The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is the longest canal in Britain, built as a single waterway!

It's 127 miles long, passes through 91 locks with a summit level of 487 feet at Foulridge near Nelson and Colne!

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal was also the earliest of the trans-Pennine canals to be proposed. It offered a more gentle, but less direct route than the Huddersfield Narrow Canal or the Rochdale Canal. However, it still passed through the important limestone and coal mining areas, so that the canal tolls would roll in. 

It took 46 years to complete the canal and it was only completed in 1816.

Conquering the Pennines created a coast to coast route, linking the Irish sea with the North Sea. It was only really achieved though in 1846, when the Stanley Dock branch in Liverpool opened.Thanks to the foresight of John Longbotham and James Brindley, the locks were built to accommodate a wider vessel than usual. The local boats, known as 'Short Boats', could cope with 45 tons of cargo and this held them in good stead when the faster option of rail transport came along – some say this was the canal's saving grace! 

The canal continued to carry large tonnages well into the 1950s!

Since coal was the major cargo, when natural gas came along, the canalside coalyards started to close down. This contributed heavily to the demise of the canal and like all these things, if they're not being used, then they aren't maintained. Thankfully canal enthusiasts kept it going and today it supports a thriving leisure industry!There are lots of beautiful and interesting structures associated with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, so take a look and get out there!  Image Credit: Ollerton Bridge (No. 1) on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.