Arbury Canals
Encyclopedia
The Arbury Canals were a system of private canal
s, in the Arbury Estate, between Nuneaton
and Bedworth
in Warwickshire
, England
. They connected with the Coventry Canal
. They were built by Sir Roger Newdigate
between 1764 and 1795, and ceased to be used soon after his death in 1806. The Griff Hollows Canal was separate to the main system, and carried coal until its closure in 1961.
to the Coventry Canal.
About one mile to the south, the main system of canals connected the Coventry Canal to the Arbury Estate, and were used to transport coal and carry produce around the estate. Both canals gained water from Seaswood Pool, just northeast of the village of Astley
.
There were several branches from the main line including the Seeswood Canal which linked to Seeswood Pool, and a short branch to Hall Pool, one of the pools on the estate where water was stored.
The entire system was approximately 6 miles (10 km) long, and included thirteen locks, each 40 ft by 6 ft (12.1 by 1.8 metres). One unusual feature was the Triple Lock, which had a 'Y' shaped chamber, with two separate entrances from above, leading to different branches.
Sir Richard also constructed three "boatways" between 1700 and 1711, which were small canals used to convey coal from the outlying pits. His son, Sir Roger Newdigate
, the 5th baronet, would incorporate these into a larger system. Sir Roger, who was a Member of Parliament and became the owner of Arbury Hall on the early death of his brother, was a canal enthusiast. His interest may have stemmed from his involvement with the Bridgewater Canal
, where he acted as Counsel for their bill to authorise an extension to the River Mersey
. He started constructing canals on his estate in 1764, and by 1795 there were about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of waterways. William Bean from Derbyshire
acted as engineer, assisted by the mason and bricklayer from the Arbury estate, John Morris.
The Communication Canal was constructed to link a wharf near a worsted factory to the Coventry Canal. The channel and junction were excavated in 1771, although the canal was not finished until 1773. It was 1078 yards (985.7 m) long, and included a stop lock close to the junction with the Coventry Canal. This was eventually connected to the Arbury Lower Canal or Griff Canal, most of which was in use by 1771. A new branch was built to connect the Griff Canal to the road running from Arbury to the main turnpike road in 1793. The wharf at its terminus was also served by a tramway connecting it to coal pits. The connection between the two canals was made in 1794, when a staircase of four locks and another of two were completed. The branch to the wharf crossed the locks on an aqueduct, to maintain a link to the worsted factory. The canal was 1540 yards (1,408.2 m) long, and had a feeder running from Kenilworth Pool.
The next section was called the Coventry Wood Canal, and was operational by 1771. Locks to connect it to the Griff Canal and the Arbury High Level Canal were completed in 1772, and it was 528 yards (482.8 m) long. The next section, the Arbury High Level Canal, was the earliest, as it was used for boating in 1764, and was surveyed in that year, to establish how it could be incorporated into a larger system. It was linked to the Graden Pool in 1773 by a lock, and boats could reach Hall Pool two years later, when a staircase of two locks and a single lock were built. This canal was 2505 yards (2,290.6 m) long.
Water for the canals was originally supplied by a feeder from Seeswood Lake, but in 1777, this was enlarged to make it navigable, and in 1784 another lock was built to give access from the canal into the lake. When completed, the Seeswood Canal was 1980 yards (1,810.5 m) long. The final part of the estate canals was the Coton Lawn Canal, which ran for 2112 yards (1,931.2 m) from the Arbury High Level Canal to a wharf on North Walk, passing through Spring Kidden Wood on its way. It was completed in 1795.
Sir Roger also built tramways on his estate. The first connected some pits to the old wharf, but was largely redundant once the Collycroft locks were constructed. The second connected the new wharf on the main canal system to Griff Hollows wharf on the Griff Hollows Canal. It was opened on 29 July 1787, but was superseded by a double-track tramway on a slightly different route in 1793. Few other details have survived, and it is likely that they ceased operation at the same time as the canals did.
s, and only the Communication Canal linking directly with the Coventry Canal remained navigable. Despite the decline, the canals and reservoirs were inspected by the canal engineer Benjamin Bevan in 1815 and 1817, and informed his suggestion that the unfinished Grand Western Canal
could be linked to Taunton
by a narrow canal, which he made in 1818. The following year he assisted Newdigate's successor after claims were made that too much water was flowing from the canals into the Coventry Communication Canal.
Today a few remains of the canal remain visible within the Arbury Estate. A number of original plans of the system are held by the Warwickshire County Record Office. Bedworth Mill, which had an undershot wheel and was fed from the canal, is a grade II listed building, and may have been the inspiration for George Eliot
's The Mill on the Floss.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, in the Arbury Estate, between Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
and Bedworth
Bedworth
Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies northwest of London, east of Birmingham, and north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, to the south, and Nuneaton, to the north.In the 2001 census the town...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They connected with the Coventry Canal
Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England.It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal...
. They were built by Sir Roger Newdigate
Roger Newdigate
Sir Roger Newdigate, 5th Baronet was an English politician and collector of antiquities.He was born in Arbury, Warwickshire, the son of Sir Richard Newdigate, 3rd Baronet and inherited the title 5th Baronet and the estates of Arbury and of Harefield in Middlesex on the early death of his brother...
between 1764 and 1795, and ceased to be used soon after his death in 1806. The Griff Hollows Canal was separate to the main system, and carried coal until its closure in 1961.
Geography
The Arbury Canals consisted of seven sections of canal, which were individually named. The Griff Hollows Canal, which was not physically connected to the other six, linked the colliery at GriffGriff, Warwickshire
Griff is a hamlet in the English county of Warwickshire.Griff is located on the A444 road between the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth and is administered as part of Nuneaton and Bedworth district....
to the Coventry Canal.
About one mile to the south, the main system of canals connected the Coventry Canal to the Arbury Estate, and were used to transport coal and carry produce around the estate. Both canals gained water from Seaswood Pool, just northeast of the village of Astley
Astley, Warwickshire
Astley is a village and parish within the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 219.Astley is Knebly in George Eliot's Mr Gilfil's Love Story. Eliot's parents were married in the church....
.
There were several branches from the main line including the Seeswood Canal which linked to Seeswood Pool, and a short branch to Hall Pool, one of the pools on the estate where water was stored.
The entire system was approximately 6 miles (10 km) long, and included thirteen locks, each 40 ft by 6 ft (12.1 by 1.8 metres). One unusual feature was the Triple Lock, which had a 'Y' shaped chamber, with two separate entrances from above, leading to different branches.
History
Coal was found on the Arbury estate, owned by the Newdigate family, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Sir Richard Newdigate, the 3rd Baronet, was keen to exploit these resources. He was responsible for the introduction of Newcomen atmospheric engines, which were used to drain the mines, the first being installed in 1716. Its success was put down to luck by Desaguliers, writing in 1744, who stated that the use of condensation water had been discovered by accident, and that the valve gear, which made the machine self-acting, had been built from catches and strings by Humphrey Potter, a young lad whose job was to mind it. Whether this account was true is unknown, but it was self acting in 1817, when Henry Beighton studied it and published a detailed engraving of the engine.Sir Richard also constructed three "boatways" between 1700 and 1711, which were small canals used to convey coal from the outlying pits. His son, Sir Roger Newdigate
Roger Newdigate
Sir Roger Newdigate, 5th Baronet was an English politician and collector of antiquities.He was born in Arbury, Warwickshire, the son of Sir Richard Newdigate, 3rd Baronet and inherited the title 5th Baronet and the estates of Arbury and of Harefield in Middlesex on the early death of his brother...
, the 5th baronet, would incorporate these into a larger system. Sir Roger, who was a Member of Parliament and became the owner of Arbury Hall on the early death of his brother, was a canal enthusiast. His interest may have stemmed from his involvement with the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
, where he acted as Counsel for their bill to authorise an extension to the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. He started constructing canals on his estate in 1764, and by 1795 there were about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of waterways. William Bean from Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
acted as engineer, assisted by the mason and bricklayer from the Arbury estate, John Morris.
The Communication Canal was constructed to link a wharf near a worsted factory to the Coventry Canal. The channel and junction were excavated in 1771, although the canal was not finished until 1773. It was 1078 yards (985.7 m) long, and included a stop lock close to the junction with the Coventry Canal. This was eventually connected to the Arbury Lower Canal or Griff Canal, most of which was in use by 1771. A new branch was built to connect the Griff Canal to the road running from Arbury to the main turnpike road in 1793. The wharf at its terminus was also served by a tramway connecting it to coal pits. The connection between the two canals was made in 1794, when a staircase of four locks and another of two were completed. The branch to the wharf crossed the locks on an aqueduct, to maintain a link to the worsted factory. The canal was 1540 yards (1,408.2 m) long, and had a feeder running from Kenilworth Pool.
The next section was called the Coventry Wood Canal, and was operational by 1771. Locks to connect it to the Griff Canal and the Arbury High Level Canal were completed in 1772, and it was 528 yards (482.8 m) long. The next section, the Arbury High Level Canal, was the earliest, as it was used for boating in 1764, and was surveyed in that year, to establish how it could be incorporated into a larger system. It was linked to the Graden Pool in 1773 by a lock, and boats could reach Hall Pool two years later, when a staircase of two locks and a single lock were built. This canal was 2505 yards (2,290.6 m) long.
Water for the canals was originally supplied by a feeder from Seeswood Lake, but in 1777, this was enlarged to make it navigable, and in 1784 another lock was built to give access from the canal into the lake. When completed, the Seeswood Canal was 1980 yards (1,810.5 m) long. The final part of the estate canals was the Coton Lawn Canal, which ran for 2112 yards (1,931.2 m) from the Arbury High Level Canal to a wharf on North Walk, passing through Spring Kidden Wood on its way. It was completed in 1795.
Sir Roger also built tramways on his estate. The first connected some pits to the old wharf, but was largely redundant once the Collycroft locks were constructed. The second connected the new wharf on the main canal system to Griff Hollows wharf on the Griff Hollows Canal. It was opened on 29 July 1787, but was superseded by a double-track tramway on a slightly different route in 1793. Few other details have survived, and it is likely that they ceased operation at the same time as the canals did.
Decline
After Newdigate's death in 1806, at the age of 88, the estate system continued to be used until 1812, but then it gradually became disused, and by 1819 the upper levels were no longer navigable. From that date the locks were replaced by weirWeir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
s, and only the Communication Canal linking directly with the Coventry Canal remained navigable. Despite the decline, the canals and reservoirs were inspected by the canal engineer Benjamin Bevan in 1815 and 1817, and informed his suggestion that the unfinished Grand Western Canal
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal ran between Taunton in Somerset and Tiverton in Devon in the United Kingdom. The canal had its origins in various plans, going back to 1796, to link the Bristol Channel and the English Channel by a canal, bypassing Lands End...
could be linked to Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
by a narrow canal, which he made in 1818. The following year he assisted Newdigate's successor after claims were made that too much water was flowing from the canals into the Coventry Communication Canal.
Today a few remains of the canal remain visible within the Arbury Estate. A number of original plans of the system are held by the Warwickshire County Record Office. Bedworth Mill, which had an undershot wheel and was fed from the canal, is a grade II listed building, and may have been the inspiration for George Eliot
George Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
's The Mill on the Floss.