Saltisford Canal Arm
Encyclopedia
The Saltisford Canal Arm is a short stretch of canal
located in the town of Warwick
, Warwickshire
, England
. Opened in the 1790s . Originally it wasn't an arm at all, but the start of the Warwick / Birmingham Canal. It took on the appearance of an (arm) branch when the Warwick / Napton canal was completed which junctions at the Birmingham Road / Budbrooke Industrial Estate. It is the last surviving branch (arm) of the much longer, nationally known Grand Union Canal
.
The arm was first opened in 1799 as a terminus
for the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. Its initial purpose was purely to allow good to be transported near to the town centre with its castle
and market
. However the building of the gas works next to the end of the arm in 1822 also greatly increased usage.
It stayed under the control of the W&B canal, through various merges, until 1927 when it was purchased by the Regent's Canal
company which two years later was re-named the Grand Union.
The 1930s
saw the site used extensively as a workyard and storage area during the construction of the nearby Hatton Locks
. The Transport Act 1947
saw the canal network as a whole nationalised and British Waterways
was formed after the Transport Act 1962
which split control of the canals and railways between two different authorities. At this time the arm, after leaving the main canal, passed under the Chiltern Main Line
railway bridge and terminated at the back of what is now The Antelope Pub next to Sainsbury's, making it around 700 metres long. During the 1970s however with the decline of the gasworks, the downsizing of the town market and the opening of the A46
bypass decreased the arms usage and it eventually fell into disuse.
It was during this period that part of the arm was taken out of use and filled in. This led to the canal terminating just before the Chiltern Main Line
, cutting its length to approximately 400 metres. The former canal bed is virtually untraceable having been built over with houses and offices. All that remains is a well hidden bridge next to a car park. This led in 1982 to the formation of the Saltisford Canal Trust which spent the next six years restoring the remainder of the route to its former glories. Further work was done in 2007, help by a £2,000 grant from the Inland Waterways Association
. The arm now houses several permanent boats on which families live as well as playing host to many travelling vessels and hiring out two boats
for public use.
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:...
located in the town of Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, 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...
. Opened in the 1790s . Originally it wasn't an arm at all, but the start of the Warwick / Birmingham Canal. It took on the appearance of an (arm) branch when the Warwick / Napton canal was completed which junctions at the Birmingham Road / Budbrooke Industrial Estate. It is the last surviving branch (arm) of the much longer, nationally known Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
.
The arm was first opened in 1799 as a terminus
Container terminal
A container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...
for the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. Its initial purpose was purely to allow good to be transported near to the town centre with its castle
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
and market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. However the building of the gas works next to the end of the arm in 1822 also greatly increased usage.
It stayed under the control of the W&B canal, through various merges, until 1927 when it was purchased by the Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
company which two years later was re-named the Grand Union.
The 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
saw the site used extensively as a workyard and storage area during the construction of the nearby Hatton Locks
Hatton Locks
The Hatton Locks are a flight of 21 locks on the Grand Union Canal in Hatton, Warwickshire, UK. The flight spans less than of canal, and has a total rise of .- History :The flight was opened in December 1799 on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal...
. The Transport Act 1947
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
saw the canal network as a whole nationalised and British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
was formed after the Transport Act 1962
Transport Act 1962
The Transport Act 1962 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Described as the "most momentous piece of legislation in the field of railway law to have been enacted since the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1854", it was passed by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government to dissolve the...
which split control of the canals and railways between two different authorities. At this time the arm, after leaving the main canal, passed under the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
railway bridge and terminated at the back of what is now The Antelope Pub next to Sainsbury's, making it around 700 metres long. During the 1970s however with the decline of the gasworks, the downsizing of the town market and the opening of the A46
A46 road
The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
bypass decreased the arms usage and it eventually fell into disuse.
It was during this period that part of the arm was taken out of use and filled in. This led to the canal terminating just before the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
, cutting its length to approximately 400 metres. The former canal bed is virtually untraceable having been built over with houses and offices. All that remains is a well hidden bridge next to a car park. This led in 1982 to the formation of the Saltisford Canal Trust which spent the next six years restoring the remainder of the route to its former glories. Further work was done in 2007, help by a £2,000 grant from the Inland Waterways Association
Inland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association was formed in 1946 as a registered charity in the United Kingdom to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations....
. The arm now houses several permanent boats on which families live as well as playing host to many travelling vessels and hiring out two boats
Narrowboat
A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
for public use.