Montgomery Canal
Montgomery Canal
Although the canal is referred to today as the Montgomery Canal if you go back in history then the canal is an amalgamation of the Montgomery Canal and the Ellesmere Canal. The canal is some 34 miles in length and runs from the junction with the Llangollen Canal at Frankton locks to Newtown.
Carreghofa Lock Nr Llanymynech
The construction of the canal was commenced in 1790 and with progressive construction saw the completion in 1821. The main purpose was to serve the agricultural community. Along parts of the canal there are large deposits of Limestone of which the principal source was at Llanymynech. The Heritage area incorporating the restored Lime Kiln at Llanymynech (one of only three in the country) is testimony to this era. In its hey day there were some 90+ limekilns along its route. As well as providing a corridor for Lime transportation there were a number of watermills making use of the waterfeeds into the canal. In the latter part of the 1800's railways started to make inroads into the canal transportation system of the country and the canal infrastructure started to suffer. The Montgomery Canal was no exception to this alternative mode of transport and with parts of the canal suffering from lack of maintenance (a major breach in 1936) it became commercially unsustainable and was abandoned in the 1940's. The canal virtually became derelict. However, some 20 years later there was the start of a movement to save and restore the Montgomery, with what has become known as the 'Big Dig' at Welshpool. The canal is not navigable along its whole length and is really in two parts. A navigable and restored section from Frankton Locks to Maesbury. There is then a section from there to Llanymynech area which is mostly dry. A short section is navigable at Llanymynech. Further on down to Welshpool, although in water it is not fully navigable due to a number of dropped bridges. The Welshpool area is in part navigable with some 11 miles of water. That still leaves a number of obstacles if the canal is to be restored as far as Newtown.
Despite these obstacles there is a growing body of organisations associated with the aim of restoring the canal to its former glory.
The restoration is only part of the story as it would bring many economic benefits to the area and provide a spearhead for its rural regeneration.
