History of the Selby Canal

The original navigation was via the River Ouse and the tidal River Aire to Chapel Haddlesey where a lock was constructed to make navigation safer. As trade increased there was an evident need to improve navigation: because the River Aire was narrow and dangerous to navigate, a plan was developed to construct a 5.5 mile long canal from Selby to West Haddlesey, therefore removing the need to navigate the tidal River Aire.

Construction of the canal began in 1775 under the renowned engineer William Jessop, employed on a salary of £250 per year. The canal opened on 24th April 1778, having cost £20,000 to construct.

The canal played a vital role in the development of Selby's economy, with cloth and agricultural produce among the first goods to be transported. The development of West Yorkshire's mining industry saw coal carried along the canal in loads of over 60 tonnes per barge.

The success of the waterway was to provide its undoing. The volume of traffic at Selby caused delays, and in 1826, a new, larger canal was constructed between Goole and Knottingley. This section of the Aire & Calder Navigation soon stole most of the Selby Canal's cross-country traffic.

There was originally good passenger traffic from Selby - in particular the steam packet service to Hull, which ran six days a week and by the 1830s carried 20,000 passengers each year. The service finally ceased in the 1870s following the arrival of the railways.