The Bradford Canal ran three and half miles through 10 locks from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Shipley on the northern edge of Bradford. It was granted an Act of Parliament in 1771 and opened in 1774 a year later than planned. The canal cost £9,424 14s 2d to build, about £3,500 over budget. Canal locks in England. ... The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in the north of England running from Liverpool, Merseyside to Leeds, West Yorkshire. ... Shipley is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, by the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, north of Bradford and close to Saltaire. ... Bradford is the major settlement in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, in the county of West Yorkshire in the north of England. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France. ...
Initially the main cargo was stone but as time went by wool and people became more important. The canal originally drew its water from Bradford Beck, but by the mid 19th century this was heavily polluted by the wollen industry discharging their waste into it, and it became known as 'The River Stink'. In 1866 a court order stopped the canal from using its main water source. The owners were then forced to close the canal. However in 1870 the canal was reopened with different owners. The length was slightly shortened and pumping stations were installed along the length to draw water from below the locks. The new owners immediately sold it to a coalition of Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Aire and Calder Navigation for £27,000. The canal reached its peak for tonnage carried in 1910 but profits were minimal due to the cost of maintenance. The Aire and Calder Navigation is a river and canal system of the River Aire and the River Calder in the county of West Yorkshire, England. ...
By 1922 traffic had declined to the point where an Act of Closure was passed on the canal. Over the years much of the canal's route has been built upon and filled in. The only remaining part is its junction with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Shipley, now a winding hole.
At just over 3 miles the canal had a rise of over 86 feet to Bradford served by 10 locks in five sections and was reported to have cost in excess of £6,000.
For nearly one hundred years the canal served as the major route for the export of Bradford’s produce and brought with it much wealth and expansion confirming the status of Bradford as one of the largest and most powerful cities in England during the Industrial Revolution.
The canal enjoyed further commercial success but through the increased use of the new national rail links and improved roads and vehicular advances the canal ceased to be of commercial use and was eventually closed in mid July 1922.
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