The Shropshire Union Canal

Ellesmere Port to Autherley Junction (Staffs & Worcs Canal) 66½ miles, 46 locks
Barbridge to Middlewich (Trent Mersey Canal) 10 miles 4 locks

The main line runs from Ellesmere Port to Autherley Junction where it meets the Staffs and Worcester Canal. The Middlewich Branch leaves the mainline at Barbridge Junction and heads east to Middlewich to join the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Llangollen Canal joins the Shropshire Union at Hurleston Junction.
The canal passes near Brewood, Market Drayton, Audlem, Nantwich, and Chester. At Ellesmere Port is a boat museum with many historic boats and exhibitions and displays about working boats of the British canals.

As the name suggests the Shropshire Union Canal is a union of different canals: the Ellesmere Canal, the Chester Canal and the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal.

Click the photographs to see larger images and more information

Ellesmere Port Boat Museum


Ellesmere Port Boat Museum	A crane	A Ferro-Concrete Barge FCB-18	Narrow Boats
The Ellesmere Canal
The Ellesmere Canal linked Ellesmere in Shropshire with Netherpool by the Mersey, renamed Ellesmere Port. It used the Chester Canal between Chester and Hurleston.

Milepost at Ellesmere Port
It is about 8 3/4 miles from Ellesmere Port to Chester

Boatbuilding Yard	Graving Dock	Under the bridge to the boatbuilding yard

LTC Rolt	The Iron Roving Bridge	The canal from the Roving Bridge	Telfords Warehouse
The Dee Branch
The canal is connected to the River Dee via the Dee Branch

Graving Lock	Lock Pound	Bridge Lock	Dee Basin
The Chester Canal
Work started in 1772 and the Chester to Nantwich section was open in 1779 but the company collapsed in 1787 due to competition with the Trent and Mersey Canal.

	Offices	Northgate Staircase Locks	Northgate Staircase Locks

Northgate Staircase Locks	Northgate Staircase Locks	Northgate Staircase Locks	Northgate Staircase Locks
Chester
Chester is a popular destination for boaters and tourists. The Romans came and built an ampitheatre, the Civil War passed through leaving its mark. The canal passes under the city walls

	Northgate	Towards Northgate	From Northgate

Rope Marks	Sandstone Cutting

	Former Flour Mill	Union Bridge
It is about 10 miles from Chester to Bates Mill

Bates Mill Bridge #109	from Bates Mill Bridge	Whartons Bridge #108	Wharton Lock 7' 8"

Whartons Bridge with Beeston Castle	The Sandstone Trail	Cruising the Canal	BW Tree Cutting

Boats on the Canal	Beeston Brook Bridge #107	Beeston Iron Lock 7' 0"	Beeston Iron Lock

Beeston Iron Lock	Beeston Iron Lock	Norman 25	Beeston Stone Lock

Beeston Stone Lock	Lengthsman's Hut	Along the Canal	Tilstone Mill Bridge #106

under Tilstone Mill Bridge	Tilstone Mill 1838	leaving Tilstone Lock	Tilstone Lock 9' 8"

Lengthsmans Hut	Sunken Dawncraft
Bunbury Locks
The locks at Bunbury are a two-rise stair case lock. There is a shop here and the old stables. At the bottom of the locks is a small basin that was used for boat maintenance. At the top of the locks is the former lock keepers cottage. Nearby Bunbury Mill used to import corncake from the USA via Liverpool and the canal.

Bunbury Lock Bridge #105	Bunbury Lock Bridge #105	Bunbury Lock 15' 7"	Bunbury Lock

Bunbury Lock	Approaching Bunbury Lock	The canal at Bunbury	Brick Kiln

Brick Kilns	The Shropshire Union Canal	Calveley Bridge #104	Canal at Calveley

a tree	Sunken Boat	Bank Protection	Goodwin Bridge #101
Barbridge Junction
This is where the Middlewich Branch meets the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal. The Middlewich Branch links the Shropshire Union to the Trent & Mersey Canal, giving access to Manchester.

Bridge 1 of the Middlewich Branch	Remains of the warehouse that once crossed the canal here	Canal Inspectors house	Lock site Barbridge

Bremilows Bridge #100	Stoke Hall Bridge #99	Vickers Bridge #98
Hurleston Junction
At Hurleston Junction the Llangollen Canal meets the Shropshire Union Canal. This was originally part of the Ellesmere Canal linking the town of Ellesmere in Shropshire to Netherpool or Ellesmere Port on the Mersey.

Hurleston Locks	Hurleston	Hurleston Junction	Stop Planks

Hurleston Roving Bridge #97
Nantwich
Nantwich is the terminus of the old Chester Canal.

Nantwich Junction Bridge #92
The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal
The Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal links the old Chester and Ellesmere canals to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. It gained its Act in 1825 and opened in 1835. It runs from Nantwich to Autherley Junction. It gave Liverpool a link to the Midlands. Unlike the older Chester Canal the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal was a narrow canal built for narrow boats.