News - The Montgomery Canal

07/10/202007/10/2020

Canal & River Trust publishes review of canals and transatlantic slavery

An initial review of academic literature about canals and transatlantic slavery has been published by waterways and wellbeing charity the Canal & River Trust.

Some people who made their wealth through the slave trade invested those profits in canal building, and some canals were built specifically to carry goods derived from the exploitation of slaves tobacco, cotton and sugar for example. The Black Lives Matter movement has spurred on the Canal & River Trust to start exploring these issues and make them more widely known.

23/09/202023/09/2020

More progress on Montgomery Canal restoration

Digger on the Montgomery Canal for the reinstatement of Schoolhouse Bridge

After four years of preparation, work on the Montgomery Canal restoration took another step forward as the programme to rebuild Schoolhouse Bridge, south of Crickheath, near Oswestry, got under way.

The initial phase of this project involves enclosing land at the bridge site generously provided by adjoining farmers. A trackway will be laid to allow larger vehicles to by-pass the site when the lane is closed with a diversionary route provided for this popular section of the towpath.

01/09/202001/09/2020

Canal Clearance work started south of Crickheath

Volunteers on the towpath of the Montgomery Canal

The Shropshire Union Canal Society started work at the beginning of August on clearing the vegetation on the next dry section of the Montgomery Canal at Crickheath in Shropshire.

This clearance marks a milestone in the recent restoration work as it sees work on a section south of the current restoration efforts and it will facilitate the inspection of the canal bed and walls at Crickheath Wharf to assess remedial work needed.

26/08/202026/08/2020

Call for volunteers to rebuild Schoolhouse Bridge

Call for volunteers to rebuild Schoolhouse canal bridge and donations needed to cover the final cost.

With the easing of Coronavirus restrictions plans are being made for the project to rebuild Schoolhouse Bridge, the last blocked bridge on the Montgomery Canal in Shropshire.

29/07/202029/07/2020

Volunteers return after the Lockdown

Before the lockdown, the Shropshire Union Canal Society had been making good progress restoring the canal between Lloyds Animal Feeds compound and Crickheath despite the heavy rain at the beginning of March.

During their absence however, the canal had quickly become overgrown and so volunteers had to start by clearing weeds and a fallen tree on the first working party which took place on 24th – 26th July.