The Dearne and Dove Canal ran nine miles through England from Swinton to Barnsley through 19 locks. The canal also had two short branches the Worsbrough branch and the Elsecar branch. The canal obtained it's Act of Parliament in 1793 and opened in 1804. is was shut briefly the following summer due to a shortage of water. Built to carry coal the canal was initially successful but competition from the railways lead to it being amalgamated with the Doncaster & Goole Railway Company in 1850. The canal then passed through the hands of several different owners mostly as part of the slow amalgamation of the railway companies. In 1906 the branch to Worsbrough closed and the canal began to slowly fall into disuse. It was formally closed in 1961. The canal suffered badly from subsidence in its later years due to mining activity The canal is now beginning to undergo restoration. The Elsecar branch was the first part of the canal to undergo major work.

External link

Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canals Trust (http://www.bddct.org.uk/)