97-613: The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a 31-mile (50 km) long canal in England which connected the mining district around Moira , just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire , with the Coventry Canal at Bedworth in Warwickshire . It was opened in 1804, and a number of tramways were constructed at its northern end, to service collieries . The canal was taken over by
194-534: A caisson of water in which boats float while being moved between two levels; and inclined planes where a caisson is hauled up a steep railway. To cross a stream, road or valley (where the delay caused by a flight of locks at either side would be unacceptable) the valley can be spanned by a navigable aqueduct – a famous example in Wales is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site ) across
291-504: A drainage divide atop a ridge , generally requiring an external water source above the highest elevation . The best-known example of such a canal is the Panama Canal . Many canals have been built at elevations, above valleys and other waterways. Canals with sources of water at a higher level can deliver water to a destination such as a city where water is needed. The Roman Empire 's aqueducts were such water supply canals. The term
388-415: A "cistern", or depressed area just downstream from the fall, to "cushion" the water by providing a deep pool for its kinetic energy to be diffused in. Vertical falls work for drops of up to 1.5 m in height, and for discharge of up to 15 cubic meters per second. The transport capacity of pack animals and carts is limited. A mule can carry an eighth-ton [250 pounds (113 kg)] maximum load over
485-588: A "rib rail", where the vertical flange of Outram's L-shaped rail was made much wider, so that wagons with flanged wheels could use it as an edge rail. The Ashby engineer was asked to prepare a quotation for the conversion of the entire Willesley system to rib rails in 1837, but there is no record as to whether this work was carried out. In 1845, the Midland Railway were planning to build the Atherstone , Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Burton-on-Trent railway, and offered to buy
582-594: A brief time at the start of 1797, the company investigated the possibility of extending the canal to the River Trent at Burton-on-Trent, and building tramways from the quarries to the river. Amalgamation with the Trent Navigation was considered, but the plans failed due to the lack of capital. In May 1797, Robert Whitworth Jr. became ill, and the Whitworths were replaced by Thomas Newbold. An investigation at that time into
679-497: A canal and tramway between Breedon and the Trent, with a connecting link to the Trent and Mersey Canal in 1787, which also came to nothing. A proposal in 1790 was well received at the time, but opposition afterwards prevented a bill being submitted to Parliament. Another proposal for a canal northwards to the Trent at Burton was actively discussed between 1791 and 1793. There was wide support for
776-496: A canal has a series of dams and locks that create reservoirs of low speed current flow. These reservoirs are referred to as slack water levels , often just called levels . A canal can be called a navigation canal when it parallels a natural river and shares part of the latter's discharges and drainage basin , and leverages its resources by building dams and locks to increase and lengthen its stretches of slack water levels while staying in its valley . A canal can cut across
873-409: A canal to Griff in 1792, but the muted support of Penn Assheton Curzon, a local landowner and Member of Parliament, led to it being dropped. In October 1792, Robert Whitworth revised his plan from 1781. The proposal featured a level canal from Griff, near Nuneaton , to Ashby Wolds, which would cost £63,402. From there it would climb 139 feet (42 m) to a summit which would be supplied with water by
970-477: A clause added which allowed the Coventry Canal to undertake maintenance and charge the railway for the work if the railway company failed in their obligations. An act of Parliament, the Midland Railway (No. 2) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cciii) was passed, which authorised the takeover, but the railway line as envisioned was not built. It was nearly 30 years later that serious railway competition arrived, when
1067-413: A combination of the three, depending on available water and available path: Smaller transportation canals can carry barges or narrowboats , while ship canals allow seagoing ships to travel to an inland port (e.g., Manchester Ship Canal ), or from one sea or ocean to another (e.g., Caledonian Canal , Panama Canal ). At their simplest, canals consist of a trench filled with water. Depending on
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#17328525864401164-574: A grant from the East Midlands Development Agency was secured. The £0.5 million project involved the provision of a stop lock, a new slipway, an improved winding hole and a wetland nature reserve, running parallel to the canal and connected to it. The stop lock chamber marks the division between the part of the canal owned by the Canal & River Trust, and that owned by Leicestershire County Council, although no gates have been fitted while
1261-543: A journey measured in days and weeks, though much more for shorter distances and periods with appropriate rest. Besides, carts need roads. Transport over water is much more efficient and cost-effective for large cargoes. The oldest known canals were irrigation canals, built in Mesopotamia c. 4000 BC , in what is now Iraq . The Indus Valley civilization of ancient India ( c. 3000 BC ) had sophisticated irrigation and storage systems developed, including
1358-476: A number of railway projects had previously been authorised under this legislation, the Ashby Canal Order obtained by Leicestershire County Council was the first time that construction of a canal had been authorised in this way. Purchase of the land between Snarestone and Measham had been completed by 2010. Re-construction of the first 100 yards (91 m) of the infilled section began on 26 February 2009, after
1455-575: A rather low gradient for its time. The canal is still in use after renovation. In the Middle Ages , water transport was several times cheaper and faster than transport overland. Overland transport by animal drawn conveyances was used around settled areas, but unimproved roads required pack animal trains, usually of mules to carry any degree of mass, and while a mule could carry an eighth ton, it also needed teamsters to tend it and one man could only tend perhaps five mules, meaning overland bulk transport
1552-560: A ridge'. 'Cole' derives from the Old English col meaning coal , which was first appended here in 1443 Formerly an ancient parish in West Goscote hundred, Coleorton became part of Ashby de la Zouch Rural District which was created in 1894. Coal mining was an important industry in the area since the 15th century. In 1572, the miners worked in gangs of 10-20 men, with the gang paid one shilling for each 'rook' they dug out (the rook
1649-465: A steam pumping engine. After a further 5 miles (8 km), the summit level would descend through 84 feet (26 m) to level branches, which would serve collieries at Ticknall , Coleorton , Cloud Hill, near Breedon-on-the-Hill , and Staunton Harold. The cost of this section would be £82,143. The plans were checked by Jessop, and formed the basis for a bill to authorise a company with powers to raise £150,000 of capital. Hard negotiation with Curzon and
1746-417: A stretch of the canal near Moira was restored and re-filled with water, passing the historic Moira Furnace , a blast furnace from the 19th century which has been converted to provide visitor facilities including a craft centre, museum and cafe. The restored stretch is some 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, and includes a new lock built to overcome the problems caused by mining subsidence. Below the restored section,
1843-453: A uniform altitude. Other, generally later, canals took more direct routes requiring the use of various methods to deal with the change in level. Canals have various features to tackle the problem of water supply. In cases, like the Suez Canal, the canal is open to the sea. Where the canal is not at sea level, a number of approaches have been adopted. Taking water from existing rivers or springs
1940-457: Is a 15.4-hectare (38-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Leicestershire , designated in 1989. The site has diverse aquatic flora and invertebrates, and the submerged plants are of particular interest. These include mare's tail , spiked water-milfoil and perfoliate pondweed . Nine species of dragonfly have been recorded, and there are also water shrews and the nationally rare water beetle Haliplus mucronatus . In 2013,
2037-422: Is a channel that cuts across a drainage divide , making a navigable channel connecting two different drainage basins . Both navigations and canals use engineered structures to improve navigation: Since they cut across drainage divides, canals are more difficult to construct and often need additional improvements, like viaducts and aqueducts to bridge waters over streams and roads, and ways to keep water in
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#17328525864402134-554: Is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire , England . It is situated on the A512 road approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Ashby de la Zouch . Nearby villages include Newbold , to the north, Thringstone to the east, and Swannington to the south-east. In the 2001 census , the population of the parish was 1,016, increasing to 1,177 at the 2011 census. The village's name means 'farm/settlement on
2231-675: Is presumed, introduced in Italy by Bertola da Novate in the 16th century. This allowed wider gates and also removed the height restriction of guillotine locks . To break out of the limitations caused by river valleys, the first summit level canals were developed with the Grand Canal of China in 581–617 AD whilst in Europe the first, also using single locks, was the Stecknitz Canal in Germany in 1398. In
2328-578: Is rarely less than 30 metres (98 ft) wide. In the 5th century BC, Achaemenid king Xerxes I of Persia ordered the construction of the Xerxes Canal through the base of Mount Athos peninsula, Chalkidiki , northern Greece. It was constructed as part of his preparations for the Second Persian invasion of Greece , a part of the Greco-Persian Wars . It is one of the few monuments left by
2425-418: Is steeper than the desired canal gradient. They are constructed so the falling water's kinetic energy is dissipated in order to prevent it from scouring the bed and sides of the canal. A canal fall is constructed by cut and fill . It may be combined with a regulator, bridge, or other structure to save costs. There are various types of canal falls, based on their shape. One type is the ogee fall, where
2522-448: Is the pound lock , which consists of a chamber within which the water level can be raised or lowered connecting either two pieces of canal at a different level or the canal with a river or the sea. When there is a hill to be climbed, flights of many locks in short succession may be used. Prior to the development of the pound lock in 984 AD in China by Chhaio Wei-Yo and later in Europe in
2619-460: Is the subject of a restoration project and was the first canal where a new section had been authorised under the Transport and Works Act 1992 . The Transport and Works Order was obtained by Leicestershire County Council , as some of the original route had been infilled and built over, and restoration therefore involved construction on a new route through the centre of Measham . It is hoped that all but
2716-598: The British Transport Commission Act 1957 ( 5 & 6 Eliz. 2 . c. xxxiii) obtained by the British Transport Commission , and the Measham to Snarestone section was closed in 1966, even though coal was regularly loaded there. Traces of the old railway can still be seen, particularly towards Ticknall . A low embankment, still with some stone sleeper blocks crosses a field and a tunnel passes under
2813-639: The Elbe , Oder and Weser being linked by canals. In post-Roman Britain, the first early modern period canal built appears to have been the Exeter Canal , which was surveyed in 1563, and open in 1566. The oldest canal in the European settlements of North America, technically a mill race built for industrial purposes, is Mother Brook between the Boston, Massachusetts neighbourhoods of Dedham and Hyde Park connecting
2910-675: The London and North Western Railway and the Midland Railway jointly opened the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway from Overseal to Nuneaton in 1873. The following year, the Midland reused the section of tramway from Ashby to Worthington, Leicestershire , enlarging the Old Parks tunnel, as part of a line that ran through Melbourne to Derby . The remainder of the tramway lines were kept for local use, with
3007-526: The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), tried to give the canal to the Coventry Canal Company in 1944, but they refused it unless there was money to fund the maintenance. The 2.5-mile (4 km) section from Moira to Donisthorpe was promptly abandoned, allowing the Moira Coal Company to mine under its course. Another 5 miles (8 km) were closed in 1957, under an act of Parliament,
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3104-420: The Midland Railway in 1846, but remained profitable until the 1890s, after which it steadily declined. Around 9 miles (14 km) passed through the Leicestershire coal field , and was heavily affected by subsidence , with the result that this section from Moira, southwards to Snarestone , was progressively closed in 1944, 1957 and 1966, leaving 22 miles (35 km) of navigable canal. The abandoned section
3201-530: The Naviglio Grande built between 1127 and 1257 to connect Milan with the river Ticino . The Naviglio Grande is the most important of the lombard " navigli " and the oldest functioning canal in Europe. Later, canals were built in the Netherlands and Flanders to drain the polders and assist transportation of goods and people. Canal building was revived in this age because of commercial expansion from
3298-532: The Phoenix metropolitan area was the most complex in ancient North America. A portion of the ancient canals has been renovated for the Salt River Project and now helps to supply the city's water. The Sinhalese constructed the 87 km (54 mi) Yodha Ela in 459 A.D. as a part of their extensive irrigation network which functioned in a way of a moving reservoir due to its single banking aspect to manage
3395-522: The River Brue at Northover with Glastonbury Abbey , a distance of about 1.75 kilometres (1,900 yd). Its initial purpose is believed to be the transport of building stone for the abbey, but later it was used for delivering produce, including grain, wine and fish, from the abbey's outlying properties. It remained in use until at least the 14th century, but possibly as late as the mid-16th century. More lasting and of more economic impact were canals like
3492-594: The Songhai Empire of West Africa, several canals were constructed under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad I between Kabara and Timbuktu in the 15th century. These were used primarily for irrigation and transport. Sunni Ali also attempted to construct a canal from the Niger River to Walata to facilitate conquest of the city but his progress was halted when he went to war with the Mossi Kingdoms . Around 1500–1800
3589-548: The reservoirs built at Girnar in 3000 BC. This is the first time that such planned civil project had taken place in the ancient world. In Egypt , canals date back at least to the time of Pepi I Meryre (reigned 2332–2283 BC), who ordered a canal built to bypass the cataract on the Nile near Aswan . In ancient China , large canals for river transport were established as far back as the Spring and Autumn period (8th–5th centuries BC),
3686-404: The stratum the canal passes through, it may be necessary to line the cut with some form of watertight material such as clay or concrete. When this is done with clay, it is known as puddling . Canals need to be level, and while small irregularities in the lie of the land can be dealt with through cuttings and embankments, for larger deviations other approaches have been adopted. The most common
3783-466: The 12th century. River navigations were improved progressively by the use of single, or flash locks . Taking boats through these used large amounts of water leading to conflicts with watermill owners and to correct this, the pound or chamber lock first appeared, in the 10th century in China and in Europe in 1373 in Vreeswijk , Netherlands. Another important development was the mitre gate , which was, it
3880-465: The 15th century, either flash locks consisting of a single gate were used or ramps, sometimes equipped with rollers, were used to change the level. Flash locks were only practical where there was plenty of water available. Locks use a lot of water, so builders have adopted other approaches for situations where little water is available. These include boat lifts , such as the Falkirk Wheel , which use
3977-753: The Ashby Canal Association, the Canal & River Trust , Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, the Inland Waterways Association , Leicestershire County Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. Since the mining industry in the area has ceased, there have been fewer problems with subsidence, and the current plans are to re-open the canal to the National Forest visitor centre at Moira, about 1 mile (1.6 km) short of its original terminus at Spring Cottage. Between 1999 and 2005,
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4074-671: The Canal and River Trust received a grant of nearly £20,000 from Natural England to enable them to tackle invasive species such as mink , terrapins , zander , Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed . Download coordinates as: [REDACTED] Media related to Ashby Canal at Wikimedia Commons Canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation ) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi ). They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure , and can be thought of as artificial rivers . In most cases,
4171-575: The Coventry Canal was required, during which the junction with the Coventry Canal was moved from Griff to Marston, but the bill finally became an act of Parliament , the Ashby de la Zouch Canal Act 1794 ( 34 Geo. 3 . c. 93), in May 1794. Whitworth and his son, also called Robert, were appointed as engineers in July, and construction began. ( Robert Whitworth was later remembered with the naming in 2002 of Whitworth Avenue on
4268-571: The Persian Empire in Europe . Greek engineers were also among the first to use canal locks , by which they regulated the water flow in the Ancient Suez Canal as early as the 3rd century BC. There was little experience moving bulk loads by carts, while a pack-horse would [i.e. 'could'] carry only an eighth of a ton. On a soft road a horse might be able to draw 5/8ths of a ton. But if
4365-753: The Southwest by 1300 CE. Archaeologists working at a major archaeological dig in the 1990s in the Tucson Basin, along the Santa Cruz River, identified a culture and people that may have been the ancestors of the Hohokam. This prehistoric group occupied southern Arizona as early as 2000 BCE, and in the Early Agricultural period grew corn, lived year-round in sedentary villages, and developed sophisticated irrigation canals. The large-scale Hohokam irrigation network in
4462-486: The branch to Ticknall closing in 1915. The canal continued to carry significant tonnages, which gradually decreased, from 138,117 tons in 1862 to 113,659 tons in 1882. After that, the decline was more rapid, dropping to 33,329 tons by 1893. By the 1890s, the railway owners had reduced maintenance on the canal, knowing that the Coventry Canal were unlikely to invoke their powers under the Midland Railway (No. 2) Act 1846, since they too were in trouble. On 2 January 1918, there
4559-476: The canal for £110,000. They agreed to maintain the canal until the railway was built, but there was no longer-term agreement on its future. Since most of the coal which used the canal travelled onwards via the Coventry Canal and the Oxford Canal, these companies faced a big drop in toll revenues, and fought hard to get the Midland Railway's bill amended. As well as a commitment to maintaining the canal, they also had
4656-436: The canal pressure with the influx of water. It was also designed as an elongated reservoir passing through traps creating 66 mini catchments as it flows from Kala Wewa to Thissa Wawa . The canal was not designed for the quick conveying of water from Kala Wewa to Thissa Wawa but to create a mass of water between the two reservoirs, which would in turn provided for agriculture and the use of humans and animals. They also achieved
4753-418: The canal to form a dam. They are generally placed in pre-existing grooves in the canal bank. On more modern canals, "guard locks" or gates were sometimes placed to allow a section of the canal to be quickly closed off, either for maintenance, or to prevent a major loss of water due to a canal breach. A canal fall , or canal drop, is a vertical drop in the canal bed. These are built when the natural ground slope
4850-462: The canal. Where large amounts of goods are loaded or unloaded such as at the end of a canal, a canal basin may be built. This would normally be a section of water wider than the general canal. In some cases, the canal basins contain wharfs and cranes to assist with movement of goods. When a section of the canal needs to be sealed off so it can be drained for maintenance stop planks are frequently used. These consist of planks of wood placed across
4947-463: The channel. There are two broad types of canal: Historically, canals were of immense importance to commerce and the development, growth and vitality of a civilization. In 1855 the Lehigh Canal carried over 1.2 million tons of anthracite coal; by the 1930s the company which built and operated it for over a century ceased operation. The few canals still in operation in our modern age are a fraction of
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#17328525864405044-591: The cost of tunnels and bridges, but only by £785 on a final contract price of £29,500. His quotation was accepted, although repeated requests by Outram for his contract to be signed were ignored. Outram's engineer for the line was John Hodgkinson who was experienced in the work, but problems arose because the committee insisted that it should proceed on all sections of the line simultaneously, which made supervision difficult. Moreover, perennially short of money, they were dilatory in making decisions and providing funds, which caused Outram problems at his Butterley Works as he
5141-538: The development to start in the summer of 2017, and was hopeful that the extension of the canal to link up with the Measham Wharf development could be completed by 2021, before any work on the rail link was likely to begin. However on 17 July 2017 the revised route of HS2 was rejected by the Secretary of State and a new final route within 85 yards (80 m) of the original 2013 proposal was confirmed. This route runs through
5238-516: The drive to Calke Abbey . There is also an arch bridge in Ticknall village where the line ran into the quarries. The closure of the canal north of Snarestone in 1966 led to the formation of the Ashby Canal Association , to ensure that no more was closed and to work towards the reopening of the northern section. In 1992, the engineering consultants W. S. Atkins produced a feasibility study for
5335-399: The drop follows an s-shaped curve to create a smooth transition and reduce turbulence . However, this smooth transition does not dissipate the water's kinetic energy, which leads to heavy scouring. As a result, the canal needs to be reinforced with concrete or masonry to protect it from eroding. Another type of canal fall is the vertical fall, which is "simple and economical". These feature
5432-609: The final 1-mile (1.6 km) section of the canal can be re-opened. An isolated section near Moira Furnace and the National Forest visitor centre was opened between 1999 and 2005, and is the location for an annual trailboat festival. The canal starts at a junction with the Coventry Canal just outside Bedworth and travels north-east for about 7 miles (11 km) through the town of Hinckley . It then continues to run north through largely rural and remote countryside for another 15 miles (24 km) until reaching its terminus at Snarestone . Near Sutton Cheney Wharf, it passes
5529-648: The first summit level canal to use pound locks in Europe was the Briare Canal connecting the Loire and Seine (1642), followed by the more ambitious Canal du Midi (1683) connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. This included a staircase of 8 locks at Béziers , a 157 metres (515 ft) tunnel, and three major aqueducts. Canal building progressed steadily in Germany in the 17th and 18th centuries with three great rivers,
5626-544: The foot of Ambion Hill , the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field . At Shackerstone , it passes the station that is the headquarters of the Battlefield Line Railway . In the last half of the 18th century there had been an increasing need for transport to exploit the coal reserves at Ashby Wolds and lime from the quarries north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The first proposal was for a canal running from Burton-on-Trent on
5723-456: The freedom to make deliveries well away from rail lined road beds or ditches in the dirt which could not operate in the winter. The longest extant canal today, the Grand Canal in northern China, still remains in heavy use, especially the portion south of the Yellow River . It stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou at 1,794 kilometres (1,115 miles). Canals are built in one of three ways, or
5820-410: The future. The tramways were completed towards the end of 1802, and the level section of the canal from Marston to Moira was opened on 19 April 1804. The only lock was a stop lock at Marston, to protect the water supplies. By this time, the finances were not in good shape, as failures of the shareholders to honour calls on the shares had resulted in the company borrowing £21,539 to complete the work, and
5917-502: The head of the canal to Swadlincote and Church Gresley . It took the committee two and a half years to decide to proceed, and the 3-mile (4.8 km) Swadlincote Railway was opened on 21 July 1827. It was built with double tracks, and used edge rails, similar to modern railways, rather than the L-shaped tram plates of the Willesley system. The cost of £4,262 was financed by a mortgage, which
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#17328525864406014-680: The higher waters of the Charles River and the mouth of the Neponset River and the sea. It was constructed in 1639 to provide water power for mills. In Russia, the Volga–Baltic Waterway , a nationwide canal system connecting the Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea via the Neva and Volga rivers, was opened in 1718. Coleorton Coleorton ( / k ə ˈ l ɔːr t ən / kə- LOR -tən )
6111-443: The length of canal beyond the chamber is short. On 23 June 2011, Leicestershire County Council reached agreement with UK Coal for them to extract coal and fireclay at their Minorca Opencast site near Measham. As part of the planning gain , UK Coal will alter Gallows Lane to allow the new canal to pass under it, will provide a water storage lake, reducing the cost of the next phase by £1 million, and will provide £1.28 million to fund
6208-440: The lines to Willesley Basin rather than Ashby Wolds, as this route would cost over £8,000 less. The lines as built ran from the basin through Ashby to a junction at Old Parks, where one branch ran through Lount to Cloud Hill, replacing the proposed canal and its diversion through Coleorton. The other branch led from Old Parks to Ticknall, with branches to the quarries between Calke Abbey and Staunton Harold . The total length of
6305-530: The lines was around 12.5 miles (20 km). In 1799, Outram had discussions with the company about the gauge of the tramways, and although lines at Crich and for the Derby Canal used a gauge of 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ), he recommended that it should be made wider, at 4 ft 2 in ( 1,270 mm ), forecasting that, within a few years, railways would be the principal mode of transport for merchandise. The wider gauge would increase
6402-488: The load were carried by a barge on a waterway, then up to 30 tons could be drawn by the same horse. — technology historian Ronald W. Clark referring to transport realities before the industrial revolution and the Canal age . Hohokam was a society in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona , United States, and Sonora , Mexico. Their irrigation systems supported the largest population in
6499-472: The longest canal in the world today and the oldest extant one. It is 1,794 kilometres (1,115 mi) long and was built to carry the Emperor Yang Guang between Zhuodu ( Beijing ) and Yuhang ( Hangzhou ). The project began in 605 and was completed in 609, although much of the work combined older canals, the oldest section of the canal existing since at least 486 BC. Even in its narrowest urban sections it
6596-523: The longest one of that period being the Hong Gou (Canal of the Wild Geese), which according to the ancient historian Sima Qian connected the old states of Song, Zhang, Chen, Cai, Cao, and Wei. The Caoyun System of canals was essential for imperial taxation, which was largely assessed in kind and involved enormous shipments of rice and other grains. By far the longest canal was the Grand Canal of China , still
6693-438: The middle of Measham, where a major development consisting of 450 houses, together with restoration of 0.5 miles (0.8 km) of the original route of the canal and the construction of a canal basin, was put on hold. Revised plans, published on 15 November 2016, routed the railway further to the east, crossing the line of the canal on a viaduct. As a result, the chairman of the Ashby Canal Association, Peter Oakden, expected work on
6790-414: The mines were still not producing coal at a rate which would have made the canal profitable. The final cost of construction was around £184,070. The main source of traffic was from the pits at Moira, which steadily expanded, particularly in the 1820s, enabling the loans to be paid off between 1820 and 1827, and the first dividend to be paid in 1828. In 1819, the company and the Coventry Canal agreed to convert
6887-417: The new George Wimpey development in Hinckley, which overlooks the Ashby Canal). By October 1796, it had become obvious that the costs of construction had been seriously underestimated. In addition, around one quarter of the shareholders had not honoured their pledges, and so the company had less capital than expected. The company decided that the only solution was to replace the branch canals with tramways. For
6984-506: The numbers that once fueled and enabled economic growth, indeed were practically a prerequisite to further urbanization and industrialization. For the movement of bulk raw materials such as coal and ores are difficult and marginally affordable without water transport. Such raw materials fueled the industrial developments and new metallurgy resulting of the spiral of increasing mechanization during 17th–20th century, leading to new research disciplines, new industries and economies of scale, raising
7081-516: The original route, but would diverge near Measham, to use the track of a redundant railway. The new canal would pass through Measham Station and cross the High Street on an aqueduct. The Transport and Works Act Order was introduced by the British Parliament in 1992 as a way of simplifying the legal processes for railway and canal projects, and works which interfere with navigation rights. Although
7178-529: The planned area for the 450 houses, causing the developers to cancel the development, and therefore the canal reinstatement in Measham, as unviable. In the longer term however, the latest HS2 route through Measham and the consequential moving of the A42 dual carriageway, should allow bridges to be built, funded by the HS2 project, for the canal to cross under both HS2 and the A42 when reinstated between Measham and Moira. In 2020,
7275-582: The pre-railroad days of the industrial revolution, water transport was the gold standard of fast transportation. The first artificial canal in Western Europe was the Fossa Carolina built at the end of the 8th century under personal supervision of Charlemagne . In Britain, the Glastonbury Canal is believed to be the first post-Roman canal and was built in the middle of the 10th century to link
7372-478: The process of transferring the Transport and Works Order from Leicestershire County Council to the Ashby Canal Association was almost complete when it was interrupted by the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. Once the transfer is completed, the association can proceed with further restoration work. The 6-mile (9.7 km) stretch between Carlton Bridge, north of Market Bosworth , and Turnover Bridge, north of Snarestone
7469-490: The purchase of a parcel of land, and because the deadlines were not met, the funding was lost. They therefore resolved to obtain an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 , which would allow them to use compulsory purchase powers if necessary. In order to promote and assist the restoration of the canal north of Snarestone, the Ashby Canal Trust was set up in 2000. It is a limited company, with directors representing
7566-487: The reconstruction of the section north of Snarestone. They will also make available any clay removed from the site which is suitable for puddling the new section of waterway. Work on the extension towards Measham has been undertaken by contractors and volunteers, including members of the Waterway Recovery Group . In 2015, bridge 62, once known as Faulks Bridge, was reinstated, and a 50-foot (15 m) winding hole
7663-505: The restoration of the canal between Snarestone and Moira, which concluded that there were no obstacles which could not be resolved. They also recommended that the reconstruction should be suitable for broad-beam boats, rather than 7-foot (2.1 m) narrow boats, as this would have ecological advantages. By 1997, Leicestershire County Council had bought much of the route, and had located two funding packages worth over £1 million. However, they failed to reach agreement with one landowner over
7760-480: The standard of living for any industrialized society. Most ship canals today primarily service bulk cargo and large ship transportation industries, whereas the once critical smaller inland waterways conceived and engineered as boat and barge canals have largely been supplanted and filled in, abandoned and left to deteriorate, or kept in service and staffed by state employees, where dams and locks are maintained for flood control or pleasure boating. Their replacement
7857-677: The state of the collieries at Ashby Wolds revealed that they were unlikely to be producing coal by the time the canal opened. By March the following year, the top section from Ashby Wolds to Market Bosworth was operational. The company had been considering the option of building tramways since 1793, and finally asked Newbold to investigate the possible lines for railways which would serve the canal at Ashby Wolds in June 1798. They then asked Benjamin Outram to advise, and he reported in September. He suggested running
7954-407: The stop lock between the canals so that it was only suitable for narrow boats, and they shared the cost of conversion. The reasons for this are unclear, since wide-beamed boats continued to operate on the canal, but could not move further afield. Profitability was improved after the company sent Crossley, their engineer, on a fact-finding tour of local canals in 1822. He investigated tolls for coal, and
8051-486: The system of drawbacks which some of them used. Such a system was them implemented on the Ashby, whereby coal travelling the whole length of the canal was subject to a refund or drawback on the tolls. The effect was immediate, with the amount of coal qualifying for the drawback rising five-fold between 1824 and 1828, from 4,367 to 22,011 tons, and reaching 37,316 tons in 1837. In 1823, there were calls for tramways to be built from
8148-501: The upper River Trent to Marston on the Coventry Canal . A second suggestion was for a canal from Ashby Wolds to the Coventry Canal at Griff. Both proposals were made in December 1781. The first was opposed by the Coventry company, though the second was not. Robert Whitworth had estimated the cost of the project at £46,396, but the scheme was dropped a year later. William Jessop proposed
8245-509: The valley of the River Dee . Another option for dealing with hills is to tunnel through them. An example of this approach is the Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal . Tunnels are only practical for smaller canals. Some canals attempted to keep changes in level down to a minimum. These canals known as contour canals would take longer, winding routes, along which the land was
8342-716: The way forward has been blocked by the construction of the A42 main road across the canal's formation. In November 2004, a public enquiry was held in connection with the application for a Transport and Works Order. Most objections were withdrawn, leaving one from English Nature , which was accommodated by including a provision for off-line nature reserves, and the Order was granted in October 2005. The Order allows Leicestershire County Council to purchase land and construct 2.5 miles (4 km) of canal from Snarestone to Measham. Initially, this would follow
8439-508: The west of the parish, was built in 1804-8 for the art patron Sir George Beaumont . William Wordsworth was a regular and frequent guest of Sir George Beaumont at the Hall. Between 1948 and 1997 the house was owned by the National Coal Board and used as offices, and it has now been converted into apartments. Coleorton has a post office and is served by three public bus services. Farm Town
8536-465: Was a fixed quantity, believed to be c. 1-2 tons). Coleorton Colliery , which was between Coleorton and Swannington, is now closed, and a woodland Coleorton Wood was planted in 1991–2 on the colliery site as part of the National Forest . Opencast mining operated between 1985 and 1995. Coleorton was the birthplace of William Stenson (1771–1861), founder of Whitwick Colliery and 'Father of Coalville ' The Grade II* listed Coleorton Hall , in
8633-421: Was a major breach in the canal when an embankment some 2 miles (3.2 km) below Moira collapsed. The cost of reinstatement was £9,864, and the canal reopened on 23 July 1919. The upper section was increasingly affected by subsidence from the coal mining. Despite this, the Moira Coal Company shipped 20,807 tons along the canal in 1943, and the total tonnage on the canal that year was 43,733 tons. The owners, by now
8730-466: Was also expensive, as men expect compensation in the form of wages, room and board. This was because long-haul roads were unpaved, more often than not too narrow for carts, much less wagons, and in poor condition, wending their way through forests, marshy or muddy quagmires as often as unimproved but dry footing. In that era, as today, greater cargoes, especially bulk goods and raw materials , could be transported by ship far more economically than by land; in
8827-458: Was an option in some cases, sometimes supplemented by other methods to deal with seasonal variations in flow. Where such sources were unavailable, reservoirs – either separate from the canal or built into its course – and back pumping were used to provide the required water. In other cases, water pumped from mines was used to feed the canal. In certain cases, extensive "feeder canals" were built to bring water from sources located far from
8924-460: Was constructed just beyond it, enabling boats to use the new section. The bridge is located about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the site of Gilwiskaw Aqueduct, which will be the next major structure to reinstate. In 2013, parts of the restoration were threatened when the plans for the route of High Speed 2 (HS2), a high-speed rail link which would connect London to Birmingham, Manchester and York, were published. The new line would have cut through
9021-463: Was gradual, beginning first in the United States in the mid-1850s where canal shipping was first augmented by, then began being replaced by using much faster , less geographically constrained & limited, and generally cheaper to maintain railways . By the early 1880s, canals which had little ability to economically compete with rail transport, were off the map. In the next couple of decades, coal
9118-410: Was having to refuse contracts, so that he could be ready to provide the canal with material, as and when it was authorised. During this period of delay, the labour costs and the price of iron also rose. Even though Outram's experience of his treatment by the canal proprietors must have spoilt his satisfaction on the completion of the lines, they were arguably a major achievement and a model for railways in
9215-424: Was increasingly diminished as the heating fuel of choice by oil, and growth of coal shipments leveled off. Later, after World War I when motor-trucks came into their own, the last small U.S. barge canals saw a steady decline in cargo ton-miles alongside many railways, the flexibility and steep slope climbing capability of lorries taking over cargo hauling increasingly as road networks were improved, and which also had
9312-426: Was once used to describe linear features seen on the surface of Mars , Martian canals , an optical illusion. A navigation is a series of channels that run roughly parallel to the valley and stream bed of an unimproved river. A navigation always shares the drainage basin of the river. A vessel uses the calm parts of the river itself as well as improvements, traversing the same changes in height. A true canal
9409-403: Was paid off less than a year after opening. The Ticknall branch was extended in 1829, when a line from it to Dimsdale was authorised and built. The Coleorton Railway, which was run by an independent company, and used edge rails, opened in 1833. Negotiations between the two companies resulted in a connecting line being built between Cloud Hill and Worthington Rough , which used a type of rail called
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