Editing Liskeard and Looe Union Canal (section)

==General description==
The canal started from a point on the tidal East Looe River just below [[Terras Bridge]], about a mile (about 1.5&nbsp;km) above Looe bridge. When the railway branch line was built, a bridge over the canal was made, and this bridge can still be seen, showing the alignment of the canal at its lower termination.

The canal ran broadly north, following closely the course of the river itself, for a distance of {{convert|5.9|mi|km}}, terminating at Moorswater, in the valley to the west of Liskeard. This involved a considerable climb, of {{convert|156|ft|m}} over its length, and there were 24 locks. The canal ran on the east side of the River, except between a point below Plashford Bridge to near Landreast bridge, The present day railway branch line closely follows the route of the canal.

Moorswater was chosen as a feasible terminal because of its altitude—below Liskeard town—and proximity to the agricultural lands the canal was built to serve. Roads for onward transport were built, eastward to Liskeard itself and northward to Highwood.

There was a basin at Moorswater, located in the area near the present-day railway level crossing, close to the point where Old Road crosses under the A38 main road. A reservoir was built immediately north of the basin area.

It was designed for 20 tonne barges; water supply was from the upper reaches of the East Looe River and the Crylla.

When the railway line was built in 1860, the canal gradually fell into disrepair, and is shown as "disused" on 1882 Ordnance Survey maps,<ref name=os>Ordnance Survey, 25 inch plans, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, 1882</ref> although the short southern section to Sandplace continued in use for several years

Priestley, published in 1831, described the canal:

<blockquote>The Liskeard and Looe Canal commences at Tarras Pill, and proceeds from thence in a northerly direction to the parish of Liskeard terminating at Moorswater, {{convert|145|ft|m}}] above the level of the sea. The distance which it passes over is five miles and seven furlongs, [9.5&nbsp;km] and in its course there are twenty-five locks. ... There is a short branch of about a mile in length to Sand Place.<ref name=priestley>{{harvnb|Priestley|1831|pp=414–415}}</ref></blockquote>

Priestley incorporates a number of inaccuracies into his description: he has taken the number of locks from the authorising act of Parliament; in fact there were twenty-four. There was a wharf at Sandplace (Sand Place) but it was immediately adjacent to the main line of the canal; Messenger points out that a quay was dug into the river bank at Sandplace to serve a kiln, and Priestley was misled into thinking that this was a branch of the canal; actually it was the main river.{{sfn|Messenger|2001}} The vertical interval he quotes may be due to the definition of "sea level" at the time; in any case the lower end of the canal joined the river some distance above the sea.