Donnington Wood Canal
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The Donnington Wood Canal was a five and a half mile private canal in East Shropshire, England, which ran from coal pits owned by Earl Gower at Donnington Wood to Pave Lane on the Wolverhampton to Newport Turnpike Road. It was completed in about 1767 and abandoned in 1904. The canal was part of a larger network of tub-boat canals, which were used for the transport of raw materials, particularly coal, limestone and ironstone, from the locations where they were mined to furnaces where the iron ore was processed. The canal was connected to the Wombridge Canal and the Shropshire Canal.
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[edit] History
Lord Gower, the brother-in-law of the Duke of Bridgewater, who had pioneered the canal age with his Bridgewater Canal, was the owner of limestone quarries and coal mines in Shropshire. Recognising the potential of canals for the carriage of heavy goods, he formed the Earl Gower & Company in 1764, joining forces with two land agents, John and Thomas Gilbert. Together, they planned a private canal from Lord Gower's coal pits in Donnington Wood to the Wolverhampton to Newport Turnpike Road, (now the A41 road), terminating at the Pave Lane wharf. Construction started in 1765, and the 5.5 mile (8.8 km) canal was completed two years later, in 1767.[1] The water for the canal was supplied by Steven's Water Engine Pit, which pumped water from the mines until its demise in 1928.
The limestone quarries at Lilleshall were served by the Lilleshall Branch, which met the main canal at Hugh's Bridge. At this point it was about 43.7 ft (13.3 m) lower, and so a tunnel was built into the hill, with vertical shafts up to the main line. A pulley system enabled coal to be sent down to the lower level, for use in the production of agricultural lime, and limestone to be raised up to the top level, for use in the production of iron.[1] This system was replaced by an inclined plane by 1797.[2]
The Lilleshall Branch also ran to limeworks at Pitchcroft limeworks, via a junction at Willmore Bridge. This section included two short arms, to other parts of the limeworks.[2] The ironworks were 35 ft (11 m) lower than the junction, and so seven locks were constructed to reach them.[1] Connections to the Wombridge Canal were made in 1788, to the Shropshire Canal in 1790, both at Old Yard Junction, and in 1794, the Wombridge Canal became part of the Shrewsbury Canal.[2]
Traffic on the Lilleshall branch declined after 1844, when the Humber branch of the Shrewsbury Canal, with its network of tramways, provided the Lilleshall Company with a more direct connection to the canal network.[3] The branch was no longer used after 1873,[1] which resulted in the section to Pave Lane being used very little, and finally closing in 1882. The rest of the canal ceased to operate in 1904.[2]
[edit] Context
Tub-boats were approximately 20 ft by 6 ft 4 in (6.1 m x 1.9 m), and could carry up to 8 tonnes of cargo. They were usually marshalled into strings, pulled by a single horse.[4]
