Editing Trent and Mersey Canal

{{Short description|Canal in England}}
{{Redirect|T&M|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox Canal
  |name        = Trent and Mersey Canal
  |image       = Trent mersey canal near branston water park.jpg
  |image_caption     = The Trent and Mersey Canal near [[Branston Water Park]]
  |mapframe           = yes
  |mapframe-zoom      = 7
  |former_names      =
  |original_owner     =
  |engineer    = [[James Brindley]]
  |other_engineer = [[Hugh Henshall]]
  |date_act    = 1766
  |date_began  =
  |date_use    = 1777
  |date_completed   =
  |date_extended    =
  |date_closed =
  |date_restored   =
  |len         = 
  |len_in      =
  |original_boat_length       =
  |original_boat_length_in    =
  |len_note    =
  |beam        = 
  |beam_in     =
  |original_beam      =
  |original_beam_in   =
  |beam_note   =
  |start_point       = [[River Trent]], [[Derwent Mouth]]
  |original_start     =
  |start_note  =
  |end_point         = [[River Mersey]]
  |original_end       =
  |end_note    = via [[Bridgewater Canal]]
  |branch      =
  |branch_of   =
  |connects_to        = {{unbulleted list|[[Coventry Canal]]|[[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal|Staffs & Worcs Canal]]|[[Caldon Canal]]|[[Macclesfield Canal]]|[[Shropshire Union Canal]]|[[Bridgewater Canal]]}}
  |locks       = 76
  |original_num_locks     =
  |lock_note   =
  |status      = Open
  |navigation_authority         = [[Canal and River Trust]]
  | module               = 
}}
{{TandM Canal Route Map}}

The '''Trent and Mersey Canal''' is a {{convert|93+1/2|mi|0|adj=on}} [[canal]] in [[Derbyshire]], [[Staffordshire]] and [[Cheshire]] in north-central England.  It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of [[Burton upon Trent]] and north of [[Middlewich]], it is a wide canal.

The narrow locks and bridges are big enough for a single [[narrowboat]] {{convert|7|ft|m}} wide by {{convert|72|ft|m}} long, while the wide locks can accommodate boats {{convert|14|ft|m}} wide, or two narrowboats next to each other.

==History==

The Trent and Mersey Canal (T&M) was built to link the [[River Trent]] at [[Derwent Mouth]] in [[Derbyshire]] to the [[River Mersey]], and thereby provide an inland route between the major ports of [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] and [[Liverpool]].  The Mersey connection is made via the [[Bridgewater Canal]], which it joins at [[Preston Brook]] in [[Cheshire]].  Although mileposts measure the distance to Preston Brook and [[Shardlow]], Derwent Mouth is about {{convert|1|mi}} beyond Shardlow.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Trent and Mersey Canal Act 1766
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for making a Navigable Cut, or Canal, from the River Trent, at or near Wilden Ferry in the County of Derby, to the River Mersey at or near Runcorn Gap.
| year                  = 1766
| citation              = [[6 Geo. 3]]. c. 96
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 14 May 1766
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
The plan of a canal connection from the Mersey to the Trent ("The Grand Trunk") came from canal [[engineer]] [[James Brindley]]. It was authorised by an act of [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]], the '''{{visible anchor|Trent and Mersey Canal Act 1766}}''' ([[6 Geo. 3]]. c. 96) and the first [[sod]] was cut by [[Josiah Wedgwood]] in July that year at Brownhills, [[Burslem]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=John |date=1843 |title=The Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent in the Commencement of the Reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, Comprising Its History, Statistics, Civil Polity, & Traffic, with Biographical and Genealogical Notices of Eminent Individuals and Families; Also the Manorial History of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Incidental Notices of Other Neighbouring Places & Objects; |url=https://archive.org/stream/boroughstokeupo00wardgoog#page/n198/mode/2up |location=London, UK |publisher=W. Lewis & Son |page=154 |quote=The first clod of the Grand Trunk Canal was dug the 26th July, 1766, on the declivity of Brownhills, in a piece of land, now belonging to Mr. Wood, within a few yards of the bridge which crosses the canal, by Mr. Josiah Wedgwood, then of Burslem, (the gentleman who afterwards rose to such eminence as a Potter), in the presence of Brindley, the Engineer, and many respectable persons of the neighbourhood, who each cut a sod to felicitate the work.}}</ref> In 1777, the canal was completed,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Navigation from the Trent to the Mersey |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003222/17770729/002/0001 |newspaper=Chester Courant |location=England |date=29 July 1777 |access-date=1 June 2024 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> including more than 70 [[canal lock|locks]] and five [[tunnel]]s, with the company headquarters in [[Stone, Staffordshire|Stone]].

The first known idea to build a canal between the [[River Mersey]] and the [[River Trent]] was put forward in 1755, though no action was taken at that time.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}} In 1760, [[Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford|Lord Gower]], a local businessman and brother-in-law of the [[Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater|Duke of Bridgewater]], drew up a plan for the Trent and Mersey Canal. If his plan had gone ahead, this would have been the first modern canal constructed in England. [[James Brindley]], the engineer behind many of the canals in England, did his first canal work on the Trent and Mersey, though his first job in charge of construction was on the [[Bridgewater Canal]].

In 1761, [[Josiah Wedgwood]] showed an interest in the construction of a canal through Stoke-on-Trent, the location of his [[Wedgwood]] pottery, as his business depended on the safe and smooth transport of his pots. Pots transported by road were liable to be damaged and broken, and a canal near to his factory would provide fast and safe transport for his wares. Wedgwood's plan was not to connect the two rivers by canal, but to connect the potteries to the River Mersey.

There was much debate about possible routes that a canal could take. [[Coal]] merchants in [[Liverpool]] felt threatened about a canal that could bring coal in from [[Cheshire]]. The owners of the [[River Weaver]] Navigation were also not happy about the proposals, because the route would almost parallel that of the river. Yet another route was published which, much to the shock of Wedgwood, did not at all include the potteries.

Wedgwood, intent on having a waterway connection to his potteries, managed to send his proposal to Parliament, with the help of two of his friends, [[Thomas Bentley (manufacturer)|Thomas Bentley]] and [[Erasmus Darwin]]. [[John Gilbert (agent)|John Gilbert]]'s plan for the "Grand Trunk" canal met opposition at the eastern end where, in Burton on Trent, the locals objected to the canal passing parallel to the upper Trent navigation. In 1764, Wedgwood managed to convince Gilbert to include the Potteries in his route.  In 1766, Gilbert's plan was authorised by an Act of Parliament. Later that year, "[o]n July 26th a massive celebration was held in the Potteries where Josiah Wedgwood cut the first sod of soil. James Brindley was employed as engineer and work got under way."<ref>{{cite web |work=Canals & Waterways: Routes and Roots |title=The Trent and Mersey Canal |first=Peter |last=Hardcastle |url=http://www.canals.btinternet.co.uk/canals/trentmersey.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010152001/http://www.canals.btinternet.co.uk/canals/trentmersey.htm |archive-date=10 October 2012}}</ref>

Six years before the complete opening of the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1771, Wedgwood built the factory village of [[Etruria, Staffordshire|Etruria]] on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, close to the canal. By this time, much of the canal had been built towards [[Preston Brook]]. The only obstacle that still had to be tackled by the canal company was the hill at [[Kidsgrove]], through which a tunnel was being dug. Up until 1777, pots had to be carried on the short journey from Etruria, over the top of Kidsgrove Hill, and to the other side, where the canal had been constructed to Preston Brook. 
 
On 15 January 1847 the Trent and Mersey Canal was acquired by the [[North Staffordshire Railway]] Company (NSR).  This was done to stifle the opposition of the Canal Company to the creation of the Railway Company.  In particular, the NSR had plans for a railway from Stoke-on-Trent to Liverpool, however, this line was abandoned because of opposition from other rail interests.

In 1891 the North Staffordshire Railway Company obtained statutory powers to raise £400,000 ({{Inflation|UK|400000|1891|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}){{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} to widen and improve the canal.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Trent and Mersey Canal |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/18910306/023/0003 |newspaper=Manchester Courier |location=England |date=6 March 1891 |access-date=22 June 2024 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> By 1893 the section between the Anderton Boat Lift and Middlewich had been widened and deepened to allow an increase in the maximum tonnage of boats using this section to be increased from 30 tons to 60 tons. The basin at Middlewich was widened from {{convert|16|ft|m}} to {{convert|50|ft|m}} with the erection of a concrete wall and an extension to the wharfage. The canal was dredged by a [[Priestman Brothers|Priestman]]-type steam dredger which removed between 80,000 and 100,000 tons.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Improvement of the Trent and Mersey Canal |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000033/18930505/037/0008 |newspaper=Birmingham Daily Post |location=England |date=5 May 1893 |access-date=22 June 2024 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> 

The Grand Trunk was a part of a larger scheme of [[James Brindley]]'s to link the four main rivers of England ([[River Trent|Trent]], [[River Mersey|Mersey]], [[River Severn|Severn]] and [[River Thames|Thames]]) in a project known as the "Grand Cross".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mike-stevens.co.uk/maps/1770/index1770.htm|title=Waterways Of England And Wales, 1760 to 1770|last=Stevens|first=Mike|access-date=2007-09-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070817195021/http://www.mike-stevens.co.uk/maps/1770/index1770.htm |archive-date = 2007-08-17}}</ref> The Trent and Mersey Canal provided the northwestern arm of the cross (to the Mersey), and the northeastern arm (to the Trent). It also provided the central hub of the cross, between [[Haywood Junction|Great Haywood]], and [[Fradley Junction|Fradley]] Junctions. The southwestern arm, to the Severn, was built as the [[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal]], whilst the southeastern arm (to the Thames) traversed the [[Coventry Canal|Coventry]] and [[Oxford Canal|Oxford]] Canals.

==Map and gallery==
[[File:Trent & Mersey Canal map.png|thumb|left|upright=2.5|Map the Trent and Mersey Canal (marked in dark blue)]]
<gallery perrow="2">
Image:Barnton tunnel east entrance.jpg|[[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]] Tunnel east entrance
Image:TandMMacclesfield.jpg|[[Hall Green Branch]] crosses the T&M at Poole Aqueduct
Image:DoubleLock.JPG|A typical set of double locks on the T&M
Image:TandMJunctionMacclesfield.JPG|[[Hardings Wood Junction]] with the [[Hall Green Branch]]
</gallery>

==Features==

===Anderton Lift===
[[File:Anderton Boat Lift 2.jpg|thumb|The Anderton Boat Lift]]
On the Cheshire stretch of the canal, between [[Middlewich]] and the northern end of the canal in [[Preston Brook]] Tunnel, is the Victorian [[Anderton Boat Lift]], which lowers boats fifty feet from the T&M to the [[River Weaver]].  It was restored to full operation in 2002 after twenty years of disuse, and was then the only operational boat-lift in the [[United Kingdom]] until the construction of the [[Falkirk Wheel]] in [[Scotland]].

===Harecastle Tunnel===
[[File:South Portal, Harecastle Tunnel, Trent and Mersey Canal - geograph.org.uk - 556217.jpg|thumb|The south portal of the Harecastle Tunnel]]
Another major feature is the [[Harecastle Tunnel]], near [[Kidsgrove]] in the city of [[Stoke-on-Trent]], north [[Staffordshire]]. There are actually two tunnels; the first was built by Brindley and was {{convert|2880|yd}} long, and boats were moved through by men lying on their backs and pushing against the roof with their feet. This was a physically demanding and slow process and created major delays, so [[civil engineer]] [[Thomas Telford]] was commissioned to provide a second, wider, parallel tunnel with a towpath. This {{convert|2926|yd|m|adj=mid|-long}} tunnel was opened in 1827. 

In the 1900s, the Brindley tunnel was closed because of severe subsidence, but the Telford Tunnel – although also prone to the same problems – remains in use, and is the fourth-longest navigable canal tunnel in the [[United Kingdom]].

===Flyover Junction===
[[File:Pool Lock aqueduct.jpg|thumb|Poole Lock aqueduct]]
Just north of Harecastle Tunnel, the T&M features a 'flyover' junction. The [[Hall Green Branch]] leaves the T&M mainline (which runs east–west here) on the south side, but then crosses over the main line and travels a short distance north to join the [[Macclesfield Canal]] at Hall Green Stop lock (some guides do not refer to the Hall Green branch, simply treating it as part of the Macclesfield Canal).

The actual junction where the branch leaves the main line is a normal right-angle junction called [[Hardings Wood Junction]]. The branch leaves the main line on the south side, then immediately turns 90 degrees clockwise. It runs westwards alongside the main line, maintaining the original level while the main line drops through two locks.  At the Red Bull settlement, the branch turns 90 degrees right, to head north and cross the main line on Poole Lock aqueduct. It then immediately crosses the [[A50 road (Great Britain)|A50]] on Red Bull aqueduct, carrying boats north to join the Macclesfield Canal at Hall Green.

===Stoke-on-Trent===
[[File:Raining at Etruria Junction, Stoke-on-Trent - geograph.org.uk - 2446190.jpg|thumb|The junction of the Trent and Mersey Canal with the Caldon Canal]]
The canal passes through the city of [[Stoke-on-Trent]], where it meets the [[Caldon Canal]].

The canal formed an integral part of the 1986 [[Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival]] and in 1988 was declared a linear [[Conservation area (United Kingdom)|Conservation Area]].<ref name="SOT">{{cite web | url=http://webapps.stoke.gov.uk/uploadedfiles/Trent%20and%20Mersey%20Canal%20CAA%202011.pdf | title=The Trent & Mersey Canal Conservation Area Review | access-date=1 December 2014}}</ref>
The towpath was upgraded in the 1990s and forms part of the [[National Cycle Network]] ([[National Cycle Route 5|Route 5]]).
===Burslem Port Trust===
A charity, the [[Burslem Port Trust]], has been established to renovate the short [[Burslem]] arm of the Trent & Mersey Canal which will extend 3/8 mile into Burslem.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Burslem Port Trust |url=https://burslemport.org.uk/welcome |title=Home page |access-date=13 July 2021}}</ref>

==Route==
The route is conveniently divided into a northern and southern section by the [[Harecastle Tunnel]].

===Northern Trent and Mersey===
The northern end of the canal makes an end-on junction with the [[Bridgewater Canal]] within Preston Brook Tunnel, from which one can access Runcorn (but no longer the Mersey or Ship Canal) in one direction and Manchester (with its many canal links) in the other direction.

From the junction with the Bridgewater Canal, the T&M travels south through Preston Brook Tunnel (one-way operation, alternating each half-hour) and two smaller tunnels at Saltersford (since 2008 also one-way operation, alternating each half-hour), and [[Barnton, Cheshire|Barnton]] to the "junction" with the [[River Weaver]] at [[Anderton Boat Lift]] near [[Northwich]].

After Anderton, the next major destination is [[Middlewich]], where a junction with the {{convert|50|yd|m|adj=mid|-long}} [[Wardle Canal]] leads to the [[Middlewich Branch]] of the [[Shropshire Union Canal]] which gives access to [[Chester]], [[Llangollen]] and ( heading south on the Shropshire Union) a parallel route to [[Birmingham]] via [[Wolverhampton]].

South of Middlewich, having passed through [[Wheelock, Cheshire|Wheelock]], the T&M climbs out of the Cheshire Plain via the 'Heartbreak Hill' locks (more traditionally known as the 'Cheshire Locks') to the summit-level and the junction with the [[Hall Green Branch]], leading to the [[Macclesfield Canal]] at Red Bull [[Kidsgrove]]. Most of the locks in this flight are doubled, although not all of the duplicates are still usable. Of particular note was lock 53 where, because of subsidence from brine pumping, the 'spare' lock was replaced by a steel contrivance with guillotine gates. Theoretically, this was adjustable to compensate for further subsidence although, in practice it was less than successful and was ultimately removed altogether. Little evidence of 'Thurlwood Steel Lock' remains today. The boater can use the Macclesfield Canal to head for Marple, and the junction with the Peak Forest Canal (and hence, via the Ashton, Rochdale and Bridgewater canal) to complete the '[[Cheshire Ring]]'.

====2012 breach at Dutton Hollow====
In September 2012 a serious breach occurred at [[Dutton, Cheshire|Dutton Hollow]] near [[Preston Brook]], which cost around £2.1&nbsp;million to repair.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/features/diary-of-a-breach|title=Diary of a breach|work=Canal & River Trust|access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21292298x |title=Canal network 'needs millions in investment'|work=BBC News |access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref> The breach was south of bridge 213 and the canal was unusable between there and Middlewich Big Lock 75.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/stoppage/detail/7261/Between+Middlewich+Big+Lock+75+and+Bridge+213+Preston+Brook|title=Stoppage: Between Middlewich Big Lock 75 and Lodge Lane, Bridge 213 Preston Brook|work=Waterscape|access-date=1 February 2013}}</ref> The canal was officially reopened on 2 May 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/10392298.Trent_and_Mersey_canal_to_reopen_today|title=Trent and Mersey canal to reopen today|work=Northwich Guardian |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref>

===Southern Trent and Mersey===
After the [[Harecastle Tunnel]] (one way, alternating roughly every two hours), the canal emerges in the outskirts of [[Stoke-on-Trent]], and is soon in the middle of the city and then at [[Etruria, Staffordshire|Etruria]], and the junction with the [[Caldon Canal]].

Leaving Etruria, the canal is soon back in open country. It is now in the upper valley of the [[River Trent]], which the canal follows until the river becomes navigable and the canal is no longer needed. The next sizeable place is the market town of [[Stone, Staffordshire|Stone]].

After more countryside, the canal reaches [[Great Haywood Junction]] and the towpath bridge across the junction with the [[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal]], which heads south to skirt [[Wolverhampton]] and join with the [[River Severn]] at [[Stourport-on-Severn]], thus connecting the Mersey with the Severn.

The next event is a right-angle bend, of no apparent significance from the boat, but this is where the canal (and the Trent itself) changes its basic direction from south-east to north-east (heading towards Nottingham).

Very near is [[Fradley Junction]] (with the [[Coventry Canal|Coventry Canal's "detached portion"]]).  The Coventry soon leads to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and branches off to [[Birmingham]] or (via another stretch of the Coventry Canal) to [[Coventry]] and a junction with the [[Oxford Canal]] and thence to the Thames and the 'Southern Half' of the English canals.

The canal now heads directly to its terminus, passing through [[Burton upon Trent]], Mercia Marina at [[Findern]], the largest inland waterway [[marina]] in the United Kingdom, and then through wide locks (the first being at [[Stenson, Derbyshire|Stenson]]) to [[Shardlow]] and finally [[Derwent Mouth]].

It is not far from Derwent Mouth, via the River Trent, to [[Trentlock]], the four-way junction with the [[Erewash Canal]] (dead end at Great Northern Basin, formerly a link with the [[Cromford Canal]]), Cranfleet Cut (bypassing [[Thrumpton]] Weir to continue navigation towards [[Nottingham]]) and the [[River Soar]] Navigation (linking via [[Leicester]] to the [[Grand Union Canal]]). Beyond the Cranfleet Cut the Trent is navigable all the way to its mouth at [[Trent Falls]] on the [[Humber Estuary]].

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport|Cheshire}}
*[[Canals of the United Kingdom]]
*[[History of the British canal system]]
*[[Four Counties Ring]], a canal cruising ring that includes part of the Trent and Mersey

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110426135331/http://www.aquaquero.co.uk/waterways/35/trent-and-mersey-canal Trent and Mersey Canal General Information].
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060621054136/http://www.search.exploringthepotteries.org.uk/engine/theme/default.asp?theme=247 Archive material relating to the Trent and Mersey Canal Company, from Stoke-on-Trent Museums].
*[http://tmms.mister.red/ Images and map of mile markers along the Trent and Mersey Canal]

==Further reading==
*Peter Lead, ''The Trent and Mersey Canal'', Ashbourne (1980), {{ISBN|9780903485708}}

{{Canals of Britain}}
{{Stoke-on-Trent}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trent And Mersey Canal}}
[[Category:Trent and Mersey Canal| ]]
[[Category:Canals in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Canals in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Canals in England]]
[[Category:Canals in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:Canals in Stoke-on-Trent]]
[[Category:Transport in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:Canals linked to the River Trent]]
[[Category:Canals opened in 1777]]
[[Category:Trent catchment|CTrentandMersey]]