Droitwich Canal

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The Droitwich Canal is a synthesis of two canals in Worcestershire, England; the Droitwich Barge Canal and the Droitwich Junction Canal. The barge canal is a broad canal which opened in 1771 linking Droitwich Spa to the River Severn at Hawford Mill, Claines. The Droitwich Junction Canal is a narrow canal, opened in 1854, which linked Droitwich to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Both were built to carry salt, and were abandoned in 1939. They are now the subject of a restoration plan.

[edit] History

Droitwich has been an important centre for the production of salt, obtained from natural brine springs, since before Roman times. In order to get the product to market, plans to make the River Salwarpe navigable were proposed in the 18th Century, but Acts of Parliament in 1703 and 1747 to authorise this were not successful. With salt production increasing, Droitwich Council asked James Brindley the canal engineer reponsible for the Bridgewater Canal to survey a route from the town to the River Severn. This he did in 1767, and the following year an Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction.^[1]

The canal was constructed as a broad canal, capable of taking boats which were 14ft (4.3m) wide. Like most of Brindley's canals, it was a contour canal, following the contours as much as possible, to reduce the number of embankments and cuttings required. The canal was 5.7 miles (9.1km) long, and included eight locks, with a total fall of 56.5ft (17.2m). It was opened on 12 March 1771, and was a commercial success.^[2]

The fortunes of the canal started to decline in 1828, when a source of brine was discovered at Stoke Prior, a village to the north east of Droitwich. The coming of the railways took further trade away. However, in 1854 the Droitwich Junction Canal was constructed to link the Barge Canal to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Hanbury. Built as a narrow canal, suitable for boats which were 7ft (2.1m) wide, it was one of the last canals to be built in the 'canal mania' era.^[2] It was 1.5 miles (2.4km) long and included another six locks. The new canal was connected to the Barge Canal by a stretch of the River Salwarpe, and the Barge Lock was constructed where the Barge Canal joined the river. This lock allowed for fluctuations in the river level. The main cargo on both canals was always salt.

As with so many canals the coming of the railways spelt their economic doom and an Act of Abandonment was passed in July 1939. The last boat to use the barge canal went through in 1916.^[1] The last boat to use the junction canal went through a few years later in 1928.

[edit] Restoration

In 1973 The Droitwich Canals Trust was formed and began to work towards the restoration of the canal. Progress has been steady with a recent boost from the involvement of British Waterways. In 2004, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded around £4,600,000 for a restoration project. A Planning Application for the restoration of the Droitwich Canals was submitted by British Waterways on behalf of the Droitwich Canals Restoration Partnership in May 2007,^[3] by which time a total of £10.5 million had been promised, but some of it is dependant on match funding, and the Restoration Partnership needs to raise £1 million in order to release the other funding.^[4]

The project is planned to take two years, and will see both of the Droitwich’s Canals completely restored and re-opened in 2009. Although the majority of the 7 mile length of the canals is still in existence, a 500m stretch between the M5 motorway and Hanbury Locks will be completely rebuilt. The Barge Canal and the Junction Canal will be connected together by canalising a 600 yd (550m) stretch of the River Salwarpe through the centre of Droitwich. The course of the river will be made wider and deeper, and a weir will be constructed adjacent to the proposed lock 7, to maintain the water levels.^[5] In order to minimise the mixing of canal water with river water, a pipeline will be built under the towpath, running from just above the new lock 7 to just below the Barge Lock.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Canals of Great Britain
• History of the British canal system

[edit] External links

• The Droitwich Canals Trust homepage