Exeter Ship Canal

[3] In 1563, Exeter traders employed John Trew of Glamorgan to build a canal to bypass the weirs and rejoin the River Exe in the centre of the city where a quay would be built.This navigation was not very effective; it could not be entered at all states of the tide, and the double transfer of cargo over such a short distance made it uncompetitive with road transport.These improvements led to the canal being highly successful until demand for access declined with the end of the wool trade in the early 19th century and later with the rise of the railways.In 1939 the canal was still carrying some 63,000 tons of material annually, and after the war it was still seen as a useful means of transporting goods to and from its basin at Haven Banks, opposite Exeter Quay.Planning for the city after The Blitz recommended that Turf Lock, the canal's junction with the estuary be deepened and enlarged to allow ships of 600 tons to pass.In the 1970s, the basin provided the backdrop for the filming of quayside activity in the historical drama The Onedin Line, even though the series was supposed to be set in Liverpool.[13] In 2002 the future of the canal looked brighter when the city basin was included in a £24 million redevelopment scheme by Exeter Quay Developments, a consortium led by the construction company McAlpine.They began negotiations with the Canal and River Trust in September 2016, with a view to transferring responsibility, but the talks were ended in December, with the council unhappy about the cost and likely outcomes of the action.
Watercolour painting of the canal basin by John Gendall painted between 1835 and 1840. Royal Albert Memorial Museum .
The lower part of the canal, from the line of the M5 motorway to its mouth at Turf Lock
Countess Wear Canal Swing and Bascule Bridges over the Exeter Canal
Image of plaque sited near the Exeter Canal Bridge acknowledging use of bridge in D-Day preparation rehearsals
River ExeEnglandExeter Quay A379  M5 River ClystExetercanal maniaCountess of DevonIsabella de FortibusCountess WearHugh de Courtenay, 9th Earl of DevonTopshamEdward VIGlamorganpound locksJohn GendallRoyal Albert Memorial MuseumFloodgatesGrand Western CanalBristolBristol & Exeter RailwaySouth Devon RailwayThe BlitzPegasus BridgeHorsa BridgeOxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light InfantrySouth West Waterwater industry was privatisedThe Onedin LineMcAlpineButts FerryCanal and River Trustlifting bridgeswing bridgeA38 roadM5 motorwaylift bridgeCanals of Great BritainHistory of the British canal system