Charnwood Forest Canal
Encyclopedia
The Charnwood Forest Canal, sometimes known as the "Forest Line of the Leicester Navigation", was opened between Thringstone
and Nanpantan
, with a further connection to Barrow Hill, near Worthington
, in 1794
It marks the beginning of a period of history that saw the introduction of railways to supplement canals and, in the end, superseding them, leading eventually to the Midland Counties Railway
. It was also one of the first uses of edge-rails for a wagonway
.
(This should not be confused with the Charnwood Forest Railway
.)
Until the end of the eighteenth century the City of Leicester
had received its supplies of coal by packhorse
from the Charnwood Forest
coal mines around Swannington
.
However, in 1778, the Loughborough Canal opened up the River Soar
from the Trent
to Loughborough
, and the opening of the Erewash Canal
the following year allowed a ready supply of coal from the Nottinghamshire
coalfields into Leicestershire at reduced prices.
In 1785, proposals to extend the Loughborough Canal south from Loughborough
to Leicester
were opposed by the influential Leicestershire
coalmasters, even when a canal linking the mining area to the canal at Loughborough
was also proposed. Gradually, however, they warmed to the idea and even came to consider a canal of their own linked to either Loughborough
or the proposed Ashby Canal. By 1790 serious opposition to a branch canal from Loughborough
to the coal field, known as the "Forest Line", had been won over and the following year the Leicester Navigation Company obtained an act of parliament
to extend the Soar Navigation from Loughborough
to Leicester
, and to build the Forest Line.
The considerable height difference between Nanpantan
and Loughborough
would have required a number of locks, for which there was not enough water, so the canal terminated at Nanpantan
where goods had to be transhipped onto a horse-drawn wagonway
which connected to Loughborough
wharf
. The tramway was engineered by William Jessop
who used an iron edge-rail
railway, in contrast to his partner Benjamin Outram
, who, for other such lines, preferred the traditional iron "L" shaped flange-rail plateway
.
Wagonways also linked the other terminus of the Forest Line at Thringstone
to the coal mines and to the limestone
quarries at Barrow Hill and Cloud Hill.
Considerable difficulties were encountered in constructing both the Soar Navigation and the Forest Line, and it was not until 1794 that they were both opened.
feeder was finished. During the floods of 1799 this collapsed, destroying some earthworks and an aqueduct, and the canal went out of use for two years. Even after some repairs were carried out, further damage occurred and what little trade there had been did not return. Stevenson suggests "the problems ... stemmed partially from the hybrid nature of its construction." That is, it was part canal, part wagonway
.
In 1808 the company sought to abandon the Forest Line but were advised that this would require a costly act of parliament
, so they turned this down, and the unused canal became derelict. In 1830 the Leicester and Swannington Railway
was authorised, which greatly affected the transport situation in the area. The canal company was dismayed to receive a formal request by the Earl of Stamford that the Forest Line be put into good order to carry limestone
. A proposal was drawn up to convert the canal to a wagonway
or railway throughout and a bill
was presented to parliament but was opposed and was not passed. The company tried to sell off the land of the canal piecemeal but this was deemed to be illegal without an act of parliament
. In the end a landowner who wanted to buy some of the land agreed to pay for a private bill
and the Forest Line was officially abandoned in 1846.
allowed the Leicestershire
miners to regain a competitive advantage. The Nottinghamshire coal miners responded to this by proposing a railway line extending from the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
, which had been opened in 1819. This eventually led to the building of Midland Counties Railway
, which became a founding partner in the Midland Railway
.
Subsequently the Charnwood Forest Railway
(opened in 1883 and closed in 1963) took over part of the route of the Forest Line between Grace Dieu and Shepshed
, including the aqueduct over the Blackbrook.
Remains of the canal can still be seen in places, particularly: south of Osgathorpe
; the aqueduct over an accommodation track near the Blackbrook (subsequently modified and widened by the Charnwood Forest Railway
) ; alongside the entrance to Longcliffe Golf Club in Nanpantan
; alongside the public footpath in the back gardens of houses on Forest Road in Nanpantan
.
Thringstone
Thringstone is a village in north-west Leicestershire, England about north of Coalville. It lies within the area of the English National Forest and is part of the East Midlands region....
and Nanpantan
Nanpantan
Nanpantan is a small village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is located in the south-west of the town of Loughborough, but the village is slightly separated from the main built-up area of Loughborough...
, with a further connection to Barrow Hill, near Worthington
Worthington, Leicestershire
Worthington is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, about north of the town of Coalville and a similar distance north-east of the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The village is about from East Midlands Airport and junction 23a of the M1 motorway where it meets the...
, in 1794
It marks the beginning of a period of history that saw the introduction of railways to supplement canals and, in the end, superseding them, leading eventually to the Midland Counties Railway
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
. It was also one of the first uses of edge-rails for a wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
.
(This should not be confused with the Charnwood Forest Railway
Charnwood Forest Railway
The Charnwood Forest Railway was a branch line in Leicestershire constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. The branch line ran from Coalville to the town of Loughborough....
.)
Origin
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
had received its supplies of coal by packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
from the Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough, and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft and upwards, the area...
coal mines around Swannington
Swannington, Leicestershire
Swannington is a former mining village in Leicestershire, England. It was a terminus of the early Leicester and Swannington Railway that was built to carry away its pits' output...
.
However, in 1778, the Loughborough Canal opened up the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
from the Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
to Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, and the opening of the Erewash Canal
Erewash Canal
The Erewash Canal is a broad canal in Derbyshire, England. It runs just under and has 14 locks. The first lock at Langley Bridge is actually part of the Cromford Canal.-Origins:...
the following year allowed a ready supply of coal from the Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
coalfields into Leicestershire at reduced prices.
In 1785, proposals to extend the Loughborough Canal south from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
were opposed by the influential Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
coalmasters, even when a canal linking the mining area to the canal at Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
was also proposed. Gradually, however, they warmed to the idea and even came to consider a canal of their own linked to either Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
or the proposed Ashby Canal. By 1790 serious opposition to a branch canal from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to the coal field, known as the "Forest Line", had been won over and the following year the Leicester Navigation Company obtained an act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to extend the Soar Navigation from Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, and to build the Forest Line.
The considerable height difference between Nanpantan
Nanpantan
Nanpantan is a small village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is located in the south-west of the town of Loughborough, but the village is slightly separated from the main built-up area of Loughborough...
and Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
would have required a number of locks, for which there was not enough water, so the canal terminated at Nanpantan
Nanpantan
Nanpantan is a small village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is located in the south-west of the town of Loughborough, but the village is slightly separated from the main built-up area of Loughborough...
where goods had to be transhipped onto a horse-drawn wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
which connected to Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
wharf
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
. The tramway was engineered by William Jessop
William Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
who used an iron edge-rail
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
railway, in contrast to his partner Benjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways.-Personal life:...
, who, for other such lines, preferred the traditional iron "L" shaped flange-rail plateway
Plateway
A plateway is an early kind of railway or tramway or wagonway, with a cast iron rail. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later....
.
Wagonways also linked the other terminus of the Forest Line at Thringstone
Thringstone
Thringstone is a village in north-west Leicestershire, England about north of Coalville. It lies within the area of the English National Forest and is part of the East Midlands region....
to the coal mines and to the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries at Barrow Hill and Cloud Hill.
Considerable difficulties were encountered in constructing both the Soar Navigation and the Forest Line, and it was not until 1794 that they were both opened.
History
Use of the Forest Line was limited until the Blackbrook ReservoirBlackbrook Reservoir
Blackbrook Reservoir is a large body of water near Shepshed, Leicestershire, in England. The reservoir was constructed in 1796 in order to feed the Charnwood Forest Canal, which has long since vanished. The first dam constructed was an earthworks one, and this failed on February 20 of 1799...
feeder was finished. During the floods of 1799 this collapsed, destroying some earthworks and an aqueduct, and the canal went out of use for two years. Even after some repairs were carried out, further damage occurred and what little trade there had been did not return. Stevenson suggests "the problems ... stemmed partially from the hybrid nature of its construction." That is, it was part canal, part wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
.
In 1808 the company sought to abandon the Forest Line but were advised that this would require a costly act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
, so they turned this down, and the unused canal became derelict. In 1830 the Leicester and Swannington Railway
Leicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was one of England's first railways, being opened on 17 July 1832 to bring coal from collieries in west Leicestershire to Leicester.-Overview:...
was authorised, which greatly affected the transport situation in the area. The canal company was dismayed to receive a formal request by the Earl of Stamford that the Forest Line be put into good order to carry limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. A proposal was drawn up to convert the canal to a wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
or railway throughout and a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
was presented to parliament but was opposed and was not passed. The company tried to sell off the land of the canal piecemeal but this was deemed to be illegal without an act of parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
. In the end a landowner who wanted to buy some of the land agreed to pay for a private bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
and the Forest Line was officially abandoned in 1846.
After the canal's closure
It was not until 1832 that the opening of the Leicester and Swannington RailwayLeicester and Swannington Railway
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was one of England's first railways, being opened on 17 July 1832 to bring coal from collieries in west Leicestershire to Leicester.-Overview:...
allowed the Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
miners to regain a competitive advantage. The Nottinghamshire coal miners responded to this by proposing a railway line extending from the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was an early horse-drawn railway company in the United Kingdom, constructed in 1819 to transport coal between Mansfield and the head of the Pinxton branch of the Cromford Canal and thence by the Erewash Valley and the Trent to Leicester...
, which had been opened in 1819. This eventually led to the building of Midland Counties Railway
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...
, which became a founding partner in the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
.
Subsequently the Charnwood Forest Railway
Charnwood Forest Railway
The Charnwood Forest Railway was a branch line in Leicestershire constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. The branch line ran from Coalville to the town of Loughborough....
(opened in 1883 and closed in 1963) took over part of the route of the Forest Line between Grace Dieu and Shepshed
Shepshed
Shepshed, often known until 1888 as Sheepshed, is a town in Leicestershire, England with a population of around 14,000 people...
, including the aqueduct over the Blackbrook.
Remains of the canal can still be seen in places, particularly: south of Osgathorpe
Osgathorpe
Osgathorpe is a small village which lies in a fold of the hills in North West Leicestershire, England, and is about a quarter of a mile the A512 Coalville to Loughborough Road....
; the aqueduct over an accommodation track near the Blackbrook (subsequently modified and widened by the Charnwood Forest Railway
Charnwood Forest Railway
The Charnwood Forest Railway was a branch line in Leicestershire constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. The branch line ran from Coalville to the town of Loughborough....
) ; alongside the entrance to Longcliffe Golf Club in Nanpantan
Nanpantan
Nanpantan is a small village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is located in the south-west of the town of Loughborough, but the village is slightly separated from the main built-up area of Loughborough...
; alongside the public footpath in the back gardens of houses on Forest Road in Nanpantan
Nanpantan
Nanpantan is a small village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is located in the south-west of the town of Loughborough, but the village is slightly separated from the main built-up area of Loughborough...
.
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...