History of the Grantham Canal

Conceived during the 'Canal Mania' years at the end of the 18th century, the canal was a profitable enterprise up until the arrival of the railways in the 1850s. A gradual decline in traffic led to the canal being abandoned by the London & North Eastern Railway, its then owners, in 1936.

Much of the canal remained in water due to agreements for irrigating agriculture, although a section at Cropwell Bishop was allowed to dry out. The rural route of the canal meant that it escaped infilling, though a railway embankment had been built across the canal at Woolthorpe in the 1950s and has had to be excavated.

Many hump-backed bridges were replaced with flat bridges over the years, creating obstacles to navigation. Some have already been replaced, but there are many more to do. The loss of the connection to the River Trent, and on to the national waterway network, will have to be addressed.