The Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal is a 22 mile (35 km) long canal in England which travels between Bedworth in Warwickshire and the Leicestershire village of Snarestone. The canal used to travel 8 miles (13 km) further north to Moira, just outside the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France A picturesque stretch on the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Map sources for Bedworth at grid reference SP3586 Bedworth (pronounced locally as Bedduth) is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. ... Warwickshire (pronounced either /ˈwɔːɹɪkˌʃə/ or /ˈwɔːɹɪkˌʃɪə/) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ... Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ... Snarestone is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. ... Moira is a former mining village in North West Leicestershire, England. ... Market Street Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch (formerly also Ashby-de-la-Zouche) is a small market town in the North West Leicestershire district of the county of Leicestershire, England. ...

The Route

The canal starts at a junction with the Coventry Canal just outside Bedworth and travels north-east for about 7 miles (11 km) through the town of Hinckley. It then continues to run north through largely rural and remote countryside for another 15 miles (24 km) until reaching its terminus at Snarestone. Near Sutton Cheney Wharf it passes the foot of Ambion Hill, the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field. Coventry Canal nr Fradley The Coventry Canal is a narrow Canal in England which travels for 38 miles (65 km) between Coventry and Fradley Junction,just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. ... Hinckley is a town in south-west Leicestershire, England. ... Sutton Cheney is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field. ... Ambion Hill is the hill in Leicestershire near to the village of Market Bosworth where, traditionally, the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought. ... Combatants Richard III of England, Yorkist Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Lancastrian Commanders Richard III of England† Nominally, Richmond In practice, the Earl of Oxford Strength 8,000 5,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was an important battle during the Wars of the Roses...

History

The canal, opened in 1804 to transport coal from the west Leicestershire coalfields, the canal did not prosper and rarely made a profit. In 1846 it was taken over by the Midland Railway company for just £110,000, a considerable loss for the owners, who had paid £184,000 in construction. 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (strip mining). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed from 1844 to 1922. ...

The canal was gradually run down by its railway owners. In 1918 a major breach caused by mining subsidence caused the last few miles of the canal near Ashby to be abandoned. The canal was nearly closed completely, only the strategic importance of the coal supplies during the First World War allowed it to survive. In 1944 the L.M.S. railway, which by then owned the canal, closed down several more miles of its northern end. Further closures followed in 1966, largely owing to mining subsidence. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... // Article Overview Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS1) was a British railway company. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ...

Now the mining industry in the area has gone, there are plans to re-open the canal to its original terminus at Moira. A short stretch of the canal near Moira has been restored and re-filled with water. But the A46 main road has been built across the canal's formation making a complete re-opening unlikely in the near future. The A46 is a trunk road in England. ...

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom

For canals of Northern Ireland see the Canals of Ireland article // History See History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ...

External links

• Ashby Canal Association