Ellesmere Canal

[Chris Lowe]

If anyone is interested I have just obtained from a rare books dealer a 1795 plan of the proposed Ellesmere canal, it's on parchnent & is a copper plate impression thats been hand coloured.

 

Published by John Stockdale of Piccadilly.

 

I'll scan it when I can get to a bigger scanner.

 

This will eventually end up with the RCHS.

 

A photo of it for now sorry about the shadow.

 

[Heartland]

This is a very useful map that shows what was intended but not built and looks at first observation to be related to William Jessops work for the Act of Parliament. There were various plans for the Ellesmere prior to the Act and many changes afterwards. 

 

The route of the Brymbo and Holt Branches are important parts of those changing plans when two alternative schemes (as mentioned by Hadfield became one).

The Brymbo route was not made nor was the Holt, but the Holt must be considered of interest as the Dee had a form of navigation to near that point.

 

With the act what was made was different as the Shrewsbury line end at Weston, and the Whitchurch branch was extended to the Chester Canal with a separate branch to Whitchurch and to Prees.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Heartland

[Chris Lowe]

I'll try and remember to take it to work next week and the bigger scanner.

 

I've been waiting over a year to get my hands on this map, when I enquired it was on the book shops inventory but they had lost it, until ;ast week.

 

 

[Pluto]

This is what you needed to get up to Brymbo.

[Chris Lowe]

Was the Ffrwd Branch part of the Brymbo route?

[Heartland]

No another variation that was to serve a reservoir. There are quite a few plans of the route that changed with time

[Chris Lowe]

With none of them ever completed

[Heartland]

As far as Brymbo is concerned the canal never reached the ironworks and furnaces. The original standard gauge railway link involved two inclines at first. The first tramroad to serve Brymbo was underground and in Wilkinsons time when it went through a tunnel to an adit beside a road. 

[David Mack]

Is the section from Chester to the Mersey the same as the route that was actually built?

[Heartland]

I think you will see on inspection that the route to Whitby Locks, as it was originally known, was altered from what is shown on that map, as that was all part of the final Ellesmere Canal route from Whitchurch to the Chester Canal at Hurleston and then associated with that change were the new construction of locks and the alteration to the original staircase locks to the Dee, which belonged to the Chester Canal.

 

The changes in the route are part of the development of the Ellesmere Canal and with which Thomas Telford became increasingly involved. Tied up in this melting pot of ideas was the first UK Vertical Boat lift which was built and briefly operated on trial until the project was abandoned. (incline planes were also boat lifts, and they were made earlier than the Ellesmere one)

[Chris Lowe]

Here's a proper scan of the Map, so you can read it properly.