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Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

The history of the Caldon Canal.

In 1772 Brindley carried out a survey on behalf of the Trent & Mersey Company with a view to creating a branch line Froghall to serve the Caldon Lime quarries opened in 1769. It is said that Brindley was caught up in a heavy rainstorm, later in the day he slept in his still wet clothing and is said to have woken with a chill. Just a few days later, on September 27th, James Brindley died. At the time he was involved with dozens of projected or partly built canals.

However others carried on the canal and the Caldon canal was opened in 1778 from Froghall to its junction at Eturia with the Trent & Mersey canal. Tramways were then constructed at Froghall to bring down limestone from the Caldon Low quarries a couple of miles to the East. Froghall soon became very busy and traffic grew on the canal.

In 1797 the Trent & Mersey canal, who owned the Caldon, was authorised to built a new reservoir at Rudyard near Leek to feed their main line. The feeder from this, made navigable to bring in extra traffic from Leek, joined the summit level of the Caldon at Hazelhurst which in the limited land available led to some interesting layouts. It was opened in 1801. In 1809 a feeder was dug from the River Dane to supplement the water at Rudyard.

Finally in 1797 another canal was authorised to run from Froghall down the Churnet valley for 13 miles to Utoxeter with 17 locks. It was opened in 1811. This line only lasted however until 1845 when it was closed and a railway line built over much of its length.

From the 1840's the North Staffordshire Railway owned the canal along with the rest of the Trent & Mersey. Since there did not seem much point at first in replacing it with a railway just to transfer the limestone traffic it already had, it survived for many years helped by the discovery of a type of iron ore in the valley in 1853, which created extra traffic.

Finally a railway was built in the early years of the 20th century by which time the limestone quarries were running down which was reducing the bulk trade the canal had specialised in. Traffic then fell off. In 1939 traffic ceased on the Leek Arm and in 1944 it that was abandoned.
In 1951 the last commercial traffic from Endon to Cheddelton ceased. In 1956 the canal was dredged in the hole of getting commercial coal carrying to Froghall but it never materialised.

In 1960 during the IWA rally at Stoke, pleasure boats navigated, but with difficulty, to Froghall. In 1961 a closure notice was displayed at Eturia but it was not implemented. As a result Stoke on Trent Boat Club campaigned against the closure and in 1963 the Caldon Canal Society was formed to save the waterway and led the fight to restore it.

Aided by the renewed use made of the canal for local movement of pottery in 1967 the local authorities came to realise the leisure potential of this linear water park on the edge of the potteries. Restoration followed and in 1974 the canal was reopened to Leek and Froghall. Then in 1983 it was upgraded to 'cruising waterway status'.

In the 21st century work is now being focussed on the Utoxeter branch, with the terminal basin at Froghall reopened in 2005.

Sources.

Nicholson Guides to the Waterways.

Roots & Routes, Peter Hardcastle's Website
http://www.canals.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm

The Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals, published by the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust

Canal Companion, Four Counties Ring, J.M. Pearson. Published by Central Waterways Supplies of Rugby in 1995. ISBN 0-907864-68-6

Some pictures of this canal?

Pictures of the Caldon canal.

General information

Find our information about other canals on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk