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
The Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port has many historic canal craft.


Ellesmere Port Boat Museum	A crane	A Ferro-Concrete Barge FCB-18	Narrow Boats
The Ellesmere Canal: Wirral Line
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	Looking towards Ellesmere Port	Bridge 147	under the M53

Pipeline on the Towpath	big sheds by the canal	towards Stanlow Bridge #145	the M53

Industry	Bridge #142	Stanney Mill Bridge #141	Along the Canal

Masons Bridge #140	Meadow Lane Bridge #139	Denisons Bridge #138	Pylons

Stoke Bridge #137	Along the Canal	Picton Lane Bridge #136	Bridge # 135 through the M53

Caughall Bridge #134	Way Marker	Backford Bridge #133	Bridge 131A Chester Birkenhead Railway

Knolls Bridge #131	Along the Canal	Mollington Bridge #130	The Mercian Way

Bridge #129	Bridge 128	Canalside Trail

Boatbuilding Yard	Graving Dock	Under the bridge to the boat building yard	LTC Rolt

	The Iron Roving Bridge #126	The canal from the Roving Bridge	Telfords Warehouse
The Dee Branch
The canal is connected to the River Dee via the Dee Branch

Basins	Graving Lock	Graving Lock

Lock Pound		Bridge Lock	Bridge Lock

Water Tower	Lift Bridge	River Lock see this lock as it was rebuilt in the 1960s	River Lock
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. The canal was rescued by the building of the Ellesmere Canal.

From the City Walls	Horse Rope Hook	#123	Offices

Canal from the City Walls	Locks from the City Walls	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 city is surrounded by the River Dee and the Shropshire Union Canal. It is famous today for its Rows, walls and the race course. There is a lot of history in Chester dating back to the Romans. The city walls are the perfect way to see the sights in Chester. There are some very nice pubs in Chester and the canal here is one of my favourite places on the English canal network.

Romans in Deva	St Johns Church & Coffin		Bridge of Sighs

Bridge of Sighs	Northgate	Towards Northgate	From Northgate

From the Walls	From the Walls	Rope Marks	Sandstone Cutting

Former canal arm	Under St Oswalds Way	Former Flour Mill	Union Bridge

	View from City Road	Hoole Lane Lock	Hoole Lane Lock

Hoole Lane Lock	By the Water Tower	Chemistry Lock	Tarvin Road Lock

Albatross on the move	Greenfield Lock	Christleton Lock	Christleton Bridge #122

Christleton Mill	Christleton Mill	View from Rowton Bridge #120	Rowton Bridge #120
It is about 7 miles from Christleton 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 Basin is the terminus of the old Chester Canal. There is a boatyard, shop and cafe at the basin. The town centre is some distance from the canal basin. Nantwich was once the salt mining capital of Roman Britain. There are some Tudor buildings remaining, the town has seen a lot of new building in recent years.

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.

Looking along the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal from bridge #92
Audlem
It is about 6 miles from Nantwich to Audlem. Audlem is dominated by its church, St James parts of which date back to the late 13th Century. Audlem has a flight of 15 locks the town itself is at the bottom between the 12th and 13th locks. The Shroppie Fly is one of the most famous pubs on the canal network and is perfectly placed for a meal and drink next to the canal. There are two more pubs the Bridge Inn and Lord Combermere. The former warehouses by the canal have been sympathetically converted.

Approaching Audlem	Moss Hall Bridge	Audlem Bottom Lock 15	Shropshire Union Milepost

Lock 14	Lock 13	The Shroppie Fly Audlem	The Bridge Inn Audlem

St James, Audlem	Audlem Bridge #79	Rope Marks	Lock 12

Lock 11	Lock 10	Lock 9	Lock 8

Lock 7	Snows Bridge #77