Lancaster Canal - The Northern Reaches

Friday, 12 June 2009 19:37

 - the Northern Reaches

So for those of you who have no idea of what I am talking about, I will give you a quick tour. But first, to put it in context, here is a bit of history thrown in for good measure

Let's get the history over and done with first and then you can relax looking at our photos!

The Lancaster Canal was enabled by an Act of Parliament in 1792.
It was built in stages and finally finished in 1826, giving a through route from Preston to Kendal and a link with the Lune estuary via the Glasson Arm.

The canal carried up to 460,000 tons of cargo in its heyday - coal from Preston and limestone from Burton-in-Kendal and Holme. Thus it became known as "The Black and White Canal".

The 1880s began a change of ownership from the Lancaster Canal Company (LCC) to the railway companies.

In the 1920s the London Midland Scottish Railway (LMS), seeing the decline in trade, tried to close the canal.

Sadly the last cargo carried was in 1947.

The waterways were nationalised in1948.

The British Transport Commission decided that the Lancaster Canal was no longer a viable commercial enterprise. The Northernmost section between Stainton and Kendal was closed and 3.5 Km of waterway approaching Kendal was dewatered and infilled.

In the 1960s a further section into Preston town centre was closed and infilled.

The 'curse' of the motor car then completed this with the building of the M6, and the A6070 bridge cut off the canal at Tewitfield.

As far as a narrowboat can go from the Main System

Path by M6 to the Northern Reaches at Tewitfield

The Canal and Visitor Moorings from the A 6070 bridge over the M6

Now you know what the Northern Reaches are!

British Waterways (Board) (BW/BWB) took ownership in 1963 and under the 1968 Transport Act the remaining Lancaster Canal was classified as a "Cruising Waterway".

The section between Tewitfield and Stainton was designated a "Remainder Waterway". The bit between Stainton and Kendal is very fragmented with nothing in water and parts only just traceable.

There are ambitious plans to restore the Northern Reaches and there is more about the Project and the Restoration Partnership if you follow the links.

To be continued - our walk up the Northern Reaches!

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