Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
Encyclopedia
The Liskeard and Looe Union Canal is a derelict broad canal
between Liskeard
and Looe
in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The canal is almost 6 miles (10 km) long and had 24 locks. The Engineer was Robert Coad. Traffic on the canal ceased around 1910.
to cope with the difference in levels. The project was estimated to cost £17,495, which would be recouped in seven years, based on expected income, but no further action was taken at the time.
In 1823, following a meeting held in East Looe to discuss the way forward, a committee was formed, and the engineer James Green
was asked to examine options for a canal, a railway or a turnpike road to link Looe to Liskeard. While he thought that all three were possible, he suggested that the valley was too steep to allow a conventional canal with locks to be economic, and he therefore proposed a tub-boat canal, suitable for four-ton boats, which would use two inclined planes on the upper section, rather than locks. The lower section, from Sandplace to Looe, would use locks and be larger, so that barges used on the river could bring limestone to some proposed limekilns. Green thought the tub-boats could be worked in trains of up to ten, and the cost of construction would be £14,000.
The decision was taken to present a bill
to Parliament, for which Green produced the plans, but after his departure, the proposers had second thoughts, asked Robert Coad, Thomas Esterbrook and John Edgcumbe, an engineer from Liskeard, to survey a route for a locked canal, and obtained an Act of Parliament
to authorise it on 22 June 1825. The Act created the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal Company, who could raise £13,000 by issuing shares, and borrow another £10,000 on mortgage if required. In addition to a canal from Terras Pill, near Looe, to Moorswater
, near Liskeard, they could also build roads to connect to the canal. Water to supply the canal could be taken from the River Looe and the Crylla Rivulet, but because this fed into the River Fowey, the mayor and corporation of Lostwithel had the right to appoint an additional engineer, to ensure that their interests were not harmed.
By the time the Act was obtained, 134 shareholders had promised to subscribe to 420 shares, raising £10,500 of the total. There had been some opposition to the plans, as the job of obtaining the Act was described as an "arduous struggle" at the first meeting of the shareholders, and Peter Glubb, the Clerk, was praised for his work, which had been largely responsible for its success. Work on building the canal began with Robert Coad as the engineer and Robert Retallick as Superintendent of Works. It seems that neither man had much experience of such projects, as there was a suggestion in 1826 that a "properly qualified" engineer should be asked to assess the work done so far, and whether the two men should be allowed to proceed without further assistance, but the motion did not have general support, and so work continued.
Part of the canal opened for traffic in August 1827, and it was completed in March 1828. It rose through 156 feet (47.5 m) over its length of 5.9 miles (9.5 km). The cost, which included a road between Moorswater and Liskeard, and the payment of £600 in compensation to a landowner, only came to £17,200, and enabled the company to be profitable from the beginning. A dividend of 6 per cent was paid in 1829, and 5 per cent thereafter. During the construction, the company operated a health insurance scheme for the labourers, with each worker contributing six pence (2.5p) per month, which was used to pay Mr. Robert Rean, an apothecary
and surgeon
from East Looe, for his services. The plans for the canal showed that 25 locks would be used to raise the canal as it proceeded up the valley, with the first one, where the canal joined the River Looe, being larger than the rest, but a report produced in 1836 clearly shows that only 24 were built. Having crossed the river to the west bank below Landreast, the canal should have continued on that bank to reach West Looe, but there were problems with obtaining land from a Mr. Eliot, and so the route re-crossed the river and ran through land provided by John Buller, at no cost to the company.
Initially the southbound traffic was mainly agricultural produce
while the northbound traffic included fertilizer
, lime
and coal
.
In the 1840s the growth of mining
on Caradon Hill
, north of Moorswater, led to increased southbound mineral
traffic.
The ore
s, mostly of copper
, tin
and lead
were brought from Caradon Hill to Moorswater by packhorse
and then loaded on to barge
s.
, running from Moorswater to the mines on Caradon Hill.
With continued growth in mineral traffic the canal became unable to cope and, in 1858, a further Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction of the Liskeard and Looe Railway
which connected with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway at Moorswater.
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway closed in 1917 but the Liskeard and Looe Railway still operates under the title Looe Valley Line
.
produced a walking guide to the canal, and to several others in the West Country, hoping to stimulate interest in it. In 1997, Caredon District Council announced plans for a partial restoration of the remains, although not to a navigable standard. Around 70 per cent of the route is still intact, and they intended to clear up what is there and produce interpretation boards, to enable users of a towpath trail to appreciate it. The scheme envisaged re-watering of some features, such as locks, to increase the amenity value.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
between Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
and Looe
Looe
Looe is a small coastal town, fishing port and civil parish in the former Caradon district of south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 . Looe is divided in two by the River Looe, East Looe and West Looe being connected by a bridge...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The canal is almost 6 miles (10 km) long and had 24 locks. The Engineer was Robert Coad. Traffic on the canal ceased around 1910.
History
The idea for a canal to Liskeard was first investigated in 1777 when Edmund Leach and a gentleman from Liskeard proposed a manure canal, which would be used to transport lime and sand upwards from Looe. These commodities were at the time transported by pack horse. Leach's canal would run between Bank Mill Bridge, which was some 2.5 miles (4 km) from Liskeard, and Sandplace, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north of Looe. Although the termini were only about 8 miles (12.9 km) apart by river, the canal would be 15 miles (24.1 km) long, and incorporate two inclined planesCanal inclined plane
An inclined plane is a system used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. Boats may be conveyed afloat, in caissons, or may be carried in cradles or slings. It can be considered as a specialised type of cable railway....
to cope with the difference in levels. The project was estimated to cost £17,495, which would be recouped in seven years, based on expected income, but no further action was taken at the time.
In 1823, following a meeting held in East Looe to discuss the way forward, a committee was formed, and the engineer James Green
James Green (engineer)
James Green was a noted civil engineer and canal engineer, who was particularly active in the South West of England, where he pioneered the building of tub boat canals, and inventive solutions for coping with hilly terrain, which included tub boat lifts and inclined planes...
was asked to examine options for a canal, a railway or a turnpike road to link Looe to Liskeard. While he thought that all three were possible, he suggested that the valley was too steep to allow a conventional canal with locks to be economic, and he therefore proposed a tub-boat canal, suitable for four-ton boats, which would use two inclined planes on the upper section, rather than locks. The lower section, from Sandplace to Looe, would use locks and be larger, so that barges used on the river could bring limestone to some proposed limekilns. Green thought the tub-boats could be worked in trains of up to ten, and the cost of construction would be £14,000.
The decision was taken to present a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
to Parliament, for which Green produced the plans, but after his departure, the proposers had second thoughts, asked Robert Coad, Thomas Esterbrook and John Edgcumbe, an engineer from Liskeard, to survey a route for a locked canal, and obtained an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
to authorise it on 22 June 1825. The Act created the Liskeard and Looe Union Canal Company, who could raise £13,000 by issuing shares, and borrow another £10,000 on mortgage if required. In addition to a canal from Terras Pill, near Looe, to Moorswater
Moorswater
Moorswater is an industrial suburb of Liskeard in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately half-a-mile west of Liskeard town centre....
, near Liskeard, they could also build roads to connect to the canal. Water to supply the canal could be taken from the River Looe and the Crylla Rivulet, but because this fed into the River Fowey, the mayor and corporation of Lostwithel had the right to appoint an additional engineer, to ensure that their interests were not harmed.
By the time the Act was obtained, 134 shareholders had promised to subscribe to 420 shares, raising £10,500 of the total. There had been some opposition to the plans, as the job of obtaining the Act was described as an "arduous struggle" at the first meeting of the shareholders, and Peter Glubb, the Clerk, was praised for his work, which had been largely responsible for its success. Work on building the canal began with Robert Coad as the engineer and Robert Retallick as Superintendent of Works. It seems that neither man had much experience of such projects, as there was a suggestion in 1826 that a "properly qualified" engineer should be asked to assess the work done so far, and whether the two men should be allowed to proceed without further assistance, but the motion did not have general support, and so work continued.
Part of the canal opened for traffic in August 1827, and it was completed in March 1828. It rose through 156 feet (47.5 m) over its length of 5.9 miles (9.5 km). The cost, which included a road between Moorswater and Liskeard, and the payment of £600 in compensation to a landowner, only came to £17,200, and enabled the company to be profitable from the beginning. A dividend of 6 per cent was paid in 1829, and 5 per cent thereafter. During the construction, the company operated a health insurance scheme for the labourers, with each worker contributing six pence (2.5p) per month, which was used to pay Mr. Robert Rean, an apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
and surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
from East Looe, for his services. The plans for the canal showed that 25 locks would be used to raise the canal as it proceeded up the valley, with the first one, where the canal joined the River Looe, being larger than the rest, but a report produced in 1836 clearly shows that only 24 were built. Having crossed the river to the west bank below Landreast, the canal should have continued on that bank to reach West Looe, but there were problems with obtaining land from a Mr. Eliot, and so the route re-crossed the river and ran through land provided by John Buller, at no cost to the company.
Initially the southbound traffic was mainly agricultural produce
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
while the northbound traffic included fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
, lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
.
In the 1840s the growth of mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
on Caradon Hill
Caradon Hill
Caradon Hill is on Bodmin Moor in the former Caradon district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The summit is above mean sea level.The hill was once famous for its copper mines but these are now closed. The South Caradon Copper Mine, 1 km to the SW of the transmitter, was the largest copper mine...
, north of Moorswater, led to increased southbound mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
traffic.
The ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s, mostly of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
were brought from Caradon Hill to Moorswater by packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
and then loaded on to barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s.
Railways
The use of packhorses was difficult and costly so, in 1843, an Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction of the Liskeard and Caradon RailwayLiskeard and Caradon Railway
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line.-History:...
, running from Moorswater to the mines on Caradon Hill.
With continued growth in mineral traffic the canal became unable to cope and, in 1858, a further Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction of the Liskeard and Looe Railway
Liskeard and Caradon Railway
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line.-History:...
which connected with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway at Moorswater.
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway closed in 1917 but the Liskeard and Looe Railway still operates under the title Looe Valley Line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...
.
Conservation
There has been some interest in conserving what remains of the canal. In 1988 the West Country branch of the Inland Waterways AssociationInland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association was formed in 1946 as a registered charity in the United Kingdom to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations....
produced a walking guide to the canal, and to several others in the West Country, hoping to stimulate interest in it. In 1997, Caredon District Council announced plans for a partial restoration of the remains, although not to a navigable standard. Around 70 per cent of the route is still intact, and they intended to clear up what is there and produce interpretation boards, to enable users of a towpath trail to appreciate it. The scheme envisaged re-watering of some features, such as locks, to increase the amenity value.
See also
- Canals of Great Britain
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...