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Leominster Canal

December 15, 2023

The Leominster Canal was an English canal which ran for just over 18 miles from Mamble to Leominster through 16 locks and a number of tunnels, some of which suffered engineering problems even before the canal opened. Originally, the canal was part of a much more ambitious plan to run 46 miles from Stourport to Kington.

Leominster Canal
Aqueduct over the river Teme at Little Hereford
Specifications
Locks16
StatusAbandoned, partially built over by railway
History
Original ownerLeominster Canal Proprietors
Principal engineerThomas Dadford jr
Date of act1791
Date of first use1794
Date completed1796 (Leominster to Marbrook)
Date closed1858
Geography
Start pointLeominster
(Planned from Kington)
End pointMarbrook
(Planned to Stourport)

History edit

Construction edit

Following the opening of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in 1772, which linked the industrial Midlands to the River Severn at Stourport, the engineer Robert Whitworth proposed a canal to link Stourport to Hereford, passing through Pensax and Leominster in 1777. Meetings were held at Leominster and Tenbury Wells in 1789, at which it was decided to survey possible routes from Leominster to Stourport. Thomas Dadford, Jr. carried out the survey, and presented a plan to a meeting in December 1789 for a 31-mile (50 km) canal, costing £83,000, with estimated receipts of £4,300 per year. Three tunnels would be required, at Putnal Field, Southnet and Pensax.[1]

 
The Aqueduct over the River Rea, north of the village of Newnham Bridge, Parish of Knighton on Teme

Despite the low estimated returns, a meeting in January 1790 decided to proceed with Dadford's canal. A further meeting was held in Kington in April, and there were calls to build a connecting canal to the town. The two schemes became one, and the total length of the canal would be 46 miles (74 km). From Kington, locks would raise the level of the canal by 48 feet (15 m), and then it would fall by 496 feet (151 m) to reach the River Severn.[2] The lack of major towns or industries did not seem to worry the proposers, and an Act of Parliament (31 Geo. 3. c. 69) was obtained on 13 May 1791, which allowed the Proprietors to raise £150,000, with another £40,000 if necessary.[3]

Dadford was appointed as Engineer, a position which he held until 1795, although he only devoted one-quarter of his time to the Leominster Canal, as he performed the same role for the Monmouthshire Canal and was contracted to them for the remaining three-quarters of his time.[4] Work began soon after his appointment, and by October 1794, the section from Woofferton near Tenbury to Marlbrook near Mamble was open for traffic.[5]

The following year saw most of the section from Leominster to Woofferton completed, while beyond Marlbrook the 1,254-yard (1,147 m) Southnet tunnel was finished and work started on an aqueduct over the River Lugg at Kingsland. Around £90,000 had been spent to reach this stage. There were problems with the Southnet tunnel, part of which collapsed in 1795. The Proprietors sought the advice of John Rennie, who criticised Dadford's work. He estimated that £20,000 would be required to rectify the existing works from Southnet to Leominster, and that another £135,937 would be needed to complete the project.[6] Undaunted, the Proprietors applied for a second Act of Parliament, which they obtained on 26 April 1796, authorising them to raise or borrow a further £180,000.[7] The 330-yard (300 m) tunnel at Putnall Fields, which had proved very difficult to construct, was completed in July 1796, completing the route to Leominster, and creating a working canal which was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long. On 1 June 1797, a ceremonial cut was made on the banks of the River Severn, where the canal was eventually planned to join it, but only £62,582 had been raised under the terms of the second Act, and with some £25,000 owing, all work ceased.[6]

In 1803, the Proprietors sought the advice of John Hodgkinson, as to how the canal could be completed. As a railway engineer, Hodgkinson recommended that railways should be built at either end of the existing section of canal, to connect to Kington and Stourport. Although another Act of Parliament was obtained, no construction work took place. Nine years later, they again approached Hodgkinson, and this time he suggested that they should abandon the authorised route to Stourport and extend the canal on a new alignment to the River Severn at Worcester. Nothing came of this plan, either.[8]

Operation edit

Leominster Canal
Legend
 
 To Stourport and River Severn
 
 
 Southnet Tunnel (1,250 yds)
 
 
 Southnet Wharf
 
 lock(s)
 
 Marlbrook
 
 Rea Aqueduct
 
 Newnham Tunnel (100 yds)
 
 Tenbury Wells
 
 Teme Aqueduct
 
 Woofferton
 
 Woofferton locks (2)
 
 Putnall Tunnel (350 yds)
 
 Stockton locks (2)
 
 Leominster
 
 
 Lugg Aqueduct
 
 
 To Kington

In January 1794 the canal opened from Marlbrook to Woofferton and seven boatloads of coal were transported from the Mamble collieries on the first day.[9] Engineering difficulties delayed the opening of Putnall Tunnel (south of Woofferton) until 1796. By the end of that year an 18.5 miles (29.8 km) stretch of the canal was open between Marlbrook and Leominster and on the first day 14 boatloads of coal arrived in Leominster.[9] Coal from the Mamble collieries was brought down the hill on tramways to Southnet wharf, where it was loaded onto barges and transported to Leominster. For the next 60 years, the canal carried coal to Leominster, enabling the Mamble collieries to prosper.[10] However the traffic from Mamble Colliery was not sufficient to run the canal at a profit, so the owners were constantly seeking to extend it eastwards to meet the River Severn, although this never materialised.[11]

Decline edit

The canal never paid a dividend. What little money was collected was mostly paid for tolls on the transport of coal. In 1858, after sustained pressure by the Canal Company, the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway paid £12,000 for the canal, which valued each £100 share at £16, and drained it soon after to sell the land. Part of the route was subsequently used for the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway that connected Woofferton to Bewdley via Tenbury Wells station, which was actually in Burford, Shropshire, not Tenbury Wells.[12]

Remains edit

Although the canal has been closed for over 150 years, there are some remains left, including an aqueduct over the River Rea, and parts of a 3-arched aqueduct over the River Teme. The centre arch of the latter was destroyed as part of an explosives exercise during the Second World War,[13] but the remains became a Grade II listed structure in 2000.[14] The Rea aqueduct consisted of a single brick span of 45 feet (13.7 m) with a brick-lined trough to carry the canal over it. It was thought to be the largest brick span at the time of its construction, and like the Teme aqueduct, it was Grade II listed in 2000.[15] It has become a right of way across the River Rea, but the footpath was closed in 2014 following a partial collapse of the canal trough.[16] The Friends of the Leominster Canal exists to raise awareness of the waterway and holds visits to the canal and associated features.

Points of interest edit

See also edit

Bibliography edit

  • Hadfield, Charles (1967). The Canals of South Wales and the Border. David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4027-1.
  • Priestley, Joseph (1831). . Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  • Skempton, Sir Alec; et al. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: Vol 2: 1830 to 1890. Thomas Telford. ISBN 978-0-7277-3504-1.

References edit

  1. ^ Hadfield 1967, p. 191.
  2. ^ Hadfield 1967, pp. 191–192.
  3. ^ Priestley 1831, p. 410.
  4. ^ Skempton 2002, p. 166.
  5. ^ Hadfield 1967, p. 192.
  6. ^ a b Hadfield 1967, p. 193.
  7. ^ Priestley 1831, pp. 410–411.
  8. ^ Skempton 2002, p. 324.
  9. ^ a b . Herefordshire through Time. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  10. ^ Poyner, David; Robert Evans. "Mamble Colliery" (PDF). SCMC Journal. 4. (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2016.
  11. ^ . Herefordshire through Time. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  12. ^ Hadfield 1967, pp. 197–198.
  13. ^ . Waterscape.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Teme Aqueduct (1383773)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  15. ^ Historic England. "Rea Aqueduct (1383584)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  16. ^ Slater, David. . Waterways World. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.

External links edit

  Media related to Leominster Canal at Wikimedia Commons

52°18′48″N 2°40′56″W / 52.3134°N 2.6821°W / 52.3134; -2.6821

December 15, 2023
leominster, canal, english, canal, which, just, over, miles, from, mamble, leominster, through, locks, number, tunnels, some, which, suffered, engineering, problems, even, before, canal, opened, originally, canal, part, much, more, ambitious, plan, miles, from. The Leominster Canal was an English canal which ran for just over 18 miles from Mamble to Leominster through 16 locks and a number of tunnels some of which suffered engineering problems even before the canal opened Originally the canal was part of a much more ambitious plan to run 46 miles from Stourport to Kington Leominster CanalAqueduct over the river Teme at Little HerefordSpecificationsLocks16StatusAbandoned partially built over by railwayHistoryOriginal ownerLeominster Canal ProprietorsPrincipal engineerThomas Dadford jrDate of act1791Date of first use1794Date completed1796 Leominster to Marbrook Date closed1858GeographyStart pointLeominster Planned from Kington End pointMarbrook Planned to Stourport Contents 1 History 1 1 Construction 1 2 Operation 1 3 Decline 2 Remains 3 Points of interest 4 See also 5 Bibliography 5 1 References 6 External linksHistory editConstruction edit Following the opening of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in 1772 which linked the industrial Midlands to the River Severn at Stourport the engineer Robert Whitworth proposed a canal to link Stourport to Hereford passing through Pensax and Leominster in 1777 Meetings were held at Leominster and Tenbury Wells in 1789 at which it was decided to survey possible routes from Leominster to Stourport Thomas Dadford Jr carried out the survey and presented a plan to a meeting in December 1789 for a 31 mile 50 km canal costing 83 000 with estimated receipts of 4 300 per year Three tunnels would be required at Putnal Field Southnet and Pensax 1 nbsp The Aqueduct over the River Rea north of the village of Newnham Bridge Parish of Knighton on TemeDespite the low estimated returns a meeting in January 1790 decided to proceed with Dadford s canal A further meeting was held in Kington in April and there were calls to build a connecting canal to the town The two schemes became one and the total length of the canal would be 46 miles 74 km From Kington locks would raise the level of the canal by 48 feet 15 m and then it would fall by 496 feet 151 m to reach the River Severn 2 The lack of major towns or industries did not seem to worry the proposers and an Act of Parliament 31 Geo 3 c 69 was obtained on 13 May 1791 which allowed the Proprietors to raise 150 000 with another 40 000 if necessary 3 Dadford was appointed as Engineer a position which he held until 1795 although he only devoted one quarter of his time to the Leominster Canal as he performed the same role for the Monmouthshire Canal and was contracted to them for the remaining three quarters of his time 4 Work began soon after his appointment and by October 1794 the section from Woofferton near Tenbury to Marlbrook near Mamble was open for traffic 5 The following year saw most of the section from Leominster to Woofferton completed while beyond Marlbrook the 1 254 yard 1 147 m Southnet tunnel was finished and work started on an aqueduct over the River Lugg at Kingsland Around 90 000 had been spent to reach this stage There were problems with the Southnet tunnel part of which collapsed in 1795 The Proprietors sought the advice of John Rennie who criticised Dadford s work He estimated that 20 000 would be required to rectify the existing works from Southnet to Leominster and that another 135 937 would be needed to complete the project 6 Undaunted the Proprietors applied for a second Act of Parliament which they obtained on 26 April 1796 authorising them to raise or borrow a further 180 000 7 The 330 yard 300 m tunnel at Putnall Fields which had proved very difficult to construct was completed in July 1796 completing the route to Leominster and creating a working canal which was 18 5 miles 29 8 km long On 1 June 1797 a ceremonial cut was made on the banks of the River Severn where the canal was eventually planned to join it but only 62 582 had been raised under the terms of the second Act and with some 25 000 owing all work ceased 6 In 1803 the Proprietors sought the advice of John Hodgkinson as to how the canal could be completed As a railway engineer Hodgkinson recommended that railways should be built at either end of the existing section of canal to connect to Kington and Stourport Although another Act of Parliament was obtained no construction work took place Nine years later they again approached Hodgkinson and this time he suggested that they should abandon the authorised route to Stourport and extend the canal on a new alignment to the River Severn at Worcester Nothing came of this plan either 8 Operation edit vteLeominster CanalLegend nbsp To Stourport and River Severn nbsp nbsp Southnet Tunnel 1 250 yds nbsp nbsp Southnet Wharf nbsp lock s nbsp Marlbrook nbsp Rea Aqueduct nbsp Newnham Tunnel 100 yds nbsp Tenbury Wells nbsp Teme Aqueduct nbsp Woofferton nbsp Woofferton locks 2 nbsp Putnall Tunnel 350 yds nbsp Stockton locks 2 nbsp Leominster nbsp nbsp Lugg Aqueduct nbsp nbsp To KingtonIn January 1794 the canal opened from Marlbrook to Woofferton and seven boatloads of coal were transported from the Mamble collieries on the first day 9 Engineering difficulties delayed the opening of Putnall Tunnel south of Woofferton until 1796 By the end of that year an 18 5 miles 29 8 km stretch of the canal was open between Marlbrook and Leominster and on the first day 14 boatloads of coal arrived in Leominster 9 Coal from the Mamble collieries was brought down the hill on tramways to Southnet wharf where it was loaded onto barges and transported to Leominster For the next 60 years the canal carried coal to Leominster enabling the Mamble collieries to prosper 10 However the traffic from Mamble Colliery was not sufficient to run the canal at a profit so the owners were constantly seeking to extend it eastwards to meet the River Severn although this never materialised 11 Decline edit The canal never paid a dividend What little money was collected was mostly paid for tolls on the transport of coal In 1858 after sustained pressure by the Canal Company the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway paid 12 000 for the canal which valued each 100 share at 16 and drained it soon after to sell the land Part of the route was subsequently used for the Tenbury and Bewdley Railway that connected Woofferton to Bewdley via Tenbury Wells station which was actually in Burford Shropshire not Tenbury Wells 12 Remains editAlthough the canal has been closed for over 150 years there are some remains left including an aqueduct over the River Rea and parts of a 3 arched aqueduct over the River Teme The centre arch of the latter was destroyed as part of an explosives exercise during the Second World War 13 but the remains became a Grade II listed structure in 2000 14 The Rea aqueduct consisted of a single brick span of 45 feet 13 7 m with a brick lined trough to carry the canal over it It was thought to be the largest brick span at the time of its construction and like the Teme aqueduct it was Grade II listed in 2000 15 It has become a right of way across the River Rea but the footpath was closed in 2014 following a partial collapse of the canal trough 16 The Friends of the Leominster Canal exists to raise awareness of the waterway and holds visits to the canal and associated features Points of interest editMap all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates Point Coordinates Links to map resources OS Grid Ref NotesStourport 52 20 31 N 2 17 47 W 52 3419 N 2 2965 W 52 3419 2 2965 Stourport SO798715 proposed terminusWharf House Southnet 52 19 51 N 2 29 16 W 52 3308 N 2 4877 W 52 3308 2 4877 Wharf House Southnet SO668704Rea aqueduct 52 19 47 N 2 30 48 W 52 3298 N 2 5134 W 52 3298 2 5134 Rea aqueduct SO651703Railway cutting near Newnham 52 19 29 N 2 31 11 W 52 3248 N 2 5196 W 52 3248 2 5196 Railway cutting near Newnham SO646697 Newnham tunnel Railway near Tenbury 52 19 08 N 2 35 04 W 52 3190 N 2 5844 W 52 3190 2 5844 Railway near Tenbury SO602691 Followed line of canalTeme aqueduct 52 18 55 N 2 40 51 W 52 3153 N 2 6807 W 52 3153 2 6807 Teme aqueduct SO536687Route through Woofferton 52 18 57 N 2 42 39 W 52 3158 N 2 7107 W 52 3158 2 7107 Route through Woofferton SO520684 locks nearbyPutnall Tunnel 52 17 33 N 2 44 03 W 52 2925 N 2 7342 W 52 2925 2 7342 Putnall Tunnel SO500663 South portalStockton locks 52 14 42 N 2 43 32 W 52 2451 N 2 7255 W 52 2451 2 7255 Stockton locks SO505610 approximateLeominster 52 14 02 N 2 43 47 W 52 2338 N 2 7298 W 52 2338 2 7298 Leominster SO502597 Location uncertainKington 52 12 29 N 3 01 03 W 52 2081 N 3 0174 W 52 2081 3 0174 Kington SO305571 proposed terminusSee also edit nbsp United Kingdom portal nbsp Transport portalCanals of Great Britain History of the British canal systemBibliography editHadfield Charles 1967 The Canals of South Wales and the Border David and Charles ISBN 978 0 7153 4027 1 Priestley Joseph 1831 Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers Canals and Railways of Great Britain Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Skempton Sir Alec et al 2002 A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland Vol 2 1830 to 1890 Thomas Telford ISBN 978 0 7277 3504 1 References edit Hadfield 1967 p 191 Hadfield 1967 pp 191 192 Priestley 1831 p 410 Skempton 2002 p 166 Hadfield 1967 p 192 a b Hadfield 1967 p 193 Priestley 1831 pp 410 411 Skempton 2002 p 324 a b Chronology Herefordshire through Time Archived from the original on 18 March 2012 Retrieved 23 October 2010 Poyner David Robert Evans Mamble Colliery PDF SCMC Journal 4 Archived PDF from the original on 2 February 2016 The Leominster and Stourport Canal Herefordshire through Time Archived from the original on 24 September 2012 Retrieved 23 October 2010 Hadfield 1967 pp 197 198 Backwaters and Bygones Waterscape com Archived from the original on 5 March 2012 Retrieved 12 October 2009 Historic England Teme Aqueduct 1383773 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 31 May 2014 Historic England Rea Aqueduct 1383584 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 31 May 2014 Slater David Leominster canal aqueduct collapses Waterways World Archived from the original on 1 June 2014 Retrieved 31 May 2014 External links edit nbsp Media related to Leominster Canal at Wikimedia Commons 52 18 48 N 2 40 56 W 52 3134 N 2 6821 W 52 3134 2 6821 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Leominster Canal amp oldid 1177948412, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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