Grand Contour Canal
Encyclopedia
The Grand Contour Canal in England
was intended to form part of the British canal system, but was never built. This canal was proposed in 1943, and again ten years later. It was so named for its height above sea level, 310 feet (94.5 m). It was to be 100 feet (30.5 m) wide by 17 feet (5.2 m) deep, with 25 feet (7.6 m) headroom.
It was intended to connect the major industrial centres of London
, Bristol
, Southampton
, Coventry
, Birmingham
, Nottingham
, Derby
, Chester
, Manchester
, Blackburn, Bradford
, Hartlepool
and Newcastle
, with vertical lift locks at the nine termini, having tanks 250 feet (76.2 m) X 35 feet (10.7 m) x 14 feet (4.3 m) draught. A 6 miles (9.7 km) long tunnel
was proposed between Airedale
and Ribblesdale.
The scheme was intended both for transport and for a water supply
grid - for which perhaps its time has now come, for water distribution is becoming a major problem, particularly in London
and South East England
. Indeed, Boris Johnson
, the Mayor of London
, showed his support for the scheme as a way to transport water from the higher, and wetter, areas of Wales, Scotland, and northern England to the 'breadbasket' of the south east. A maximum flow of water of some 2000 cuft/s anywhere in either direction was visualised, sourced from the Northern Pennines 800 square miles (2,072 km²), The Dee, the Severn and the Wye 1040 square miles (2,693.6 km²) and Exmoor
160 square miles (414.4 km²)
scheme (1892) in mid-Wales
(capacity 99,000 megalitres) which includes (with four others) the Craig Goch Dam
provides water to Birmingham
(pop. 1 million), but was designed looking forward 63 years.
Lake Vyrnwy
was created by the construction of the first large masonry dam
in Britain, between 1881 and 1888, to provide an urgently needed new water supply for the growing city of Liverpool
, and the water from the Welsh mountains was to be carried by an aqueduct to the city.
The Longdendale Reservoir, in the Pennines
18 miles (29 km) east of Manchester
, was one of the first of its kind in the country when it was opened in 1851. By 1875 it was obvious that growing population of the city would need even more water, so plans were drawn up to construct a reservoir
in the Lake District
. Thirlmere
(1894) now provides water for Manchester
100 miles (160.9 km) away.
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...
was intended to form part of the British canal system, but was never built. This canal was proposed in 1943, and again ten years later. It was so named for its height above sea level, 310 feet (94.5 m). It was to be 100 feet (30.5 m) wide by 17 feet (5.2 m) deep, with 25 feet (7.6 m) headroom.
It was intended to connect the major industrial centres of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Blackburn, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
and Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, with vertical lift locks at the nine termini, having tanks 250 feet (76.2 m) X 35 feet (10.7 m) x 14 feet (4.3 m) draught. A 6 miles (9.7 km) long tunnel
Canal tunnel
A canal tunnel is a tunnel for a canal. The biggest canal tunnel in the world is the Rove Tunnel in France. The oldest canal tunnel in the world is the Malpas Tunnel also in France, built in 1679. In the United States there is the Paw Paw Tunnel that opened in 1850.In some canal tunnels the towpath...
was proposed between Airedale
Airedale
Airedale is a geographic area in Yorkshire, England, corresponding to the river valley of the River Aire . The valley stretches from the river's origin in Malham which is in the Yorkshire Dales, down past Keighley and Bingley, through Leeds and Castleford and on to join the Humber...
and Ribblesdale.
The scheme was intended both for transport and for a water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
grid - for which perhaps its time has now come, for water distribution is becoming a major problem, particularly in London
London water supply infrastructure
London's water supply infrastructure has developed over the centuries in line with the expansion of London and now represents a sizeable infrastructure investment. For much of London's history, private companies supplied fresh water to various parts of London from the River Thames and the River Lea...
and South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. Indeed, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
, the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
, showed his support for the scheme as a way to transport water from the higher, and wetter, areas of Wales, Scotland, and northern England to the 'breadbasket' of the south east. A maximum flow of water of some 2000 cuft/s anywhere in either direction was visualised, sourced from the Northern Pennines 800 square miles (2,072 km²), The Dee, the Severn and the Wye 1040 square miles (2,693.6 km²) and Exmoor
Exmoor
Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...
160 square miles (414.4 km²)
Earlier schemes
The Elan Valley ReservoirsElan Valley Reservoirs
The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes and reservoirs in the Elan Valley in Powys, Mid Wales , using the rivers Elan and Claerwen...
scheme (1892) in mid-Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(capacity 99,000 megalitres) which includes (with four others) the Craig Goch Dam
Craig Goch Dam
The Craig Goch Dam, often called the Top dam, is a masonry dam in the Elan Valley of Wales and creates the upper-most of the Elan Valley Reservoirs. Construction on the dam began in 1897 and it was complete in 1904. The primary purpose of the dam and the other reservoirs is to supply Birmingham...
provides water to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(pop. 1 million), but was designed looking forward 63 years.
Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal...
was created by the construction of the first large masonry dam
Masonry dam
Masonry dams are dams made out of masonry; mainly stone and brick. They are either the gravity or the arch type.The largest masonry dam of the world is Nagarjunasagar Dam in India....
in Britain, between 1881 and 1888, to provide an urgently needed new water supply for the growing city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and the water from the Welsh mountains was to be carried by an aqueduct to the city.
The Longdendale Reservoir, in the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
18 miles (29 km) east of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, was one of the first of its kind in the country when it was opened in 1851. By 1875 it was obvious that growing population of the city would need even more water, so plans were drawn up to construct a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. Thirlmere
Thirlmere
Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. It runs roughly south to north, with a dam at the northern end, and is bordered on the eastern side by the A591 road and on the western side by a minor road....
(1894) now provides water for Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
100 miles (160.9 km) away.
Further reading
- "Engineering", Vol 153 (1942) p.263
- "Engineering", Vol 156 (1943) p.281
- "Engineering", 11 Dec. 1953, p.741
- "Water and Sanitary Engineer"
- "Dock and Harbour" journal
- Bateman, John, History and Description of the Manchester Waterworks, 1884 (628.1)
- Harwood, J. J., History and Description of the Thirlmere Water Scheme, 1895 (628 1 H1)
- Quayle, Tom, Reservoirs in the Hills, 1988 (q628.132QU)
- Thirlmere Defence Association, Manchester and Thirlmere Water Scheme, 1877 (628.1)
- The Manchester Corporation Waterworks Undertaking – A Short History and Description,1930 (628 1 Ma(660)
- M126 Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association, 1848–1924
- M231 Manchester and Salford Waterworks Co.,1836–1841, Manchester Corporation Waterworks, 1848–1966
- "The Grand Contour Pt.1" by Michael Baldwin, Waterways World, Sept 1975, p.23
- "The Grand Contour Pt.2" by Michael Baldwin, Waterways World, Oct 1975, p.22