Contour canal
Encyclopedia
A contour canal is an artificially-dug navigable canal
which closely follows the contour line
of the land it traverses in order to avoid costly engineering works such as boring a tunnel
through higher ground, building an embankment over lower ground, or constructing a canal lock (or series of locks) to change the level of the canal.
In the United Kingdom, many of the canals built in the period from 1770 to 1800 were contour canals - for example, the Oxford Canal
. These canals are characterised by their meandering course. Later canals built from about 1810 onwards were much straighter and more direct - a good example is the Shropshire Union Canal
engineered by Thomas Telford
.
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:...
which closely follows the contour line
Contour line
A contour line of a function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value. In cartography, a contour line joins points of equal elevation above a given level, such as mean sea level...
of the land it traverses in order to avoid costly engineering works such as boring a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
through higher ground, building an embankment over lower ground, or constructing a canal lock (or series of locks) to change the level of the canal.
In the United Kingdom, many of the canals built in the period from 1770 to 1800 were contour canals - for example, the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
. These canals are characterised by their meandering course. Later canals built from about 1810 onwards were much straighter and more direct - a good example is the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
engineered by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
.