Wombridge Canal
Encyclopedia
The Wombridge Canal was a tub-boat canal in Shropshire
, England
, built to carry coal and iron ore from mines in the area to the furnaces where the iron was extracted.
started to build a tub-boat canal in 1787. It was completed in 1788, at a cost of £1,640 and was 1.75 miles (2.8 km) long, connecting with both the furnaces and the Donnington Wood Canal
. A curious feature of the canal was the tunnel which was constructed near to the church. There is no obvious reason for it, and it has been suggested that it was built to placate a local landowner. Another feature was an iron bridge, built in sections, which carried Teague's Bridge Lane over the canal.
In 1792, an Act of Parliament created the Shrewsbury Canal
Company, with powers to build a canal from Wombridge to Shrewsbury. The company bought 1848 yards (1.7 km) of the canal at a cost of £840. Although this price was considerably less than the cost of construction, Reynolds was both a shareholder and a director of the new company, and the Act specifically waived any tolls for his own internal traffic.
The new company constructed an inclined plane
, to transport tub boats
from the level of the Wombridge canal, down to that of the Shrewsbury canal. It was 243 feet (74.1 m) long, with a fall of 75 feet (22.9 m). It consisted of twin railway tracks, each with a cradle in which a single tub-boat was carried. Power was provided by an engine supplied by the Coalbrookdale Company. This was replaced in 1842 by a new engine that lasted for 79 years, until the final demise of the incline on 31 August 1921. Most of the working traffic was in the downward direction of the incline, and was counterbalanced by empty tub-boats returning back up to the top level.. The inclined plane was the last operational canal plane in the country.
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, built to carry coal and iron ore from mines in the area to the furnaces where the iron was extracted.
History
Iron ore and coal were mined at Wombridge, near to the church. In order to transport it to the furnaces at Donnington Wood, William ReynoldsWilliam Reynolds
William Reynolds may refer to:*William Reynolds , American movie and television actor*William Reynolds , English football defender of the 1890s...
started to build a tub-boat canal in 1787. It was completed in 1788, at a cost of £1,640 and was 1.75 miles (2.8 km) long, connecting with both the furnaces and the Donnington Wood Canal
Donnington Wood Canal
The Donnington Wood Canal was a private canal in East Shropshire, England, which ran from coal pits owned by Earl Gower at Donnington Wood to Pave Lane on the Wolverhampton to Newport Turnpike Road. It was completed in about 1767 and abandoned in 1904...
. A curious feature of the canal was the tunnel which was constructed near to the church. There is no obvious reason for it, and it has been suggested that it was built to placate a local landowner. Another feature was an iron bridge, built in sections, which carried Teague's Bridge Lane over the canal.
In 1792, an Act of Parliament created the Shrewsbury Canal
Shrewsbury Canal
The Shrewsbury Canal was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury was fully open by 1797, but it remained isolated from the rest of the canal network until 1835, when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal built the Newport Branch from...
Company, with powers to build a canal from Wombridge to Shrewsbury. The company bought 1848 yards (1.7 km) of the canal at a cost of £840. Although this price was considerably less than the cost of construction, Reynolds was both a shareholder and a director of the new company, and the Act specifically waived any tolls for his own internal traffic.
The new company constructed an inclined plane
Canal 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 transport tub boats
Tub boat
A tub boat was a type of unpowered cargo boat used on a number of the early English and German canals. The English boats were typically long and wide and generally carried to of cargo, though some extra deep ones could carry up to . They are also called compartment boats or container boats.The...
from the level of the Wombridge canal, down to that of the Shrewsbury canal. It was 243 feet (74.1 m) long, with a fall of 75 feet (22.9 m). It consisted of twin railway tracks, each with a cradle in which a single tub-boat was carried. Power was provided by an engine supplied by the Coalbrookdale Company. This was replaced in 1842 by a new engine that lasted for 79 years, until the final demise of the incline on 31 August 1921. Most of the working traffic was in the downward direction of the incline, and was counterbalanced by empty tub-boats returning back up to the top level.. The inclined plane was the last operational canal plane in the country.