The Grand Junction Canal was a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London by avoiding the upper reaches of the Thames and by shortening the journey. The canal was bought by the Regent's Canal and from 1 January 1929 formed part of the mainline of the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham. The canal is now much used by leisure traffic. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Braunston is the name of a few places: United Kingdom: Braunston, Northamptonshire, England Braunston-in-Rutland, England This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... The Thames (pronounced //) is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea. ... Brentford is a suburb in the London Borough of Hounslow at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent in South West London, situated approximately 8 miles (12. ... In general, the midlands of a territory are its central regions. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Regents Canal is a canal across an area just to the north of central London. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ...

The need for the Grand Junction

By 1790, an extensive network of canals was in place in the Midlands, or under construction. However, the only route to London was via the Oxford Canal to the River Thames at Oxford, and then down the river to the capital. The river, particularly the upper reaches, was in a poor condition for navigation compared with the modern canals. The river suffered from shallow sections and shortage of water leading to delays at locks, with conflicts with mill owners over water supplies common.

In 1791-92, two surveys of a route from Brentford on the Thames to Braunston on the Oxford Canal were carried out first by James Barnes and then by William Jessop. There were other proposals for an alternative direct route to London, and two Bills were put to Parliament, but it was that for the Grand Junction Canal which was passed on 30 April 1793. William Jessop (23 January 1745 - 18 November 1814) was a noted English civil engineer, particularly famed for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Construction

The Act of Parliament authorised the company to raise up to £600,000 to fund construction. The act authorised construction of the main line from where the eastern branch of the River Brent enters the Thames at Syon House near Brentford, to the Oxford Canal at Braunston. It also authorised branches to Daventry, the River Nene at Northampton, to the turnpike road (now the A5) at Old Stratford, and to Watford: those to Daventry and Watford were not built. In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The Brent is a river in south-east England. ... Syon House before the alterations of the 1760s Robert Adams plan for the reconstruction of Syon House. ... For other uses see Daventry (disambiguation) Daventrys High Street Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England with a population of 22,367 (2001 census). ... The River Nene is a river in the east of England. ... Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ... The Hyde Park Toll Gate, London. ... The A5 is a major road in the United Kingdom. ... Old Stratford is a village in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. ... Watford is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England, situated 34 km (21 miles) northwest of London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. ...

William Jessop was appointed to take charge of construction which started almost immediately from the two ends. On 3 June 1793, James Barnes was appointed Engineer, at a rate of two guineas (£2.10) per day plus half a guinea (£0.52) expenses. June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

At the north end, there were problems with the construction of Blisworth Tunnel: quicksand was encountered, and errors made in alignment which meant that the tunnel had a pronounced wiggle. With the opening of Braunston Tunnel, the line was open from the Oxford Canal through to Weedon Bec in June 1796. However, Blisworth Tunnel continued to cause problems, collapsing in January 1796. The canal was opened from Braunston to Blisworth in 1797. The canal from the Thames reached Two Waters near Hemel Hempstead in 1798, Bulbourne at the north end of the Tring summit in 1799, and Stoke Bruerne at the south end of Blisworth Tunnel the following year. Southern entrance to Blisworth Tunnel Blisworth Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, England between the villages of Stoke Bruerne (southern end) and Blisworth (northern end). ... Weedon Bec (usually called just Weedon) is a large village and parish in the Daventry district of Northamptonshire, England. ... Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 81,143 at the 2001 Census. ... Map sources for Tring at grid reference SP924117 Tring is a small market town in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 13,000. ... Categories: UK geography stubs | Villages in Northamptonshire | British visitor attractions ...

Thus with the exception of Blisworth Tunnel, the main line was open throughout in 1800. To allow goods to cross the gap, a road was built in 1800 over the top of Blisworth hill, replaced later that year with a double-track horse tramroad.

James Barnes proposed that work begin again on the tunnel on a new line. Robert Whitworth and John Rennie were called in for advice, and supported this proposal. However, construction on the new line did not start until June 1802, and was not completed until March 1805. John Rennie (7 June 1761 in East Linton, Scotland - 4 October 1821) was a civil engineer, constructing many bridges, canals, and docks. ...

Initially, nine locks were used in a temporary arrangement to lower and raise the canal for the crossing of the River Great Ouse at Wolverton at the river's water level. In 1799, William Jessop designed a three arch masonry aqueduct and embankment to cross the river and replace the locks. This collapsed in 1808, and a wooden trough was used as a temporary replacement. It was decided to build an iron aqueduct, with Benjamin Bevan as engineer. The foundation stone for the replacement aqueduct was laid on 9 September 1809, and it was opened on 22 January 1811. The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... Wolverton is a town in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The Grand Junction Canal had reduced the distance to London from the Midlands by 60 miles (100 kilometres) and made the journey reliable. As a result it thrived: in 1810 it carried 343,560 tons of goods through London, with roughly equal amounts into and out of the capital. A long ton is the name used in the US for the unit called the ton in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used (alongside the metric system) in the United Kingdom and to some extent in other Commonwealth countries. ...

The branches

The Grand Junction's original act in 1793 authorised branches to Daventry, the River Nene at Northampton, to the turnpike road at Old Stratford (north-west of the modern Milton Keynes), and to Watford in Hertfordshire: those to Daventry and Watford were not built. The branch to Old Stratford was amended before it was built (see below). The branch to Northampton was delayed as the plans of the Leicester and Northampton Union Canal to reach Northampton and thus join with the Grand Junction came to nothing. The link to Northampton was made by a tramroad transferred from Blisworth Tunnel, with the 5-mile (8-kilometre) canal from Gayton being opened in 1815. The link to Leicester was eventually achieved by the opening of the Grand Union Canal, which took a more direct route from Foxton in Leicestershire to the Grand Junction at Norton Junction. 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The River Nene is a river in the east of England. ... A toll road, turnpike or tollpike is a road on which a toll authority collects a fee for use. ... Milton Keynes is a large town in northern Buckinghamshire, in South East England, about 45 miles/75 km north-west of London, and roughly halfway between London and Birmingham. ... Watford is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England, situated 34 km (21 miles) northwest of London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the East Midlands of England. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Grand Union Canal. ... Upper staircase of Foxton Locks Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two staircases each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton. ... Leicestershire (IPA: , abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ...

The 1794 act authorised three further branches, to Aylesbury, Buckingham, and Wendover. The 6.5-mile (10.5-kilometre) navigable feeder from Wendover to the summit level at Tring was opened in 1799, while the 10.5-mile (17 kilometre) Buckingham branch, an extension of the original proposal for a link to the main road at Old Stratford, was opened in 1801: both eventually fell into disuse, though the Wendover Arm is undergoing active restoration, and part of it is again navigable. The Aylesbury arm was envisaged to become a through route to the Thames and thus the Wilts and Berks Canal and Kennet and Avon Canal, but the 6-mile (10-kilometre) branch into the town, opened in 1815, was never extended. Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south central England. ... Statistics Population: 11,572 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SP695335 Administration District: Aylesbury Vale Shire county: Buckinghamshire Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Buckinghamshire Historic county: Buckinghamshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Central Post office... Location within the British Isles Wendover is a picturesque market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. ... The Wilts and Berks Canal is a canal, originally in Wiltshire and Berkshire, England. ... The canal at Bathampton, near Bath The Kennet and Avon Canal is a canal in southern England. ...

The act of April 1795 authorised a 13.5-mile (22-kilometre) branch to Paddington from Bull's Bridge near Hayes: this was completed in 1801, and with its large basin at Paddington and many wharfs along its length it became an important trade route, even more so with the subsequent opening of the Regent's Canal. This branch also acted as a source of water from the River Brent. Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ... The Regents Canal is a canal across an area just to the north of central London. ...

The act of June 1795 authorised a branch to St Albans: this was not built.

The last branch to be authorised and built was the 5-mile (8-kilometre) route to Slough, opened in 1882. For slough as a type of aquatic feature, see Slough (wetland). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Acts of Parliament

• 33 Geo. III. C. 80, received Royal Assent on 30 April 1793

An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from the Oxford Canal Navigation at Braunston, in the county of Northampton, to join the River Thames at or near Brentford, in the county of Middlesex; and also certain collateral Cuts from the said intended Canal.

• 34 Geo. III. C. 24, received Royal Assent on 28 March 1794

An Act for making certain navigable Cuts from the towns of Buckingham, Aylesbury, and Wendover, in the county of Buckingham, to communicate with the Grand Junction Navigation authorized to be made by an Act of the last Session of Parliament, and for amending the said Act.

• 35 Geo. III. C. 8, received Royal Assent on 5 March 1795

An Act for authorizing the Company of the Grand Junction Canal to vary the Course of a certain Part of the said Canal, in the county of Hertford, so as to render the Navigation thereof more safe and convenient, and for making some other Amendments and Alterations in an Act made in the Thirty-third Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, for making the said Canal.

• 35 Geo. III. C. 43, received Royal Assent on 28 April 1795

An Act for making a navigable Cut from the Grand Junction Canal, in the precinct of Norwood, in the county of Middlesex, to Paddington, in the said county

• 35 Geo. III. C. 85, received Royal Assent on 2 June 1795

An Act for making and extending a navigable Cut from the town of Watford, in the county of Hertford, to the town of St. Alban, in the same county,

• 36 Geo. III. C. 25, received Royal Assent on 24 December 1795

An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Grand Junction Canal to finish and complete the same, and the several Cuts and other Works authorized to be made and done by them, by virtue of several Acts of Parliament

• 38 Geo. III. C. 33, received Royal Assent on 26 May 1798

An Act for confirming and carrying into Execution certain Articles of Agreement made and entered into between Beilby, Lord Bishop of London, Thomas Wood, Esq. Sir John Frederick, Bart. and Arthur Stanhope, Esq. Sir John Morshead, Bart. and Dame Elizabeth his wife, and Robert Thistlethwaite, Esq. and Selina his wife, and the Company of Proprietors of the Grand Junction Canal; and for other Purposes therein-mentioned

• 41 Geo. III. C. 71, received Royal Assent on 20 June 1801

An Act for enabling the Company of Proprietors of the Grand Junction Canal more effectually to provide for the Discharge of their Debts, and to complete the whole of the Works to be executed by them, in pursuance of the several Acts of the Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, and Thirty-eighth Years of the Reign of his present Majesty; and for altering and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of the said Acts

• 43 Geo. III. C. 8, received Royal Assent on 24 March 1803

An Act for empowering the Company of Proprietors of the Grand Junction Canal, to raise a further Sum of Money to enable them to complete the Works authorized to be executed, in pursuance of the several Acts passed in the Thirty-third, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, Thirty-eighth, and Forty-first Years of the Reign of his present Majesty; and for amending, altering, and enlarging the Powers and Provisions of the said Acts

• 45 Geo. III. C. 68, received Royal Assent on 27 June 1805

An Act for altering, amending, and enlarging the Powers of certain Acts for making and maintaining the Grand Junction Canal

• 52 Geo. III. C. 140, received Royal Assent on 9 June 1812

An Act to explain, amend, and enlarge the Powers of certain Acts passed for making and maintaining the Grand Junction Canal

• 58 Geo. III. C. 16, received Royal Assent on 17 March 1818

An Act to enable the Grand Junction Canal Company to vary the Line of Part of their Canal in the county of Hertford, and for altering and enlarging the Powers of several Acts relating to the said Canal.

• 59 Geo. III. C. 111, received Royal Assent on 22 June 1819

An Act to vary and alter certain Acts of his present Majesty, relating to the Grand Junction Canal, the Grand Junction Water Works, and the Regent's Canal, in order to effect an Exchange of Water, for the better Supply of the Regent's Canal Navigation and Grand Junction Water Works

This list is incomplete. Among those missing are the act authorising construction of the Slough Arm, and acts in 1928 authorising the formation of the Grand Union Canal. April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (88th in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (84th in leap years). ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in leap years). ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ...

Further development

The importance of trade between London and the Midlands meant that railway competition was an early threat to this canal compared with others in the country. John Rennie undertook a survey in 1824 for a London to Birmingham railway.

There were also ambitious proposals for new canals. In 1827 there was a proposals for a London and Birmingham Junction Canal from the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal to Braunston. In 1832, William Cubitt proposed a Central Union Canal from the Worcester and Birmingham Canal near Worcester Bar via Solihull to the Oxford at Ansty, while in 1833 there were proposals for a London and Birmingham Canal, from Stratford direct to the Regent's Canal, which would bypass the Grand Junction Canal entirely. Together with the railway threats, the Grand Junction was spurred into making improvements. Categories: Stub | Canals in the United Kingdom | Warwickshire ... Sir William Cubitt (1785-1861) was an eminent British civil engineer and millwright. ... The Birmingham and Worcester Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. ... Solihull (IPA: , or , or some combination of the two; occasionally ) is a large town in the West Midlands in England with a population of 94,753. ... Stratford, historically Stratford Langthorne, is a place in the London Borough of Newham in East London. ...

The London and Birmingham Railway was completed in 1838, and, with the exception of the Oxford Canal, the canals on the route from London to Birmingham co-operated to reduce tolls to compete with the railway. As a result, traffic carried increased, but income was significantly reduced. The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 until 1846, at which date it became a constituent part of the London and North Western Railway. ...

To cope with the traffic volumes, the locks at Stoke Bruerne were duplicated in 1835, and new larger reservoirs built at Tring to ease a serious water shortage. In 1848 the Grand Junction entered the carrying trade, pitting its boats directly against the railway competition. From 1864 steam narrow boats were acquired, working with a butty, and these penetrated as far as the Erewash Canal. Carrying was given up in 1876 because it did not pay. Categories: UK geography stubs | Villages in Northamptonshire | British visitor attractions ... Moored narrowboats near Tardebigge, Worcestershire, England Horse drawing a narrowboat on the Kennet and Avon Canal. ... The Erewash Canal is a broad canal in Derbyshire, England. ...

By 1871 the tunnels at Braunston and Blisworth were becoming bottlenecks and steam tugs were provided to tow strings of waiting boats through.

Under the encouragement of major carriers Fellows Morton and Clayton, the Grand Junction bought the Grand Union Canal and Leicester and Northamptonshire Union Canal in 1894 and worked with other navigations to encourage more through traffic to London: the Grand Junction was concerned that through traffic was being deterred by the poor condition and high tolls of the railway-owned Cromford Canal and Nottingham Canal. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Grand Union Canal. ... The Cromford Canal ran 14. ... Nottingham Canal was a 14. ...

An inclined plane was opened at Foxton Locks in 1900, as part of a plan to enable wide barges to use the Grand Union Canal and thus bring more traffic onto the main line of the Grand Junction from the east Midlands. Widening of the locks at Watford was also planned, but not carried through. Consideration was given to constructing other inclined planes as part of a plan to enlarge the canals to carry 80-ton barges, but no more were built. Upper staircase of Foxton Locks Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two staircases each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Grand Union Canal. ... The 4-lock staircase, part of Watford Locks on the Grand Union Canal Watford Locks are seven locks on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, close to the village of Watford in Northamptonshire, famous for the Watford Gap service area. ...

With ever more traffic going by rail, the canal's only significant weapon was low tolls: while this slowed the decline in volumes, it did so only by large reductions in income, and consideration was given to amalgamations with other canals.

Concerns began to develop about the state of repair of the canal via Warwick to Birmingham, on which the Grand Junction was reliant for a through route. In 1925, discussions began with the three Warwick canals and the Regent's Canal, and in 1926 a merger was agreed. The Regent's Canal bought the Grand Junction Canal and the three Warwick canals, and from 1 January 1929 they became part of the (new) Grand Union Canal. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ...

External links

• London Canal Museum.
• Wendover Arm Trust.
• Wendover Arm Trust.

Further reading

• Hadfield, C., and Skempton, A.W., (1979) "William Jessop, Engineer" David and Charles Publishers.

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom
• History of the British canal system