Monument record 502/1 - The Grand Union Canal (later The Leicester Line)

[Taken over by The Grand Junction Co. c.1893, before being incorporated within the new Grand Union Canal of 1929.]

{1} Formerly the old Grand Union Canal, dated 1814. It became the Leicester Line in 1929 when the new Grand Union Canal was formed from the joining up of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal (d.1799), the Grand Junction Canal (d.1805), The Warwick and Napton Canal (d.1800) and Regent's Canal (d.1820). The Leicester line includes Foxton and Watford Locks, and rural summit.

{2} The Grand Union Canal, authorised by an act of 1810 and opened from Norton Junction, on the Grand Junction Canal, to Foxton, on what was then the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal, on August 9th 1814. The Welford arm, from a junction near North Kilworth, was opened in November of that year. This arm was un-navigable from c.1957, but after restoration was re-opened on May 17th 1969.
The Old Grand Union canal was bought by the Grand Junction Canal Co which came in to existence on January 1st 1929. In 1947, along with about two-thirds of the inland waterways in the country, these canals passed into the control of the British Transport Commission, which was succeeded by the British Waterways Board on Jan 1st 1963.

{5} The old Grand Union Canal from Norton to Leicester, was granted an Act of Parliament in 1810 and was completed by 1814. 23 miles long with 17 locks and a tunnel at Crick. The canal was wide, with wide tunnels and bridges, but narrow locks.

<1> CROWE N., 1994, Canals, p.122 (part checked) (Book). SNN76963.

<2> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1970, Industrial Archaeology In Northamptonshire, p.23 (checked) (Article). SNN103317.

<3> Blagrove D., 1990, Waterways of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Book). SNN104876.

<4> Hadfield C., 1966, The Canals of The East Midlands, (unchecked) (Book). SNN104879.

<5> BALLINGER J., 1995?, East Midlands Regional Research Frameworks: Northamptonshire, Industrial Period, "Canals" (part checked) (Unpublished Report). SNN104881.

<6> FAULKNER A.H., 1972, The Grand Junction Canal, (unchecked) (Book). SNN55309.

<7> Richards J., 2013, Rye Hill, Watford Gap: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment, (unchecked) (Report). SNN109596.

<8> Richards J., 2014, Crick Road, Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire: Cultural Heritage Assessment, p.16 (checked) (Report). SNN109622.

Record last edited

Jul 22 2022 10:49AM