The Montgomery Canal

The Canal

From its junction with the Llangollen Canal at Welsh Frankton, the Montgomery meanders southwards for 35 miles towards Newtown. It is almost entirely rural with the largest settlement being the market town of Welshpool. The canal is a true haven for wildlife and tranquillity with many Sites of Special Scientific Interest along the way. More than half of the canal is now in water, with 7 navigable miles connected to the main system and an isolated 12 miles around Welshpool.

History

The Montgomery Canal is actually a combination of four separate canals; the first half mile, and then on into the Weston Arm, was originally intended as part of the main line from Chester to Shrewsbury, but this was never completed. Instead the length became part of the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal, to serve the major limestone quarry and lime kilns at Llanymynech, the branch first opening in 1796. From Carreghofa the canal passes into what was the original Montgomeryshire Canal, built with support from local landowners, essentially to further the development of their estates, rather than as a commercial proposition. This proceeded in parallel to the Ellesmere branch, opening eighteen months later, as far as Garthmyl. However, as a result of funding difficulties the final section to Newtown was only opened twenty-two years later, in 1819, under the guise of a separate company, the Montgomeryshire Canal (Western Branch).

The canal traded steadily, with lime and limestone supplemented by timber and agricultural products. But by 1850 all the separate companies had agreed to join the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. Plans to convert sections of canal to railway never materialised, and the Montgomery Canal remained viable until the First World War, from when there was a gradual deterioration in maintenance, and steady decline in traffic. A major bank burst near Frankton in 1936 finally led to the closure of the canal. At that time repair costs were estimated at £600!

On nationalisation in 1948 the Montgomery Canal became the responsibility of the British Transport Commission, replaced in 1963 by British Waterways Board, in turn re-organised as British Waterways in 1988. Meanwhile in 1968 the canal was classed as a remainder waterway: “to be dealt with in the most economical manner possible, consistent with the requirements of public health and the preservation of amenity and safety”.

Welshpool Big Dig - Harry Arnold/WaterwayImages.com

If the government had remaindered the canal, the local community had not, and there remained keen interest from both nature conservationists and canal restoration enthusiasts. The Montgomery Field Society campaigned for retention of the canal as a nature reserve in the 1950’s, but could not raise the money to purchase the land. Then in 1969 came a turning point in the fortunes of the canal. Faced with the prospect of a new relief road being built along the line of the canal through Welshpool, “The Welshpool Dig” was organised by the Shropshire Union Canal Society and the Inland Waterways Association, with strong local support. One hundred and eighty people turned up, and an awful lot of mud and rubbish was shifted in one weekend. From then on the restoration progressed slowly, but with support from a range of voluntary organisations, including three visits from the Prince of Wales, and including some funding from the Prince of Wales’ Committee and the Variety Club of Great Britain.

Officialdom caught on, and in 1983 a cost benefit analysis of restoration was undertaken by W.S. Atkins, and the British Waterways Act, 1987, was passed in Parliament, which protected the route and diversions necessary to cross the modern road system. At the same time funding had been almost secured from Europe for the capital costs of restoration, but late in the year, the Welsh Office refused to allow local authorities to make match funding available. So it was back to the drawing board, voluntary groups, and further support from British Waterways.

Despite this setback work has continued, with funding and support from Powys and Shropshire County Councils. Among completed projects were Gallowstree Bridge and Whitehouse Bridges, near Welshpool, which was raised to enable navigation along an ten mile length. In England four miles from Frankton Locks to Queen’s Head opened in 1996, and a further three miles from Queen’s Head to Gronwen Wharf in 2003, with major input from the County Council and English Partnerships.

A second major bid for funding, via the Heritage Lottery Fund was unsuccessful in 1998, as major demands on lottery funding came from a range of canal projects, and the Montgomery lost out to the Kennet and Avon Canal. However, this was the spur to the formation of the Montgomery Canal Partnership, which brought all the interested parties together into a closer consortium. The Partnership is now the focus for restoration although actual work on the ground is mainly carried out by the Shropshire Union Canal Society and the IWA Waterways Recovery Group with support from British Waterways.

Current Restoration Work

The Shropshire Union Canal Society (S.U.C.S) and the Waterways Recovery Group (WRG) continue to carry out restoration work on the canal, with S.U.C.S holding monthly work parties at Redwith and the WRG organising two week long canal camps per year. The current aim is to extend the current limit of navigation from Gronwen (near Maesbury) towards Llanymynech and the Welsh Border.

Redwith Bridge to Prices Bridge

Stone Walling Near Prices Bridge - M Richards

Shropshire Union Canal Society volunteers are currently working between Redwith and Prices bridges, near to the site of the Maesbury '10 Canal Festival. Work commenced here following a move from the Crickheath site, after completion of towpath work and piling by British Waterways in April 2008. This 450 metre section presented a different challenge for the volunteers due to the length of the site and the sheer volume of work to be carried out to get this section back into water. However, volunteer numbers have grown steadily and seemingly never ending tasks, such as building 450 metres of stone wall between the two bridges, are nearing completion.

The digger owned by the Society has been utilised extensively to support the building of various retaining walls and is now being used for channel shaping in conjunction with the tracked dumper kindly donated by British Waterways. The large retaining wall on the offside at Redwith Bridge has shown the large construction works that the Society and its volunteers can undertake. In July 2009, 42 metres of footings were excavated, shuttered and reinforced before being poured with 40 cubic metres of concrete. The wall has required the laying of over 1,000 heavy weight blocks and is ready for filling with concrete and completion of the stone capping that will be all that’s seen when the canal is in water.

The Offside Retaining Wall at Redwith Bridge - H Mallett

This ability to undertake a wide variety of building and logistical tasks has enabled the Society to gain the confidence of British Waterways to allow the Society to undertake the shaping and lining of the channel, giving the volunteers the satisfaction of being able to fully complete the work and re-water this section. A trial section of the bentonite liner has been laid by Redwith Bridge, complete with its overburden of sand and blocks.

This overburden (including stone around the waterline on graded banks to improve both the look and the provision of a habitat for marginal plants) requires significant funding and the Society has started a Buy a Barrow of Boulders Appeal to enable the purchase of the boulders, blocks and sand required for the overburden. This appeal, formally launched in October 2009 by Mrs Anna Turner, High Sheriff of Shropshire, has already shown that both Society members and the general public are fully supportive of what is being undertaken and are prepared to help fund the restoration with whatever amount they can afford. It is hoped that through the donations to this appeal, not only will the materials be funded, but funding institutions will be aware that the restoration of the Montgomery Canal still has widespread support. To help support the appeal, visit www.shropshireunion.org.uk.

Bentonite Liner and Overburden - H Mallett

During the winter months, (when lime mortar cannot be used due to the possible damage from frosts) hedge laying is also undertaken by Society volunteers. In the winter of 2008/9, this was located at Waen Wen where 150 metres of hedge was laid plus some canal bed clearance. In 2009/10, hedge laying was carried out at the Redwith to Prices section as it is much easier to clear the brash if the hedging is carried out before the channel work is completed. This work not only improves the state of the canal and towpath, but also provides an enhanced habitat for breeding birds and other wildlife, whilst providing better views of the beautiful scenery for walkers. The hedge laying for this section will be completed during the winter of 2010/11.

All of the work undertaken by Society volunteers in the restoration is to a specification agreed by British Waterways that meets the requirements of both the heritage and modern uses of canals. Work is approved after every weekend’s work party to ensure that it meets the specification and is to an acceptable standard. The work and site is managed by the Society Project Manager, also a volunteer, who has also managed other work on behalf of British Waterways, including the Gronwen to Redwith section that was completed by contractors in 2007. This close working relationship with British Waterways ensures that the restoration carried out by the Society will provide a robust and reliable canal that shouldn’t require significant maintenance when re-opened to navigation.

Hedge Laying January 2010 - H Mallett

The Maesbury '10 Canal Festival coincides with a restoration work party at Redwith and there will be guided tours of the restoration site. These will commence at the Festival Site, walking past Gronwen up to Redwith and then on to Prices Bridge on the tow path, before returning to the Festival Site. The tours will be carried out by restoration volunteers who are very knowledgeable about the restoration and will be able to give detailed and up to date information about the current status of the restoration.