Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Shropshire Union Main Line

Description: Runs 66.5 miles from Autherley Junction, where it joins the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, to Ellesmere Port where it joins the Manchester Ship Canal.

History: Promoted by Acts of 1772, 1793 and 1826. The original canal companies were formed into The Shropshire Union in 1846.
For more details see the History page.

Waterway Group: This waterway is part of the Shropshire Union Canal

Subordinate Waterways:

• Chester Canal

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Northern Waterways, General Manager: Wales & Border Counties Waterways, Navigation Road, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1BH: Telephone 01606 723800 : Fax 01606 871471 : (Covers the waterway north of bridge 74 (Audlem).).

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Southern Waterways, General Manager: West Midland Waterways, Albert House, Quay Place, 92-93 Edward Street, Birmingham B1 2RA : Telephone 0121 200 7400 : Fax 0121 200 7401 : (Covers the waterway south of bridge 74 (Audlem).).

Audlem on the Shropshire Union Main Line

Related Articles

• More than a Mooring - Nantwich Canal Centre
• Back on the Straight and Narrow
• The Spectacular Shroppie

Related Books

• Vagabonding Through the Midlands by W Byford-Jones, Edition: 1st edition, 208 pages, Published by Heath Cranton, in 1935, Includes a pleasure trip by narrowboat from Wolverhampton to Llangollen..
• The Shropshire Union Canal - A Towpath Guide to the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal by Jonathan Morris, ISBN: 0-946679-43-6, 128 pages, Published by Management Update Ltd, in 1991, Title continues "from Autherley to Nantwich". Informative with numerous line drawing and detailed maps but the text is often difficult to follow due to poor grammer.. Order now from .
• Thomas Telford's Aqueducts on the Shropshire Union Canal by Ron Quenby, ISBN: 1 85310 246 6, 126 pages, Published by Swan Hill Press, Illustrated.. Order now from .
• Nicholson/Ordnance Survey Guide to the waterways - 4 by Not known, ISBN: 978-0-00-728164-0, 170 pages, Published by Nicholson, in 2009, Four Counties & the Welsh Canals. Includes Caldon, Leek, Llangollen, Monmouthshire & Brecon, Montgomery, Shropshire Union, Staffordshire & Worcestershire (north part), Trent & Mersey canals and the River Weaver.. Order now from .
• Pearson's Canal Companion: Four Counties Ring by Michael Pearson, Edition: Seventh, ISBN: 978 09 5491168 3, 80 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, Includes the Erewash and Trent and Mersey canals.. Order now from .
• Pearson's Canal Companion: Welsh Waters by Michael Pearson, Edition: Seventh, ISBN: 978 0 9 5491163 8, 80 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, Including the Shropshire Union, Llangollen, Montgomery and Monmouthshire & Brecon Canals. Order now from .
• The Old Chester Canal - a history and guide by Gordon Emery and Various, ISBN: 1 87226 588 X, 300 pages, Published by Chester Canal Heritage Trust, in 2005, A history of the canal that now forms the the part of the Shropshire Unoin main line from Nantwich to Chester. Edited by Gordon Emery.. Order now from .
• The Canals of the West Midlands (2nd Ed) by Charles Hadfield, 352 pages, Published by Augustus M Kelley, in 1969,
• Three Girls on a Boat by Jeff Robins, ISBN: 1-903172-62-4, 104 pages, Published by Barney Books, in 2006, A holiday voyage in the 1960s from Llangollen to Wheaton Aston on the Shropshire Union Main Line.. Order now from .

Related videos

• The Shropshire Union Canal , Released in 1990, 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from
• The Four Counties Ring , 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from

Related photographs

• Shropshire Union Main Line: Cowley Tunnel No 33 Nb Laura
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Beeston Stone Lock No 33
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Nantwich Basin
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Wharton Lock No 35 Hotel boats Caernavon and Conwy
• Shropshire Union Main Line - Ellesmere Port The Boat Museum
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Tyrley Bottom Lock No 7 Bridge guard on Shropshire Union
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Tyrley Bottom Lock No 7 Boat approaching Tyrley Castle Bridge
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Tyrley Bottom Lock No 7 Boat approaching
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Audlem Top Lock No 13 Traady Lioar by the Shroppie Fly
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Audlem Top Lock No 13
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Brewood Bridge No 14 Avenue Bridge No. 10
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Brewood Bridge No 14
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Audlem Lock No 15 Milepost
• Shropshire Union Main Line: Brewood Bridge No 14 Avenue Bridge No 10

Related External Web Sites

• Anglo Welsh A large narrowboat hire company with a good choice of bases and boats.
• Chas Hardern Boats Narrowboat hire based at Beeston on the Shropshire Union Canal.
• Countrywide Cruisers A family run canal boat holiday operator based at Brewood in Staffordshire.
• Empress Holidays Narrowboat hire based at Nantwich, Cheshire.
• Napton Narrowboats Hire boats at two Bases in the UK on the South Oxford and Shropshire Union Canals
• Norbury Cruising Club
• The National Waterways Museum The major waterways museums located at Gloucester Docks, Ellesmere Port and Stoke Bruerne.
• Norbury Wharf Ltd Fully covered and heated wet dock, professional boat painting, slipway, gift shop, groceries, chandlery, fishing tackle, fully licensed tea-room, Off license, covered dry dock, boat repairs, hire boats, day boats, full boat yard facilities (ie. pumpout, gas, water) and much much more.
• Nantwich and Border Counties Yacht Club Despite the confusing name, the N.B.C.Y.C. has been a canal boating club for over fifty years. It is located on the Shropshire Union Canal just outside Nantwich.
• Shroppie Fly Well known canalside pub at Audlem on the Shropshire Union Canal.
• The Boat Museum Society The principal aim of the Society is the preservation of the historic boats, skills, knowledge and way of life of the waterways. The Society founded the Boat Museum, which it continues to actively support.

Related Cruising Logs

• 8th July 1995
• 12th August 1995
• 1st August 1996
• 1st June 1997
• 23rd August 1998
• 13th September 1998
• 4th September 1999
• 9th May 2000
• 8th June 2001
• 11th July 2002
• 8th May 2003
• 10th July 2004
• 11th August 2004
• 12th May 2005
• 1st June 2005
• 9th May 2008
• 1st June 2008
• 17th August 2008

Other Related Pages

• Cruising Times
• Introducing Route Planning

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: From Autherley Junction to Nantwich (the old Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal): Length 72 foot, beam 7 foot. From Nantwich to Ellesmere Port: Length 72 foot, beam 14 foot 9 inches but note that other structures on the waterway limit craft to a beam of 9 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

Shropshire Union Main Line: Table of distances			Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Autherley Junction Stop Lock No 1	Junction with Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Junction		0	1	N	SJ901020	139
Pendeford Bridge No 4			1.4	1	N	SJ888034	139
Chillington Bridge No 9			3.6	1	N	SJ890072	139
Brewood Bridge No 14	Brewood Village		5	1	N	SJ879088	127
Watling Street Aqueduct	Over the A5 road		6.1	1	N	SJ872107	127
Wheaton Aston Lock No 2			7.8	2	N	SJ858126	127
High Onn Bridge No 25	Church Eaton 1 mile north-east		10.8	2	N	SJ835168	127
Cowley Tunnel No 33			12.5	2	N	SJ824197	127
Gnosall Bridge No 35	A518 road bridge and Gnosall village		13	2	N	SJ819203	127
Norbury Junction	Shrewsbury Branch (disused) Junction		15.5	2	N	SJ793227	127
High Bridge No 39	A519 road bridge		16.4	2	N	SJ789241	127
Shebdon Aqueduct			19	2	N	SJ758261	127
Newport Road Bridge No 45	Knighton village		20	2	N	SJ746268	127
Park Heath Bridge No 48			21	2	N	SJ731274	127
Goldstone Bridge No 55	Cheswardine 1 mile east		23	2	N	SJ705293	127
Tyrley Top Lock No 3			25.3	3	N	SJ691324	127
Tyrley Lock No 4			25.4	4	N	SJ689325	127
Tyrley Locks Nos 5 and 6			25.5	6	N	SJ688327	127
Tyrley Bottom Lock No 7			25.6	7	N	SJ687330	127
Market Drayton Bridge No 62			26.6	7	N	SJ683345	127
Adderley Top Lock No 8	Adderley Wharf Bridge No 69		29.9	8	N	SJ670392	127
Adderley Bottom Lock No 12	Flight of 5 locks		30.1	12	N	SJ669397	127
Audlem Top Lock No 13			31.5	13	N	SJ659415	118
Audlem Lock No 14			31.6	14	N	SJ659417	118
Audlem Lock No 15	Bagley Lane Bridge No 76		31.9	15	N	SJ658420	118
Audlem Lock No 19	Snows Bridge No 77		32.1	19	N	SJ659426	118
Audlem Lock No 24	Audlem Bridge No 78 and Audlem Village		32.8	24	N	SJ658434	118
Audlem Bottom Lock No 27	Moss Hall Bridge No 79		33.1	27	N	SJ654439	118
Hack Green Locks Nos 28 and 29	Hack Green Bridge No 86		36.6	29	N	SJ641482	118
Nantwich Basin			38.9	29	N	SJ639529	118
Hurleston Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal Llangollen Canal Junction		40.8	29	N	SJ626553	118
Barbridge Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union - Middlewich Branch Middlewich Branch Junction		42.1	29	N	SJ613570	118
Tweedale Bridge No 103A			43.4	29	N	SJ597581	117
Calveley Bridge No 104			43.9	29	N	SJ590587	117
Bunbury Locks Nos 30 and 31	Staircase locks		44.9	31	N	SJ578590	117
Tilstone Lock No 32	Tilstone Mill Bridge No 106		45.6	32	N	SJ567593	117
Beeston Stone Lock No 33			46.4	33	N	SJ556596	117
Beeston Iron Lock No 34	Beeston Brook Bridge No 107		46.6	34	N	SJ553599	117
Wharton Lock No 35	Wharton's Bridge No 108		47.5	35	N	SJ538602	117
Bate's Mill Bridge No 109			47.9	35	N	SJ532602	117
Crows Nest Bridge No 113			50.3	35	N	SJ485604	117
Egg Bridge No 119	Waverton		53.8	35	N	SJ455642	117
Christleton Lock No 36			55.4	36	N	SJ434658	117
Greenfield Lock No 37	A41 road bridge No 122A		55.6	37	N	SJ431661	117
Tarvin Lock No 38	Tarvin Road Bridge - A51 - No 123		56.3	38	N	SJ426664	117
Chemistry Lock No 39			56.8	39	N	SJ420666	117
Hoole Lane Lock No 40	Hoole Lane Bridge No 123A		57	40	N	SJ417666	117
Northgate Staircase Locks Nos 41 to 43			57.8	43	N	SJ404666	117
River Dee Branch Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union Dee Branch Short branch connecting with River Dee via 3 locks		58	43	N	SJ400667	117
Mollington Bridge No 130	A540 road bridge		59.5	43	N	SJ373687	117
Backford Bridge No 133	A41 road bridge		61.1	43	N	SJ400709	117
Caughall Bridge No 134			61.8	43	N	SJ413711	117
Stoak Bridge No 137			63.4	43	N	SJ423730	117
Stanney Mill Bridge No 141			64.4	43	N	SJ418745	117
Ellesmere Port Docks, Locks Nos 44 to 46	Junction with Manchester Ship Canal Junction with Manchester Ship Canal		66.5	46	D	SJ404774	117

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.