More than 85 years after it closed, the one-and-a-half-mile section of canal has now reopened with some fanfare thanks to the support of volunteers and funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A ceremony in the sunshine on Friday marked the completion of the latest phase of its restoration.
More than 85 years after it closed, the one-and-a-half-mile section of canal between Maesbury and Crickheath has now reopened thanks to the support of volunteers and funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.The Montgomery Canal closed in the 1930s following a serious breach near Frankton Locks in Shropshire. At a time of dwindling freight traffic, rather than being repaired the canal was officially closed in 1944.
The latest section has involved 300 days relining the canal to make it watertight. This has involved 100 work parties, mainly at weekends. The volunteers dug out and moved around 15,000 tonnes of material during the work to be able to install 36,000 square metres of liner to create a watertight seal on the canal bed.
David Carter, chair of Shropshire Union Canal Society, said: “Our volunteers have worked tirelessly for eight years on a very complicated piece of construction work of a type not normally done by volunteers. They have overcome several major challenges including very bad ground conditions, a high water table, the need to relocate the resident Great Crested Newts, and covid lockdowns. That they managed to complete the work to deadline, on budget and safely is to their great credit.
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