Coventry Canal
engineered by James Brindley, 38 miles long with 13 locks

History and General Knowledge of the Coventry Canal

Image by Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction

A great deal of the Coventry Canal is 'Lock Free' with 11 of its 13 locks set between Atherstone and a little North of Whittington.

Due to the lack of locks, the Coventry Canal weaves its way following the contour of the land most of the way from end to end.

Opened in 1769 and later extended in 1788. Junctions to the: Trent & Mersey, Birmingham & Fazeley, Ashby and the Oxford Canals, the Coventry Canal was a major highway in the Canal Age.

Five miles north of the Coventry Basin, there is the Hawkesbury Junction onto the Oxford Canal. Known for many years as Sutton Stop after the Sutton family who were, for many years,  the lock-keepers at the 'Stop Lock'.

History of the Coventry Canal

The canal that runs from Coventry to Fradley Junction, on the Trent & Mersey Canal, in Staffordshire, England. It was designed and constructed during the late 18th and early 19th centuries to transport goods from the industrial Midlands to London and beyond.

The idea for the canal was first proposed in the 1760's by a group of Coventry businessmen who were looking for a more efficient way to transport coal, iron and other goods from the Midlands to London. In 1768, a survey was carried out by James Brindley, one of the most famous canal engineers of the time, who recommended a route that would run from Coventry to the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradley Junction.

Construction of the canal began in 1769, but progress was slow due to a lack of funding and the difficult terrain of the route. The first section, from Coventry to Atherstone, was finally opened in 1789. The rest of the canal was completed in stages over the next decade, with the final section from Fradley Junction to Huddlesford opening in 1805.

The canal was originally built to a narrow gauge of 7 feet, but was widened to 14 feet in the early 19th century to accommodate larger boats. It had 13 locks and several aqueducts.

During its heyday, the canal was a busy commercial artery, carrying goods such as coal, iron, timber and agricultural produce. However, with the advent of the railways in the mid-19th century, its importance as a transport route declined. By the early 20th century, the canal had fallen into disrepair and many sections had been abandoned.

In the 1950's and 60's, efforts were made to restore the canal for recreational use. The Coventry Canal Society was formed in 1958 to promote the restoration of the waterway and the first boats travelled the full length of the restored canal in 1968. Today, the canal is popular with boaters, anglers & walkers and is part of the wider network of canals known as the Midlands Canals.

Overall, the Coventry Canal played an important role in the transport of goods during the Industrial Revolution and its restoration in the 20th century has helped to preserve an important piece of Britain's canal heritage.