Jim Shead Waterways Photographer & Writer

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Aire & Calder Main Line

Description: From junction with Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Main Line, and Leeds Bridge to entrance locks to Goole Docks, junction with River Ouse.

History: Wholly opened from Leeds to Wakefield in 1704 and to Selby in 1721.
For more details see the History page.

Points of Interest: The large locks are electrically operated, by lock keepers when commercial traffic is expected but by boaters at other times. A red light means don't enter the lock, green means enter and amber means the lock is boater operated.

Waterway Group: This waterway is part of the Aire and Calder Navigation and River Aire

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Northern Waterways, General Manager: Yorkshire Waterways, Fearns Wharf, Neptune Street, Leeds LS9 8PB: Telephone 0113 281 6800 : Fax 0113 281 6886 :

Ferry Bridge Lock - 1994

Related Books

The Canals of Yorkshire and North East England (2) by Charles Hadfield, Edition: volume 2, ISBN: 0 7153 5975 4, 252 pages, Published by David & Charles, in 1973, Order now from .
The Canals of Yorkshire and North East England (1) by Charles Hadfield, Edition: Volume 1, ISBN: 0 7153 5719 0, 254 pages, Published by David & Charles, in 1972, Order now from .
Yorkshire's River Aire by J Ogden, 128 pages, Published by Terrence Dalton Ltd, in 1976, Tales past and present from this river..
Pearson's Canal Companion: Pennine Waters by Michael Pearson, Edition: Third, ISBN: 0 9545383 4 X, 80 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, Includes the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Wigan to Leeds, the Aire & Calder/ Calder & Hebble and Rchdale route from Leeds to Littleborough, and the Huddersfield Broad and Narrow canals.. Order now from .
The Canal & River Sections of the Aire & Calder Navigation by Mike Taylor, ISBN: 1 903425 37 9, 144 pages, Published by Wharncliffe Books, in 2003, A pictorial history of the waterways with the aid of strip maps dating from the 1930s.. Order now from .

Related videos

CH106 (Aire & Calder Navigation) , 40 minutes Produced by IA Recordings, On a hot summer day in August 1997, the Cawoods Hargreaves push tug CH106 takes full 170 tonne compartment boats to Ferrybridge C power station where they are marshalled, lifted 12m by the gigantic boat hoist and coal tipped into hoppers. The empty boats are then re-assembled into a train and towed through Ferrybridge Lock. Produced with support from the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester. Note there is no sound commentary. Available on tape. Order on video tape from
The Last Run II (Yorkshire Ouse and Aire & Calder Navigation) , 26 minutes Produced by IA Recordings, Two Journeys. The first is Acaster's purpose Built 'Little Shuva' pushing two barges loaded with newsprint up to York, recorded in April 1997. Sadly, this traffic is no more. The second is Dean & Dyball's Trentaire on the last run with sewage effluent from Knostrop near Leeds to Goole. Note there is no sound commentary. Available on tape. Order on video tape from
Humber Energy (Aire & Calder Navigation , 32 minutes Produced by IA Recordings, This video follows Captain Jim Pearson as he steers a John H Whitaker tanker 'Humber Energy' from Immingham up the Aire & Calder Navigation to Leeds with a load of 550 tonnes. There is a commentary from John Pearson to accompany the film. Available on tape. Order on video tape from

Related photographs

Aire & Calder Main Line: Ferry Bridge Lock No 10 View with a train of coal boats entering lock
Aire & Calder Main Line: Leeds Lock No 1 Barges moored by mills
Aire & Calder Main Line: Crown Point Bridge Approaching the City Centre
Aire & Calder Main Line: Crown Point Bridge Barge "Sobriety" at Sparrow's Wharf
Aire & Calder Main Line: Crown Point Bridge Barges by old mills and warehouses

Related External Web Sites

The Waterways Museum (The Sobriety Project a charity) The Yorkshire Waterways Museum collection opened at the Sobriety Project in 1987 and was based on the story of the Aire and Calder Navigation and the creation of the Port of Goole.
Goole Boathouse Located in a basin beside the Aire & Calder Canal which was formerly used for storage of timber.
echandlery.co.uk 1000's of chandlery items in stock, for delivery to your door.
Viking Marine A marina based at Goole.

Related Cruising Logs

Other Related Pages

Cruising Times

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Boats of up to 142 foot long with a beam of 18 foot 9 inches can navigate to Leeds. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

Aire & Calder Main Line: Table of distances		Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Leeds Bridge	Junction with Leeds and Liverpool Canal Leeds & Liverpool Canal junction	0	0	N	SE302331	104
Crown Point Bridge		0.4	0	N	SE307331	104
Leeds Lock No 1		0.6	1	N	SE309329	104
Suspension Bridge		1	1	N	SE313324	104
Knostrop Flood Lock No 2		1.4	2	N	SE315318	104
Knostrop Fall Lock No 3		2	3	N	SE322312	104
Fish Pond Lock No4		4	4	N	SE354300	104
Woodllesford Lock No 5		5.3	5	N	SE366294	104
Swillington Bridge	A642 road bridge	5.5	5	N	SE370292	104
Lemonroyd Lock No 6		6.8	6	N	SE384277	104
Savile Colliery Basin		7	6	N	SE386275	104
Kippax Lock No 7		8.5	7	N	SE409279	105
Allerton Wharf		9	7	N	SE416275	105
Castleford Junction	Junction with Aire & Calder Navigation - Wakefield Section Wakefield Section of the Aire and Calder Navigation junction. Turn left going downstream here, when traffic lights are green. Avoid weir straight ahead.	10	7	N	SE424263	105
Castleford Flood Lock No 8		10	8	N	SE425263	105
Bulholme Lock No 9		10.8	9	N	SE433267	105
Fairburn		13.3	9	N	SE466272	105
Ferry Bridge Lock No 10	Flood Lock	15.3	10	N	SE485244	105
Mill Bridge		15.8	10	N	SE482241	105
Cow Lane Bridge		16.8	10	N	SE503238	105
Bank Dole Junction	Junction with Aire & Calder Navigation - Selby Section Selby Branch of the Aire and Calder Navigation junction	17	10	N	SE508239	105
Whitley Lock No 11		21	11	N	SE566221	105
Pollington Lock No 12		24.5	12	N	SE615192	111
Crowcroft Bridge		25	12	N	SE624189	111
Sheffield & South Yorkshire Canal Junction	Junction with Sheffield and South Yorkshire New Junction Canal Sheffield and South Yorkshire Junction Canal junction	26.8	12	N	SE651187	111
Beever's Bridge		27.5	12	N	SE662189	111
Rawcliffe Bridge		30.3	12	N	SE700211	105
Railway Bridge	Doncaster Line	32.9	12	N	SE731225	112
South Dock Bridge	A161 road bridge	33.8	12	N	SE744229	106
Ocean Lock No 13	Junction with River Ouse (Yorkshire) Entrance Lock to Goole Docks, Junction with River Ouse.	34	13	N	SE748229	106

NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.