Arbury Canals - History

History

Coal was found on the Arbury estate, owned by the Newdigate family, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Sir Richard Newdigate, the 3rd Baronet, was keen to exploit these resources. He was responsible for the introduction of Newcomen atmospheric engines, which were used to drain the mines, the first being installed in 1716. Its success was put down to luck by Desaguliers, writing in 1744, who stated that the use of condensation water had been discovered by accident, and that the valve gear, which made the machine self-acting, had been built from catches and strings by Humphrey Potter, a young lad whose job was to mind it. Whether this account was true is unknown, but it was self-acting in 1817, when Henry Beighton studied it and published a detailed engraving of the engine.

Sir Richard also constructed three "boatways" between 1700 and 1711, which were small canals used to convey coal from the outlying pits. His son, Sir Roger Newdigate, the 5th baronet, would incorporate these into a larger system. Sir Roger, who was a Member of Parliament and became the owner of Arbury Hall on the early death of his brother, was a canal enthusiast. His interest may have stemmed from his involvement with the Bridgewater Canal, where he acted as Counsel for their bill to authorise an extension to the River Mersey. He started constructing canals on his estate in 1764, and by 1795 there were about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of waterways. William Bean from Derbyshire acted as engineer, assisted by the mason and bricklayer from the Arbury estate, John Morris.

The Communication Canal was constructed to link a wharf near a worsted factory to the Coventry Canal. The channel and junction were excavated in 1771, although the canal was not finished until 1773. It was 1,078 yards (986 m) long, and included a stop lock close to the junction with the Coventry Canal. This was eventually connected to the Arbury Lower Canal or Griff Canal, most of which was in use by 1771. A new branch was built to connect the Griff Canal to the road running from Arbury to the main turnpike road in 1793. The wharf at its terminus was also served by a tramway connecting it to coal pits. The connection between the two canals was made in 1794, when a staircase of four locks and another of two were completed. The branch to the wharf crossed the locks on an aqueduct, to maintain a link to the worsted factory. The canal was 1,540 yards (1,410 m) long, and had a feeder running from Kenilworth Pool.

The next section was called the Coventry Wood Canal, and was operational by 1771. Locks to connect it to the Griff Canal and the Arbury High Level Canal were completed in 1772, and it was 528 yards (483 m) long. The next section, the Arbury High Level Canal, was the earliest, as it was used for boating in 1764, and was surveyed in that year, to establish how it could be incorporated into a larger system. It was linked to the Garden Pool in 1773 by a lock, and boats could reach Hall Pool two years later, when a staircase of two locks and a single lock were built. This canal was 2,505 yards (2,291 m) long.

Water for the canals was originally supplied by a feeder from Seeswood Lake, but in 1777, this was enlarged to make it navigable, and in 1784 another lock was built to give access from the canal into the lake. When completed, the Seeswood Canal was 1,980 yards (1,810 m) long. The final part of the estate canals was the Coton Lawn Canal, which ran for 2,112 yards (1,931 m) from the Arbury High Level Canal to a wharf on North Walk, passing through Spring Kidden Wood on its way. It was completed in 1795.

Sir Roger also built tramways on his estate. The first connected some pits to the old wharf, but was largely redundant once the Collycroft locks were constructed. The second connected the new wharf on the main canal system to Griff Hollows wharf on the Griff Hollows Canal. It was opened on 29 July 1787, but was superseded by a double-track tramway on a slightly different route in 1793. Few other details have survived, and it is likely that they ceased operation at the same time as the canals did.