Shropshire Union Canal (Montgomery Canal - connected and navigable)
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.
It has a junction with the Shropshire Union Canal (Weston Branch) at Weston Arm Junction.
Notable features of the waterway include Frankton Locks and Aston Locks
Also known as the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 33M - Llangollen Canal Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 34M - Montgomery Canal Map (Free Download)
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
| Frankton Junction Junction of Llangollen and Montgomery Canals |
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| Frankton Locks Visitor Moorings 48hr both sides |
¼ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Frankton Staircase Lock No 1 The top lock is a two-chamber staircase. Operated by C&RT lock keepers only. Old numbering: Nos 1 & 2 |
¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Frankton Middle Lock No 2 Old numbering: No 3 |
1¼ furlongs | 2 locks | |
| Frankton Bottom Lock No 3 Old numbering: No 4 |
2 furlongs | 3 locks | |
| Weston Arm Junction Junction of Weston Arm (formerly Weston Branch) with Montgomery Canal |
4 furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Lockgate Bridge No 71 Also alternatively numbered as Bridge No 70 |
4¼ furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Lockgate Bridge Aqueduct | 5 furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Graham Palmer Lock No 4 Lock inserted during 1990s restoration to lower the next pound. |
5½ furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Hawkswood Winding Hole | 1 mile and 2¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Perry Aqueduct | 1 mile and 4½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Keeper's Bridge No 73 Dismantled swing bridge |
2 miles and 3 furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Green Wicket Corner | 2 miles and 3½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Rednal Basin Nature reserve (not a generally navigable basin); short boats may wind at the junction. |
2 miles and 6¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Heath House Railway Bridge | 3 miles and ¼ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Heath House Bridge No 74 | 3 miles and ¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Corbett's Bridge No 75 | 3 miles and 5½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Queen's Head Winding Hole | 3 miles and 7 furlongs | 5 locks | |
| The Queen's Head PH (Montgomery Canal) 100yds north from Bridge 76. |
3 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Queen's Head Bridge No 76 West Felton village to the south |
3 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Queen's Head Bridge No 76A | 4 miles | 5 locks | |
| Aston Top Lock No 5 | 4 miles and 2 furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Aston Middle Lock No 6 | 4 miles and 5 furlongs | 6 locks | |
| Aston Bottom Lock No 7 | 4 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 7 locks | |
| Red Bridge No 77 | 5 miles and 1¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Park Mill Bridge Winding Hole | 5 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Park Mill Bridge No 78 | 5 miles and 4¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Maesbury Marsh Visitor Moorings 48hr |
6 miles and ¼ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| The Navigation Inn (Maesbury) Canalside - adjacent to Bridge No 79 |
6 miles and ¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Maesbury Marsh Bridge No 79 Maesbury Marsh village to the north (public house by bridge) |
6 miles and ¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Maesbury Wharf | 6 miles and 1 furlong | 8 locks | |
| Spiggots Bridge No 80 Just prior to the Post Office and Canal Central (shop, café , etc) |
6 miles and 2¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Maesbury Marsh Aqueduct | 6 miles and 4¼ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Crofts Mill Lift Bridge No 81 Just prior to Maesbury Mill |
6 miles and 5¼ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Mill Arm The Arm, fed by Morda Brook, is a private mooring. Please do not wind. |
6 miles and 5½ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Gronwyn Bridge Winding Hole | 6 miles and 6¼ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Gronwyn Wharf | 6 miles and 6½ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Gronwyn Bridge No 82 | 6 miles and 6½ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Redwith Lift Bridge No 82A | 7 miles and ¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Redwith Bridge No 83 | 7 miles and 2½ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Pryce's Bridge No 84 | 7 miles and 4½ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Crickheath Wharf Winding Hole Last winding point before end of the connected and navigable section. |
7 miles and 7¾ furlongs | 8 locks | |
| Crickheath Bridge No 85 Limit of navigable section |
8 miles and ¼ furlongs | 8 locks |
- The Navigation Inn - Maesbury — associated with The Navigation Inn (Maesbury)
- Public House
- The Queens Head PH — associated with The Queen's Head PH (Montgomery Canal)
- Public House
Wikipedia has a page about Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales.
The canal lies in the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire in the north-west English Midlands. It links the canal system of the West Midlands, at Wolverhampton, with the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, 66 miles (106 km) distant.
The "SU main line" runs southeast from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Autherley Junction in Wolverhampton. Other links are to the Llangollen Canal (at Hurleston Junction), the Middlewich Branch (at Barbridge Junction), which itself connects via the Wardle Canal with the Trent and Mersey Canal, and the River Dee (in Chester). With two connections to the Trent and Mersey (via the Middlewich Branch and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal) the SU is part of an important circular and rural holiday route called the Four Counties Ring.
The SU main line was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford.
The name "Shropshire Union" comes from the amalgamation of the various component companies (Ellesmere Canal, Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, Montgomeryshire Canal) that came together to form the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. The main line between Nantwich and Autherley Junction was almost built as a railway although eventually it was decided to construct it as a waterway.