The Grantham Canal

As the Canal is 33 miles long we have divided it up into five sections below.

Click on the section of map above that you wish to view and it will open a straight line representation of the canal. There you will find photos of present day views and some from our archive.


Some Facts About The Canal

  • Although the canal is 33 miles long it is only 19 miles end to end as the crow flies.
  • There are 18 locks along its length. 7 have been restored and when Kingston’s Lock is completed it will bring the total to 8.
  • The canal is fed by 2 reservoirs, Knipton and Denton, and at the time of construction was the first English canal fed only by reservoir.
  • There are also 6 feeder streams.
  • There are 35 fully navigable bridges with 35 still to be restored.
  • The canal is fully navigable from Lock 15, Bottom of Half Mile Pond Lock, up to the A1.
  • As locks are restored so will the length of the navigable section grow.

The locks are numbered from the River Trent and are named:

  1. TRENT
  2. BRIDGFORD
  3. GAMSTON
  4. SKINNER’S
  5. SANDER’S
  6. COTGRAVE
  7. HOLLYGATE LANE
  8. JOSHUA’S
  9. CROPWELL BOTTOM
  1. CROPWELL MIDDLE
  2. CROPWELL TOP
  3. WOOLSTHORPE BOTTOM
  4. STAINWITH
  5. KINGSTON’S
  6. BOTTOM HALF MILE POND
  7. CARPENTER’S
  8. WILLIS’S
  9. WOOLSTHORPE TOP

Locks highlighted have been restored.
Details taken from Bradshaw’s Canals and Navigable Rivers dated 1904

Mileposts

These ‘lollipop’ style mileposts were installed every quarter of a mile. The proprietors of the canal were noted for their strict adherence to toll charges, even with the onset of railway competition. Of these mileposts you will encounter today, 58 are original, many having Grade 2 listing. The Inland Waterways Association funded the provision of a further 15, to replace some of the missing ones. Occasionally, you may encounter a wooden one, these are modern ‘stop gap’ replacements.

Contributors & Acknowledgements

The Grantham Canal Society gratefully acknowledges the contributions made by the following who have provided details and photographs to help complete this publication.

Editor

Steve Swann

Photography

Our particular thanks to Dave Healey for allowing us to use many of his splendid photos
Also our grateful thanks to the following for the use of their photos: Steve Swann, Tony Jackson, Jim Freeman, John Clark, Ann Moulsher, Angela & David Davis, Mike Lane, Bernard Jessop, Dave Cross, GCS Archive, Ken Brockway, Paul Watson, Peter Stone, Mark Hubbard Maggie Shirran,, John Manterfield, Humphrey Platts, Debbie Spencer Grantham Library, Leicester Library, Science Museum Group Collection Roz Symonds, Belvoir Castle

Publications

Grantham Matters, Britain From Above, Grantham Memories

Contributors

Tony Jackson, Mike Atherley, David Lyneham-Brown, Fred Marsh, Peter Stone, Mike Stone

Bibliography

The Grantham Canal. Early Days: R. Philpotts
The Grantham Canal Today: Chris Cove-Smith
The Grantham Canal Guide:  Tony Pitman
‘Meander Through The Beautiful Vale of Belvoir’: Grantham Canal Society
Waterways Guide: Nottingham, York & the North East. Collins Nicholson
Heather Lackey: Dissertation
The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Parts 1, 8 & 9: Eric Tonks
The Railway Magazine

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