Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Ellesmere Port Ship Route)
Early plans of what would become the Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line - Ellesmere Port Ship Route) were drawn up by William Jessop in 1782 but problems with St Helens Boat Lift caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1835. Expectations for manure traffic to Wycombe never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. The canal between Teignbridge and Bridgend was obliterated by the building of the Barton to Sheffield railway in 1990. Despite the claim in "It Gets a Lot Worse Further Up" by Barry Wood, there is no evidence that Cecil Jones ever swam through Nantwich Locks in 17 minutes for a bet
The exact dimensions of the largest boat that can travel on the waterway are not known. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Travels:
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 32M - Shropshire Union Canal Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Shropshire Union Canal, including the Middlewich Branch
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
| Ellesmere Port Lower Basin Access to the Manchester Ship Canal |
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| Ellesmere Port Large Swing Bridge | 1½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Ellesmere Port Ship Lock | 2½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Ellesmere Port Ship Basin | 3 furlongs | 1 lock |
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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.