Jim Shead Waterways Photographer & Writer

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

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Waterways of Wrexham

Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal

Waterway's place in Wrexham :

From half a mile after Prees Branch Junction, where the canal crosses into Wrexham from Shropshire, to a point between Clapping Gate Bridge No 49 and Hampton Bank Bridge No 50, where the canal crosses back into Shropshire, the canal is in Wrexham.

From Chirk Aqueduct, where the canal crosses back into Wrexham from Shropshire, to a point after the Ruabon Branch Junction, where the canal crosses into Denbighshire, the canal is in Wrexham.

Description:

Runs 46 miles from Llantysilio Bridge, near Llangollen, to Hurleston Junction, where it joins the Shropshire Union main line

History:

Promoted by Acts of 1793 and 1796.

For more details see the History page

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

Grindley Brook Locks, Llangollen Canal

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..
Canals, Cruises, and Contentment by A Neal, Edition: 1st edition, 189 pages, Published by Heath Cranton, in 1921, Illustrated book describing two round trips, one to Llangollen and one to Oxford, from the authors home next to the Derby Canal..
The Ellesmere and Llangollen Canal. An Historical Background by E A Wilson, Edition: 1st edition, 160 pages, Published by Phillimore & Co., in 1975, Illustrated..
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 .
Canal to Llangollen by Thomas Pellow and Paul Bowen, ISBN: 0 9478 4901 7, 64 pages, Published by Landscape Press, in 1987, The history of the Llangollen Canal.. 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 .
Pontcyllte Aqueduct Restoration by Richard J Turner-Thomas, ISBN: 954 642 225 8, 71 pages, Published by Pensoft, in 2005, The story of the restoration work carried out on the aqueduct over the winter of 2003 and the spring of 2004.. 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 .
The Llangollen Canal by Harry Arnold, ISBN: 978-1-84306-335-3, 160 pages, Published by Landmark Publishing, in 2008, New and old photos of the canal by this well known waterways photographer.. Order now from .

Related videos

The Llangollen Canal , 1 hour 0 minutes Produced by Waterways World Ltd, A video tour along the Llangollen Canal Available on tape. Order on video tape from
The Llangollen Canal , Released in 1990, 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from

Related photographs

Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Siambr Bridge No 45
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Siambr Bridge No 45
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Ellesmere Branch Junction Blackwater Meadow Marina
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Ellesmere Branch Junction Blackwater Meadow Marina - Neil Huggon
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Grindley Brook Lock No 16 Boat in lock
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Grindley Brook Lock No 16 View of 3 lock staircase
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Ellesmere Branch Junction Hotel boats Caldon and Ashby
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Pontcysylite Aqueduct (South end) View of aqueduct with boat crossing
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Pontcysylite Aqueduct (South end) Boat crossing
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Sparks Bridge No 35 Hassel's No 2 Lift bridge
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: New Marton Top Lock No 2
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Pontcysylite Aqueduct (South end)
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Bryn Howel Bridge No 38
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Siambr Bridge No 45 Canoes on Canal feeder
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: New Mills Lift Bridge No 31
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Hurleston Top Lock No 4
Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Hurleston Top Lock No 4

External Web Sites Related to the Waterway

Alvechurch Boat Centres Holiday narrowboat hire from 7 bases. Also boat building and brokerage.
Anglo Welsh A large narrowboat hire company with a good choice of bases and boats.
Black Prince Holidays Five bases, covering the canal system of England and Wales, with 80 narrowboats for hire.
Blackwater Meadow Marina Situated at Ellesmere on the Llangollen Canal.
Swanley Bridge Marina Swanley Bridge is a 315 berth, marina on the Llangollen Canal 2 miles from the junction of the Shropshire Union.
Viking Afloat Four bases (Worcester, Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal, Rugby and Gailey) hiring narrowboats.
Cheshire Cat Narrowboat Hire Based at Swanley Bridge Marina on the Llangollen Canal.
Maestermyn Cruisers Together with Welsh Lady Cruisers hire boats from their base on the Llangollen Canal
Llangollen Wharf - Canal Boat Trips From the Wharf you can embark on a horse drawn or motorised canal boat trip along the beautiful Llangollen Canal
Canal Navigations A site covering some of the unique canals found in Britian
A Boater's Wedding The wedding of Joe and Jackie Jones on the Llangollen Canal.
The Lyneal Trust A registered charity that provides canal holidays for people with disabilities with their families, friends from Lyneal Wharf near Ellesmere, which is on the Llangollen Canal.
The Shropshire Union Canal Society The Society was formed in 1968 to promote interest in the past, present and future of 158 miles of canal comprising the main line and branches.
Marine Cruises Operate from three canal holiday bases, on the Llangollen Canal at Swanley Marina, on the Trent & Mersey Canal Kings Bromley Marina near Lichfield and at their Scotish Base at the foot of the Falkirk Wheel.
Whixall Marina - BWML Moorings, Narrowboats, Canal Cruisers,Boatbuilding, Repairs, Sales. BWML aquired the freehold to the site in May 2007 and it is now operated as part of the BWML group.
Dragonfly Narrowboat Hire A narrowboat hire company, based at Swanley Bridge Marina, on the Llangollen Canal.
The Sun Trevor Hotel Pub, restaurant and hotel on the Llangollen Canal.
The Dusty Miller A pub by Wrenbury Lift Bridge on the Llangollen Canal.
Swanley Brokerage Situated in the Boat House at Swanley Bridge Marina on the Llangollen Canal.
Crest Narrowboats Narrowboat hire from bases on the Trent & Mersey and Llangollen canals.
Canal Boat Holidays Canal boats to sleep 4 or to sleep 6, depending on the size of boat from seven bases.
Canal Side Retreat hire a luxury gazebo complete with sauna, hot tub, music (ipod dock) and TV/sports. With private mooring on the Llangollen Canal.

Related Cruising Logs

Other Related Pages

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Length 70 foot, beam 6 foot 10 inches. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

The parts of the waterway within Wrexham are highlighted on the Table of Distances below.

Shropshire Union - Llangollen Canal: Table of distances		Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Hurleston Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union Main Line Shropshire Union main line junction	0	0	N	SJ626553	118
Hurleston Top Lock No 4	Hurleston Flight Locks Nos 1 to 4	0.3	4	N	SJ623551	118
Burland Bridge No 6	Burland Village and A534 road	1.6	4	N	SJ617533	118
Swanley Lock No 5	Swanley Bridge No 8	2.3	5	N	SJ617526	118
Swanley Lock No 6	Butcher's Bridge No 9	2.5	6	N	SJ614520	118
Baddiley Lock No 7		4	7	N	SJ609499	118
Baddiley Lock No 8		4.1	8	N	SJ608496	118
Baddiley Lock No 9	Baddiley Bridge No 14	4.4	9	N	SJ607492	118
Wrenbury Lift Bridge No 20	Wrenbury Village a quarter of a mile south-east	6.3	9	N	SJ589480	117
Marbury Lock No 10	Church Bridge No 23	8.3	10	N	SJ561464	117
Steer Bridge No 24		8.9	10	N	SJ553463	117
Quoisley Lock No 11		9.9	11	N	SJ538462	117
Willey Moor Lock No 12		10.9	12	N	SJ534451	117
Povey's Lock No 13		11.3	13	N	SJ532446	117
Grindley Brook Bridge No 28	Tail of grindly Brook Lower Locks Nos 14 to 16	12.3	13	N	SJ522433	117
Grindley Brook Lock No 16	Top of Lower Locks	12.4	16	N	SJ523431	117
Grindley Brook Lock No 19 (Top of staircase)	Bridge No 29	12.5	19	N	SJ523428	117
New Mills Lift Bridge No 31	Former junction with the Whitchurch Branch	13.4	19	N	SJ528415	117
Wrexham Road Bridge No 32	A525 road	13.6	19	N	SJ523414	117
Sparks Bridge No 35		14.3	19	N	SJ517406	117
Tilstock Park Lift Bridge No 42		16.9	19	N	SJ512378	126
Platt Lane Bridge No 43		17.4	19	N	SJ510365	126
From half a mile after Prees Branch Junction, where the canal crosses into Wrexham from Shropshire, to a point between Clapping Gate Bridge No 49 and Hampton Bank Bridge No 50, where the canal crosses back into Shropshire, the canal is in Wrexham.
Prees Branch Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union Prees Branch Whixall Moss Roving Bridge No 46	19	19	N	SJ488352	126
Bettisfield Bridge No 48		20.9	19	N	SJ459355	126
Hampton Bank Bridge No 50		21.9	19	N	SJ450344	126
Little Mill Bridge No 55		23.6	19	N	SJ427335	126
Ellesmere Branch Junction		25.6	19	N	SJ400342	126
Coachman's Bridge No 62	Tetchill	27.1	19	N	SJ385329	126
Frankton Junction	Junction with Shropshire Union Montgomery Canal Montgomery Canal junction	29	19	N	SJ370318	126
Maestermyn Bridge No 5	A495 road and Narrow Boat Inn	30.3	19	N	SJ353325	126
Hindford Bridge No 11		31.5	19	N	SJ334330	126
New Marton Bottom Lock No 1		32.4	20	N	SJ330341	126
New Marton Top Lock No 2	New Marton Bridge No 12	32.6	21	N	SJ328347	126
St Martins Bridge No 13	B5069 road	33.8	21	N	SJ314357	126
Belmont Bridge No 16		34.4	21	N	SJ304357	126
Rhoswiel Bridge No 18		35	21	N	SJ296362	126
Glenrid Bridge No 19	New Inn	35.3	21	N	SJ297368	126
From Chirk Aqueduct, where the canal crosses back into Wrexham from Shropshire, to a point after the Ruabon Branch Junction, where the canal crosses into Denbighshire, the canal is in Wrexham.
Chirk Aqueduct		36	21	N	SJ287372	126
Chirk Tunnel (North end)		36.4	21	N	SJ282378	126
Whitehouses Tunnel		37.8	21	N	SJ285401	117
Irish Bridge No 27		38.1	21	N	SJ285407	117
Fron Lift Bridge No 28		39	21	N	SJ271413	117
Pontcysylite Aqueduct (South end)		39.4	21	N	SJ270419	117
Ruabon Branch Junction		39.6	21	N	SJ270422	117
Bryn Howel Bridge No 38		41.6	21	N	SJ249417	117
Wenffrwd Bridge No 42		42.6	21	N	SJ236425	117
Siambr Bridge No 45	Llangollen - end of navigation for craft of over 10 feet in length	44.3	21	N	SJ215422	117
Pentre-Felin Bridge No 48		45.4	21	N	SJ207435	117
Llantisilio, Horseshoe Falls		46	21	N		0

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.