1760s Before the Canal
In the 1760’s Lincolnshire coal was transported to Grantham via the Trent and then by road. The road haulage was relatively expensive and so coal in Grantham could be twice the price of that in Nottingham.
1792 Canal Proposed
In 1792, pressure from the businessmen of Grantham resulted in a Bill to Parliament proposing a canal to transport coal from Nottingham to Grantham. This Bill was defeated by pressure from several sources. These included the Witham Navigation Commissioners, who feared it would deplete their water levels and the Lincolnshire coal merchants who feared a threat to their business. A revised Bill, which included measures to allay these various fears, was put before Parliament in 1793 and received Royal Assent in April having passed the whole gamut of legislative procedures in less than a month! The Act enabled the Proprietors of the Grantham Canal Navigation to raise working capital of £75k with a further £30k as a contingency. The money was raised rapidly and work started the same year.
1797 Canal Opened
The work was completed in 1797. The canal started near Trent Bridge and was 33 miles long and rose 140 feet up to Grantham through 18 wide locks. In addition to coal, the canal carried various bulk materials such as stone and lime and, rather less obviously, ‘night soil’. The canal company rarely achieved its maximum allowed dividend of 8% but nevertheless, by 1806, was producing a small but steady return. The peak year was 1841 when receipts rose to £18,000.
Above is a toll receipt of 1890. The cargo is ‘night soil’. Note the ‘capstan charge’ of 1/9d (8.75p) This was levied for hauling the boats from the fast moving waters of the River Trent into the Grantham Canal.
1830 Competition from the Railways
From 1830 the railways began to make inroads into the profits. The opening of the Grantham to Nottingham railway in 1850 foreshadowed the eventual demise of the canal. In 1861 the railway company obtained control of the canal. By 1921, after a series of mergers and takeovers, control was vested in the London and North Eastern Railway Company. It is interesting to note, however, that while the two main railway bridges crossing the canal near Plungar are dismantled, the canal is still intact!
1936 Closure Act
A Closure Act was passed in 1936 but with the proviso that a two foot level of water should be maintained to support agricultural needs.
Above is a typical example of a dropped bridge. The water flow is through two concrete pipes. These dropped bridges are one of the major challenges facing the canal restorers – the others being the link to the Trent and of course, the locks.
1950s Vandalism!
In the 1950’s all but 23 of the 69 bridges over the canal were flattened to make way for road improvements. Some saw this as exigent, others as nothing more than legalised vandalism.
1947
The railways, and hence the canal, were nationalised.
1963
Control of the canal passed to British Waterways
1968 Canal ‘Remaindered’
In 1968, the Grantham Canal was placed into a ‘remaindered’ state. This meant the canal’s owners were no longer legally obliged to carry out full maintenance.
Interestingly, the Grantham Canal fared better than some others. In certain areas, entire canal lines were obliterated — but Grantham’s remained largely intact, albeit neglected.
The canal’s future looked bleak. Its line was severed by a railway embankment at Woolsthorpe, locks fell into dereliction, and concrete weirs were installed to manage water levels. Many of the original hump-backed canal bridges were replaced by concrete pipe culverts with flattened decks.
1969 A New Hope for Restoration
In 1969, the Grantham Canal Restoration Society (GCRS) was formed. Working with British Waterways, the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), and the Waterway Recovery Group, they began the long and determined journey toward full restoration.
Early successes included the award-winning slipway at Denton, the removal of the Woolsthorpe railway embankment, and the restoration of the top three locks in the Woolsthorpe flight. These milestones are detailed in the restoration section of the website.
As restoration efforts gathered pace, it became evident that the project would require the cooperation of many organisations — the GCRS, BW, IWA, local authorities, and the newly formed Grantham Navigation Association.
