R&CHS North West and West Midlands Group – Caldon Canal – Cheddleton to Consall Forge 25th September 2019 History: The Early Years (1778 – 1811) There had been proposals in the early 1770s to build a The Caldon Canal: Dates & Other Statistics canal from the Trent & Mersey Canal’s (T&M) summit level to Leek, including one using tub boats and inclined planes, Opened: 1778 (Etruria to Froghall; 17 miles, 17 locks) but no Acts were obtained. The Act for the Caldon Canal Branches: Leek (1801; 3¼ miles) was obtained in May 1776, following contracts being agreed with the quarry owners at Cauldon Lowe. The Act Uttoxeter (1811; 17 miles) allowed for construction of Rail Ways to link the canal and Foxley (1820; extended 1850; c800 yds.) local quarries. Norton Green (1778; c400 yds.) The Caldon Canal (or, more correctly, the Caldon Branch of Endon Basin (1917; c200yds.) the Trent & Mersey Canal (T&M) opened in December 3 1778, running from a junction with the summit level of the Reservoirs: Stanley (1786; 22m ft ) T&M main line (opened in 1775) at Etruria top lock to Rudyard (1799; 122m ft3) Froghall (Old Wharf), where it was linked by a horse drawn Knypersley (1827; 41m ft3) “Rail Way” to the quarries at Cauldon Lowe. The distance by canal from Etruria to Froghall is 17 miles (in a straight Tunnels: Froghall Tunnel (1785; 76 yds) west – east line it is less than 10 miles). As built it required Leek Tunnel (1801;130yds) 17 locks (original proposal was for 15 locks). Its summit Summit Level: 484ft above sea level level (located at Stockton Brook) is 484 ft above sea level 76ft above T&M summit level and 76 ft above the summit level of the T&M Canal. 1½ miles of the canal followed the bed of the river Churnet near Consall. A second Act published in 1783, allowed for a 530 yards extension and providing a new wharf at the Froghall end. This extension and new wharf opened in 1785 and included a tunnel, 76 yards long. In June 1797 a further Act authorized the extension of the Caldon by building a further branch canal to Uttoxeter, the construction of which was delayed due to a disputes regarding its route, land ownership and later with the appointed contractor. As a result the Uttoxeter branch canal did not officially open until 3 rd September 1811. Another important branch, which opened in 1801, was the Leek Branch which was 3 miles and connected the Caldon Canal’s main line at Hazelhurst to the nearby market town of Leek. When built the Leek branch utilized the course of the feeder from Rudyard reservoir that the T&M Canal Co had built two years earlier to provide a water supply to the main canal. Other reservoirs were built at Knypersley and Stanley Moss. The main purpose for building the Caldon Canal was to transport limestone and hydrated lime in to the Potter y towns . Other important traffic was coal from the Cheadle coalfield and ironstone extracted from several iron ore mines located in the Churnet Valley and in the Kingsley area With the coming of the railways, the Trent and Mersey CompanySummit Level:and its 484ftbranches above were sea sold level to the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR), with the formal takeover occurring on 15 January 1845. The NSR w as keen to promote its canals and Rail Ways (tram roads) as 76ftmutual above feeders, T&M summitand so levelmaintained both. The exception was the Uttoxeter branch canal, which was closed by an Act of Parliament obtained in July 1847, in order that the NSR’s proposed Churnet Valley railway route could be built along its course. The tramway from Froghall to Cauldon Quarries was replaced by a new cable-operated railway in 1849. It included inclined planes at Froghall, Oldridge and Cotton, and was built to a gauge of 3ft 6 in. Under railway ownership the T&M and Caldon Canals continued be used for commercial carrying and the cost of carriage remained competitive with the railway. However at the beginning of the 20thC a gradual decline began and in the case of the Caldon this decline was accelerated by the loss of the limestone trade due to the original quarries at Cauldon Low becoming worked out and in 1920 eventually closed and abandoned. At the same time new quarries were being opened in the Derbyshire Peak District and there rail and road haulage were the selected modes of transport used for this traffic. Restoration Although the canal was never legally closed, traffic had declined so much that that by the 1960s the canal was almost unusable. A survey carried out in 1960 by the Inland Waterway Protection Society, which had been formed in 1958 in response to the Bowes Committee report, listed many canals which were considered to be no longer viable. Page 1 of 3 These notes are intended for use by those joining the walk and for RCHS members at other times. They should not be copied or stored in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise. With further threats of closure in 1961, the Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club organized a public meeting in Hanley and also a cruise along the canal to Froghall in September. This attracted press coverage and local council support. There was then a proposal by the Caldon Canal Committee for the National Trust to take over the waterway, and although this did not occur, the Committee became the Caldon Canal Society, and worked in partnership with the British Waterways Board towards the eventual restoration and reopening of the Canal in 1974. The Walk Commencing from Cheddleton Fllnt Mill (the finishing point of our May 2018 walk) and following the towpath of the Caldon Canal in a southerly direction to Consall. For most of the walk the canal runs near to the River Churnet and t Churnet Valley Railway track. The river valley is wide for the first 2 miles but then becomes narrower and a mile from Consall it enters a gorge. Along the route from Cheddleton there are four locks – Cheddleton top and bottom locks (Nos. 13 & 14) – Woods Lock (No. 15) near to Bridge 45 and Oakmeadowford Lock (No.16) near to Bridge 48. Bridge 47A at is a wooden draw bridge. At Consall, Bridge 50, adjacent to the Black Lion pub is a turn over bridge. Between Oakmeadowford and Consall Forge the canal’ merges into the Rive Churnet to provide a shared water course. The lunch break will be at Consall Forge where food is available at the Black Lion pub. For picnickers, seats and tables are available in the area at the front to Consall Station (¼ mile walk from the pub). Return journey to Cheddleton will be on the 14.21 train departing from Consall Station. From the Cheddleton Station a walk along the canal (1¼ miles) to Leek Road to board the D&G bus service to return to Hanley/Stoke Station for onward rail journeys. The Lime Kilns at Consall Forge (Listed Building status Grade II) The bank of four preserved lime kilns at Consall Forge were built in the early years of the 18thC. The kilns are fitted within a retaining wall built into a stone faced sloping bank on the hillside. The retaining wall is faced with ashlar stones. The length of the complete structure is 45 yards and height is 30ft. The height was used to provide access from which to load the kilns, which were of the “continuous draw” type. Coal and limestone were loaded at the top of the kiln and as the coal burnt it roasted (reduced) the limestone to quick lime which was formed in the central part of the kiln. The quick lime was removed manually from a draw hole located at the base of the kiln. The Consall kilns used limestone quarried at Cauldon Low. It was transported from the quarry in trains of in wagons that travelled along a gravity tram road to Froghall Wharf, where the stone was transshipped on to narrow boats and then carried along the Caldon Canal to Consall Forge. The kilns went out of use in in the 1890s. More recently the four kilns have been repaired and restored. The Consall Plateway Although the opening of the Caldon Branch canal provided a much superior mode of transport to the local roads it was not the perfect solution. The canal was often frozen in the winter and its water levels in the summer were too low. For the pottery manufactures south of Stoke, particularly in the Longton area, the journey by canal was a long way round. In 1815 a group of local landowners formed a partnership to provide and build an alternative route to transport the limestone avoiding all but a small length of the Caldon Canal. The proposal was to build a horse drawn tramway from the canal wharf at Consall Forge to Lane End in Longton to provide access to that town and also a link with the T&M Canal further south. A company named the North Stafford Railway Company was formed (Not to be confused with the later North Staffordshire Railway Company of 1845). An act of Parliament was not required as the full length of route of the proposed rail way ran across privately owned land, the owners of which had all agreed that their land could be used and legal permission was formalised by the negotiation and agreement of wayleaves. The rail way was built and the first section Consall Forge and Cresswell’s Piece Wood had been completed and was operating by 1817.