Ulverston Canal

The Ulverston Canal is a canal in the town of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It is 1.25mi long, and runs ESE from the town centre to the coast of Morecambe Bay. It is entirely straight and on a single level. It is an isolated canal and does not connect to the main canal network.HistoryConstructionAlthough it is about 1.25mi from the shore of Morecambe Bay, the town of Ulverston (often spelt "Ulverstone" at the time) was declared to be a port in 1774, which allowed certain goods to be shipped to other canals without the payment of sea duty. Ships of up to 150 tonnes could reach the shore at high water, and 70 vessels were registered there. Trade in slate and ore was growing, and canal mania was gripping the country. A local solicitor called William Burnthwaite organised a meeting in July 1791 to consider ideas for a canal to improve access to the town. He estimated the cost at £2,000. This sum had been raised by May 1792; but by then the engineer John Rennie had produced proper plans for a ship canal, estimated to cost £3,084, including the construction of a sea lock. By October 1792, around £3,800 had been raised, and the proposers decided to proceed.An Act of Parliament for the canal received Royal Assent on 8 May 1793. The Act was entitled "An Act for making and maintaining a Cut or Canal from a Place called Hammerside Hill, in the parish of Ulverstone, in the county palatine of Lancaster, to a Place called Weint End, near the town of Ulverstone aforesaid." The Act empowered "The Company of Proprietors of the Ulverstone Canal Navigation" to raise amongst themselves, for the purposes of the Act, the sum of £4,000 in shares of £50 each, with an additional £3,000 if required.

Tags: Fishing Store