Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

History by Waterway from Glenkens Canal

Glenkens Canal

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1802	Act passed but no work ever done.
1802	John Rennie	He surveyed the route and estimated the cost as £33,382.

Glan-Y-Wern Canal

1790	Completed about 1790.
1816	Revived as part of the Tennant Canal around 1816.
1910	Disused after 1910.
1918	Derelict.

Glastonbury Canal

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1826	John Beauchamp	Surveyed the proposed route of the canal on one level from Highbridge to Glastonbury and estimated the cost as £15,234.
1826	Richard Hamnett	He suggested two routes for the canal one, along the River Brue, was rejected but the other, which incuded making existing drains navigable, was close to the route adopted by the promoters.
1827	Authorised by an Act.
Late February 1827	John Beauchamp	It was announced that £14,000 had been subscribed towards Beauchamp's new estimate for the canal of £18,000.
Late February 1827	E T Percy	He spoke in favour of the project at a meeting in Glastonbury Town Hall.
1828	Sir John Rennie	He has consulted and considered three possible sizes of navigation: one 10 foot deep to take sloops and small briggs of 120 to 140 tons, which he considered lager than was needed; one 8 feet deep to take 40 to 60 ton coasters that worked the Bristol Channel; or a 5 feet deep barge canal, which would mean transhipment at Highbridge. He recommended the second with 64 by 18 foot locks at an estimated cost of £28,720.
1833	Opened.
1837	Sir John Rennie	He was still owed £367 from his bill of £567 even though he had often asked for payment.
1854	Abandoned except for a short length at Highbridge.
1936	The last remaining short length at Highbridge was abandoned.

Galton's Canal

1801	Built by Mr E Galton in about 1801 for the carriage of silt for fertiliser.
1897	Abandoned.

River Great Ouse

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1415	St. Ives Bridge river was built about 1415. The bridge is unusual as it has a chapel on the central pier.
1618	Richard Atkyns	Reported on a survey of the river and the conflicts between navigation and drainage interests.
1649	Sir Cornelius Vermuyden	He started drainage works that included the cutting of the New Bedford or Hundred Foot river parallel to the Old Bedford River.
1652	Sir Cornelius Vermuyden	He completed drainage works that included the cutting of the New Bedford or Hundred Foot river parallel to the Old Bedford River.
1670	Promoted under Act.
1724	Colonel John Armstrong	Was asked by the people of Lynn to survey the river.
1748	Nathaniel Kinderley	About this date he, his son and William Elstobb proposed cutting off the great bend near King's Lynn.
1748	William Elstobb	About this date he and the Kinderley's proposed cutting off the great bend near King's Lynn.
After 1748	Charles Labelye	The new Denver Sluice was opened incorporating the navigation lock that he designed.
1751	Promoted under Act.
1766	John Smeaton	He surveyed the river at Lynn with regard to the shifting sands that were proving a hazzard to navigation. He rejected the idea that Denver Sluice had harmed the navigation and recommended confining the channel to solve the problem.
1795	Promoted under Act.
1796	Promoted under Act.
1805	Promoted under Act.
1810	Promoted under Act.
1812	Benjamin Bevan	Reports to the Grand Junction Canal Company on the poor state of navigation on the river. This may have prompted the company to reduce its subscription to the proposed Bedford canal from 12 to 3 thousand pounds.
1816	Promoted under Act.
1817	John Rennie	He was appointed to direct work on behalf of the Eua Brink Commisionners jointly with Telford on behalf of the Lynn Corporation.
1817	Thomas Telford	He was appointed to direct work on behalf of the Lynn Corporation jointly with Rennie on behalf of the Eua Brink Commisionners.
1818	Promoted under Act.
1819	Promoted under Act.
1825	Thomas Telford	He reported on the silting at Lynn and recommended enlarging the Eau Brink by a third.
1827	Promoted under Act.
1830	Promoted under Act.
1834	Sir John Rennie	Denver Sluice was reconstructed to his design.
1876	R B Grantham	Around this date he proposed setting up a drainage authority by Act of Parliament to take charge of the little used navigation.
1916	The Great Ouse. By P Bonthron. First published.
1930	The locks from Brownshill to Eaton Scocon were rebuilt in the 1930s when this part of the river was restored by the newly formed Great Ouse Catchment Board.
1950	Prior to the 1950s the river below Denver was kept clear by the flow from the Great Ouse but since then the relief channel has been built to divert these waters and the bed of the river has risen by about a metre.
1951	The Great Ouse Restoration Society formed.
1963	Legislation enabled the River Authority to licence boats and charge fees, at last providing money for navigation to a body mainly concerned with drainage.
1973	The Great Ouse:The History of a River Navigation by Dorothy Summers, Published by David & Charles - Inland Waterways History series.
1978	The final lock at Castle Mills was completed and navigation to Bedford was restored.
1985	The Great Ouse by Wilson Stephenson, Published by Frederick Muller - Part of the Rivers of Britain series with illustrations by Gabriel White.

Old Bedford River

1634	Sir Cornelius Vermuyden	He was employed by a company lead by Francis, Earl of Bedford to drain a large area of land now known as the Bedford Level. The work included the Bedford River and nine other major drains.
1637	Sir Cornelius Vermuyden	His task was declared complete by the Commission of Sewers.

Old West River (Great Ouse)

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1973	IWA National Rally at Ely.

Great Ouse Relief Channel

2001	Lock at Denver opened on 17th July opening up 6.5 miles of the channel to navigation.

Glasgow, Paisley & Johnstone Canal

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1800	William Jessop	It was reported that he was employed to report on the scheme.
1800	John Rennie	He made a survey, plan and report on Saltcoats Harbour and gave his authority to the canal scheme.
October 1804	John Rennie	He reported on the route estimating that a canal for vessels of 25 tons would cost £130,960 or £166,711 if 60-ton vessels were to be used.
February 1805	Thomas Telford	He produced a report recommending a 32 mile canal from Tradeston to a new harbour to be built at Eglinton on Ardrossen Bay with a branch to Salcoats. There was to be an 18 mile summit and the total estimated cost was £134,500.
August 1805	Thomas Telford	A meeting in Paisley approved his plan and decided to apply for an Act of parliament.
1806	Authorised by the Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal Act.
1811	Fully open.
1881	Closed.

Greasbrough (Park Gate) Canal

1769	Surveyed by John Varley for the Marquees of Rockingham .
1769	John Varley	He was commissioned to survey and estimate a canal from the Don to Cinder Bridge (Greasbrough Ings) on the road from Greasbrough to Rawmarsh or to the nearby Sough bridge. He proposed a 1½ mile canal with three locks each with an 8 to 9 foot fall.
1775	Surveyed by John Smeaton.
1775	John Smeaton	He surveyed John Varley's proposed line and recommended five locks with a 5 foot fall instead of three with 8 to 9 foot fall. He estimated the cost at £5,952 of which £2,500 was for the locks.
1778	Surveyed by William Fairbank.
1778	William II Fairbank	Lord Rockingham employed him to make a survey for the line.
1779	William Jessop	He altered John Smeaton's plan to allow for a reservoir and four broad locks before starting to build the canal. He probably completed it the next year.
1780	Completed by Jessop.
1918	Use ceased around 1918.

Grantham Canal

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

Summer 1791	William Jessop	He carried out a survey for the canal.
1793	Authorised by an Act.
1793	William Jessop	He was employed to check progress of the works from time to time.
1793	James (Woolaton) Green	He was appointed engineer for the section of canal from the Trent to the Leicestershire border.
Spring 1793	William King	He was appointed engineer for the section of the canal from the Leicestershire boundary to Grantham. Unusually he was also a member of the intial company board of nine people even though he was an employee.
1797	Opened.
1 February 1797	William King	He reported that the eastern section was navigable.
1936	Closed.

River Gipping

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1789	William Jessop	He was commissioned by several landownwers to survey the River Gipping valley with a view to making the river navigable.
1790	Authorised by Act.
March 1790	William Jessop	He gave evidence to the parliamentary committee considering the Bill.
19 April 1790	William Jessop	He was asked to prepare detailed drawings and specifications to be used as the basis for tenders.
1793	Authorised by Actand administered by the Ipswich & Stowmarket Navigation Co.
1798	Completed.
1929	The Ipswich & Stowmarket Navigation Co. was wound up.

Grand Surrey Canal

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1778	John Smeaton	He was called in to adjudicate between two routes for a canal from Kingston on Thames to Ewell. Nothing further was done.
1801	Ralph Dodd	Was apointed engineer at £600 a year.
1801	George Dodd	He gave evidence in favour of the Bill for the canal.
1801	Robert Dodd	Was appointed clerk of works.
1802	William Jessop	He reported on the state of the canal works following a dispute between Ralpph Dodd and John Rowe.
1802	Robert Dodd	Was dissmissed.
April 1802	Ralph Dodd	He was given a gratuity and dismissed as engineer ostensibly because he was engaged on other work and was too expensive, although there is evidence that he did work without authorisation and had a disagreement with the chairman. He then attacked his replacement, John Rowe, and the canal committee but was still given some work by the company after this.
April 1802	John Rowe	About this date he was appointed engineer.
1850	William Sowerby	He was engineer for a company proposing use the canal as part of a new navigation from the Thames near Deptford to the Kennet & Avon at Reading. The proposed route was 22 miles compared to the 42 miles by river.

Grosvenor Canal

1823	This water supply cut became a navigable canal in 1823.
1866	Used for refuse collection barges since 1866.
1929	Subject to major reconstruction.

Grand Surrey Dock, Canal & Junction Railway project

August 1835

Henry H Price

He suggested this scheme to the directors of the Grand Surrey Canal company and was favourably received.

Grand Union Canal

1929	Formed in the years 1929 and 1932 by the amalgamation of many old canals.
1932	Formed in the years 1929 and 1932 by the amalgamation of many old canals.
1995	At the Heart of the Waterways...Braunston...a Canal History by David Blagrove, Published by Bridgewater Canal Company - A history of the waterways and the local communities part in their story.
1996	The Grand Union Canal Walk by Clive Holmes, Published by Cicerone Press - A guide to the canal walk between London and Birmingham.

Grand Union Aylesbury Branch

1794	Authorised by the Grand Junction Canal Act.
1809	GU Aylesbury Branch construction was started at the end of 1809.
1815	Completed.
1815	Marsworth Top Locks (No 1 & 2) built as a staircase.
1961	IWA National Rally at Aylesbury.

Grand Union Erewash Canal

July 1787

Benjamin Outram

With John Hodgkinson and others he met with the Erewash Canal company to propose an extention of the canal to Pixton but could get no agreement. This being the start of the events that led to the building of the Cromford Canal.

Hertford Union Canal (Grand Union)

See Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals for more information.

1824	Sir George Duckett obtained an Act of Parliament to buld this canal. The engineer was Francis Giles.
1824	Francis Giles	Was appointed engineer.
1830	Opened in early 1830.
1857	Sold to the Regent's Canal Co.

Grand Union Leicester Section

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.