The grand union canal was and is a wide beam canal with specially built locks which enabled two narrowboats at a time to rise and fall in the passage through the locks. There are several canal arms and branches which flow off from the grand union canal plus the long leicester canal section.
Wikipedia has a page about grand union canal.
Grand union canal map locks. Hatton locks and the rest of the main line of the grand union canal was part of a last gasp effort backed by the government of the day to modernize the canals so they could compete with road and rail. It took two years and 1000 men to rebuild the 21 hatton locks alone using the new material concrete. The grand union canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the leicester line of the modern grand union.
The canal was built at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries providing a more direct route between the 2 cities. Its main line starts in london and ends in birmingham stretching for 137 miles 220 km with 166 locks. Interestingly the bridge and lock numbering system restarts at braunston where the canal meets the beautiful oxford canal so the grand union canal has a sort of north and south concept.
The grand union canal was never constructed as an entity but is the result of amalgamations between 1894 and 1929 of several independent waterways the oldest being the navigations around the river soar in leicestershire the longest the grand junction canal from braunston to the river thames. The grand union canal put apsley firmly on the main trade route to london as it cuts right through the town. Grand union canal at cosgrove.
It has arms to places including leicester slough aylesbury wendover and northampton. The original grand junction canal ran from birmingham to london is 137 miles long and has 166 locks. The canal is just behind this line of cars.
From the lock lane car park described below you can walk in either direction along the canal towpath. The grand union canal in england is part of the british canal system its main line starts in london and ends in birmingham stretching for 137 miles 220 km with 166 locks. The grand union canal runs from birmingham to london.
It has arms to places including leicester slough aylesbury wendover and northampton. The canal was built at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries providing a more direct route between the 2 cities. The section of the grand union which joins the thames goes through the brentford locks where canal boats and their cargoes were checked tolls assessed and paid.
The grand union canal in england is part of the british canal system. The canal was originally called the grand junction canal and cut 60 miles off the previous route which was via the oxford canal and the river thames. Google map opens in a new tab the smallish car park may fill on busy days.
And this part of the canal s towpath proves popular for cyclists travelling from either. Our video shows what you see if you go right as you meet the canal.
