A quintessentially rural canal, the 33 mile long Grantham traverses three shire counties

Working Life

Before the canal

In the 1760's Lincolnshire coal was transported to Grantham via the Trent and then by road. The road haulage was relatively expensive and so coal in Grantham could be twice the price of that in Nottingham.

Canal Proposed

In 1792, pressure from the businessmen of Grantham resulted in a Bill to Parliament proposing a canal to transport coal from Nottingham to Grantham. This Bill was defeated by pressure from several sources. These included the Witham Navigation Commissioners, who feared it would deplete their water levels and the Lincolnshire coal merchants who feared a threat to their business. A revised Bill, which included measures to allay these various fears, was put before Parliament in 1793 and received Royal Assent in April having passed the whole gamut of legislative procedures in less than a month! The Act enabled the Proprietors of the Grantham Canal Navigation to raise working capital of £75k with a further £30k as a contingency. The money was raised rapidly and work started the same year.

1797 - Canal Opened

The work was completed in 1797. The canal started near Trent Bridge and was 33 miles long and rose 140 feet up to Grantham through 18 wide locks. In addition to coal, the canal carried various bulk materials such as stone and lime and, rather less obviously, 'night soil'. The round trip for a load of coal, including loading and unloading, was about 10 days. This may seem slow by today's standards but proved commercially viable. The canal company rarely achieved its maximum allowed dividend of 8% but nevertheless, by 1806, was producing a small but steady return. The peak year was 1841 when receipts rose to £18,000.

Above is a toll receipt of 1890. The cargo is 'night soil'. Note the 'capstan charge' of 1/9d (8.75p) This was levied for hauling the boats from the fast moving waters of the River Trent into the Grantham Canal (The first bridge on the canal was known as 'Hauling Bridge' and had no towpath).

1830 - Competition from the Railways

From 1830 the railways began to make inroads into the profits. The opening of the Grantham to Nottingham railway in 1850 foreshadowed the eventual demise of the canal. In 1861 the railway company obtained control of the canal. By 1921, after a series of mergers and takeovers, control was vested in the London and North Eastern Railway Company. It is interesting to note, however, that while the two main railway bridges crossing the canal near Plungar are dismantled, the canal is still intact!