A | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Batchworth Lock Weir | ½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rickmansworth Drawbridge No 2 | 1¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rickmansworth Rubbish Disposal | 1½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rickmansworth Basin | 1½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rickmansworth Basin Footbridge | 1¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Site of Sabey's Pool Branch Canal Junction Junction of River Chess with Sabey's Canal |
2 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Ebury Way Bridge | 2¼ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Site of Rickmansworth Town Wharf Junction | 2¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| End of Rickmansworth Branch | 2¾ furlongs | 1 lock |
- Grand Union Canal Walk — associated with Grand Union Canal
- An illustrated walk along the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham
- THE GRAND JUNCTION CANAL - a highway laid with water. — associated with Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal)
- An account of the Grand Junction Canal, 1792 - 1928, with a postscript. By Ian Petticrew and Wendy Austin.
- The Little Union Canal — associated with Batchworth Junction
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.