Ulverston Canal

Ulverston Canal
The basin of Ulverston Canal
Specifications
Maximum boat length	112 ft 0 in (34.14 m)
Maximum boat beam	27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
Locks	1
Status	Closed
History
Date of act	1793
Date completed	1796
Date closed	1945
Geography
Start point	Ulverston
End point	Morecambe Bay

The Ulverston Canal is a canal in the town of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It is 1.25 miles (2 km) long, and runs ESE from the town centre to the coast of Morecambe Bay. It is entirely straight and on a single level. It is an isolated canal and does not connect to the main canal network.

Although it is about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) from the shore of Morecambe Bay, the town of Ulverston (often spelt "Ulverstone" at the time) was declared to be a port in 1774, which allowed certain goods to be shipped to other canals without the payment of sea duty. Ships of up to 150 tonnes could reach the shore at high water, and 70 vessels were registered there. Trade in slate and ore was growing, and canal mania was gripping the country. A local solicitor called William Burnthwaite organised a meeting in July 1791 to consider ideas for a canal to improve access to the town. He estimated the cost at £2,000. This sum had been raised by May 1792; but by then the engineer John Rennie had produced proper plans for a ship canal, estimated to cost £3,084, including the construction of a sea lock. By October 1792, around £3,800 had been raised, and the proposers decided to proceed.

An Act of Parliament for the canal received Royal Assent on 8 May 1793. The Act was entitled "An Act for making and maintaining a Cut or Canal from a Place called Hammerside Hill, in the parish of Ulverstone, in the county palatine of Lancaster, to a Place called Weint End, near the town of Ulverstone aforesaid." The Act empowered "The Company of Proprietors of the Ulverstone Canal Navigation" to raise amongst themselves, for the purposes of the Act, the sum of £4,000 in shares of £50 each, with an additional £3,000 if required.

The contract for the construction of the main canal was given to Pinkerton and Murray, while construction of the entrance lock was awarded to John Lancaster and James Duckworth. Work began on 23 August 1793, when the chairman cut the first sod, and was expected to be completed by September 1794. However, Pinkerton and Murray were also working on the northern end of the Lancaster Canal, and it seems they overstretched themselves, for they abandoned the contract in August 1795, when they could no longer pay the wages. H. Baird took on the work, which was finished in October 1796.

The canal was opened in 1796, and provided the town of Ulverston with a port. The channel was 15 feet (4.6 m) deep and 66 feet (20 m) wide, but ship sizes were restricted by the lock, which could accommodate vessels of 100 by 27 feet (30.5 by 8.2 m), drawing between 12.5 feet (3.8 m) and 7.5 feet (2.3 m), depending on the state of the tide. In order to maintain the water level, a supply was taken from Newland Beck. Delays in construction meant that the final cost was over £9,200; and the opening coincided with a slump in the ore trade. It was not until June 1797 that William Burnthwaite was appointed as clerk, and a project to build a warehouse and toll office began, funded by a further call on the shareholders. Wharves for the transfer of slate and coal were constructed at the same time.