Services Directory Video
Stoppages on the Main Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal

A map of the Main Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal

The map displays a range of services available on the Main Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal. Simply click the box next to any service being displayed in the Map Key on the left of your screen.

Map Key

Scroll Down
Attraction
Historic Buildings
Castle
Museum
Theatre
Airport
Train Station
Bus Station
Public Houses
Restaurants
Licensed
Boat Yards
Marinas
Petrol
Diesel
Electricity Points
Water Points
Food Shops
Recycling Points
Sanitory Stations
Self Use Pump Outs
Sewage Disposal
Refuse Disposal
Mooring Overnight
Calor Gas
Laundries
Wi Fi
Winding Holes
Lock
Bridge
Scroll Up

A brief history of the Main Canal of the Shropshire Union Canal

Canal Details
Canal length : 66.4 miles
Locks : 47
Boat Length : 71ft
Height : 7ft 11ins
Width : 7ft 7ins
Draught : 4ft 1ins

The Shropshire Union Canal was constructed in 3 stages and by 3 different companies. The first of these sections was constructed in the 1770s and was called the Chester Canal. It ran from the River Dee to Natwich. It was a commercial failure but was rescued by the construction of the Ellesmere Canal in the mod-1790s, which ran from Chester to The Mersey. Another branch, The Middlewich Branch, was constructed in the eraly 1830s and completed in1835, joining the Shropshire Union Canal to the Trent and Mersey Canal.

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.

For more detailed information, follow the links below: