Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch - Leek Branch)
The Act of Parliament for the Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch - Leek Branch) was passed on January 1 1835 after extensive lobbying by Thomas Telford. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Norwich to Newcastle-under-Lyme canal at Teignbridge, the difficulty of tunneling under Southend caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Boggin instead. Expectations for limestone traffic to Doncaster never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. The canal between Knowsley and Ipswich was obliterated by the building of the M2 Motorway in 2001. In William Wood's "It Gets a Lot Worse Further Up" he describes his experiences passing through Barcester Cutting during the Poll Tax riots.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
Notable features of the waterway include Leek Tunnel
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
Relevant publications — Waterway DVDs:
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
Relevant publications — Waterway Histories:
| Hazelhurst Junction Junction of the Leek Branch with the Caldon Branch |
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| Hazelhurst Bridge No 1 | ¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Bratts Bridge No 2 | 2 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Bratts Bridge Winding Hole | 2¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hazelhurst Bridge Winding Hole | 3¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hazelhurst Turnover Bridge No 3 | 4 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hazelhurst Aqueduct | 4 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Endon Brook Aqueduct | 4¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hazelhurst Railway Aqueduct | 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hardy's Bridge No 4 | 5¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| New Springs Bridge No 5 | 6¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Horse Bridge Winding Hole | 7¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Horse Bridge No 6 | 1 mile | 0 locks | |
| Waterworks Bridge No 7 | 1 mile and 1¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek Fields Winding Hole | 1 mile and 6 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek Tunnel Winding Hole | 1 mile and 7¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek Tunnel (southwestern entrance) | 2 miles | 0 locks | |
| Leek Tunnel (northeastern entrance) | 2 miles and ½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek Bridge No 9 | 2 miles and 4½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek Winding Hole | 2 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Leek River Churnet Aqueduct - end of navigation. |
2 miles and 6½ furlongs | 0 locks |
- Trent & Mersey Canal Society – founded in 1974 — associated with Trent and Mersey Canal
- Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust — associated with Trent and Mersey Canal (Caldon Branch)
Wikipedia has a page about Trent and Mersey Canal
The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93 1⁄2-mile (150 km) canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.
The narrow locks and bridges are big enough for a single narrowboat 7 feet (2.1 m) wide by 72 feet (22 m) long, while the wide locks can accommodate boats 14 feet (4.3 m) wide, or two narrowboats next to each other.