| Trent And Mersey Canal |
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Information About ™Trent And Mersey Canal |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TRENT AND MERSEY CANAL | |
| transport in cheshire | |
| transport in derbyshire | |
| canals in england | |
| canals in cheshire | |
| visitor attractions in staffordshire | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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The Trent and Mersey Canal is a Canal linking the River Trent at Shardlow in Derbyshire to the River Mersey at Runcorn in Cheshire . It runs for 93.5 miles (140 km), providing a connection from north-west England to the East Midlands, and was opened in 1777 . The idea of a canal connection from the Mersey to the Trent ("The Grand Trunk") came from canal Engineer James Brindley . It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1766 and the first Sod was cut by Josiah Wedgwood in July that year at Middleport . Less than eleven years later, the whole canal, including more than 70 Locks and five Tunnel s, was open. The majority of locks accommodate one Narrowboat , ie. 72 x 7 feet. A special feature on the Cheshire stretch of the canal is the Anderton Boat Lift , the world's first boat-lift. Until the construction of the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland , it was the only boat-lift in the United Kingdom . Another major feature is the Harecastle Tunnel, near Kidsgrove in north Staffordshire . There are actually two tunnels. The first tunnel, built by Brindley was 2880 yards (2633 m) long; barges were 'legged' through by men lying on their backs and pushing against the roof with their feet. This was a physically demanding and slow process and created major delays, so leading Civil Engineer Thomas Telford was commissioned to provide a second and wider, parallel tunnel, with a towpath. This 2926 yard (2676 m) long tunnel was opened in 1827 . In the 1900s , the Brindley tunnel was closed due to severe subsidence, but the Telford Tunnel - although also prone to the same problems - remains in use, and is the fourth longest navigable canal tunnel in the UK. The canal passes through the city of Stoke-on-Trent , where it formed an integral part of the 1986 National Garden Festival , the Stoke-on-Trent Garden Festival . The canal's towpath forms a vital part of the city's National Cycle Network . SEE ALSO |