List of canals in the United Kingdom explained

The following list of canals in the United Kingdom, includes some systems that are navigable rivers with sections of canal (e.g. Aire and Calder Navigation) as well as "completely" artificial canals (e.g. Rochdale Canal).

Canals in England

Canal	Length	Locks	Max boat length (ft)	Width (ft)	Where^[1]	Year opened	Year abandoned	Navigable status
	34miles	12	200	20	NE	1704		Fully navigable
	22miles	24	65	8.5	S	1794	1859	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
Arbury Canals	6miles	13				1786	1819, 1973
	22miles	0	72	7	M	1804		Under restoration - part open, part under restoration
	6miles	18	70	7	NW	1796	1961	Fully navigable - restored 1974
	14.5miles	15	84	14	NW	1799		Abandoned - restoration plans on hiatus
	32miles	29	68	13	S	1794	1910	Part navigable - Restored 1991, remainder of route lost
	3.5miles	2				1826	1875
	0.6miles	0				1832	1932	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	3.4miles	10				1845	1953	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, stub in Wednesfield used for mooring
	0.5miles	1	65	17.5	NE	1744		Fully navigable
	2.5miles	6	70	7	M	1844		Fully navigable
Birmingham Canal Navigations^[2]	29.8miles	34	70	7	M
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal^[3]	20.5miles	44	70	7	M	1789		Fully navigable
	8miles					1804	1965	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	7miles	6	50	14	EA	1761	1911	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	3.5miles	10				1774	1922	Abandoned - restoration being investigated
	40miles	0	72	14.75	NW	1761		Fully navigable bar short missing section at junction with Manchester Ship Canal
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Somerset	14.5miles	6	50	9.83	SW	1827	1907	Fully navigable - Restored 1994
	35miles	2^[4]	20	5.5	SW	1823	1891	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	4miles	6	61.5	15.25	N	1793	1855	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	21.5miles	38	55	14	NE	1794		Fully navigable
	18miles	17	72	7	NM	1779		Fully navigable
	2miles					1825	1839	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	85miles	0				120 (appr)	1200 (appr)	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	13.5miles	4				1842	1868	Abandoned - some of the line still traceable
	6miles					1794	1808	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	13.8miles	13	60	16	EA	1797		Fully navigable
	45.5miles, now 31.5miles	62	72	7	NE	1777		Under restoration - Less than 9 miles (14 km) of the original route remain to be restored to link the two navigable sections
	4.5miles	3	85	18	S	1822	1906	Part navigable - remainder of route in water but unnavigable
	1.25miles	0				1797	1810 ?	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	1miles	2				1805	1829	Abandoned - Route has been almost completely reconstructed to form the South Dock of the West India Docks
	2.75miles	1				1796	1876	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	32.7miles	13	72	7	M			Fully navigable
	14.5miles	14				1794	1900	Under restoration
	9.25miles	28				1809	1836	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
Dearne and Dove Canal^[5]	9.8miles	19	58	14.83	NE	1804	1961	Abandoned - restoration being investigated
	14miles	17	72	14	NE	1796		Abandoned - restoration being investigated
	14.5miles	9	72	14	NE	1793	1964	Under restoration
	1.25miles	6	72	7	M	1799		Fully navigable
	5.5miles					1767	1904	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
Driffield Navigation, East Yorkshire	11miles	6	61	14.5	NE	1767		Fully navigable
	7.3miles	15	71.5	7.08	M		1939	Fully navigable - restored 2011
	10.3miles				M		1948	full restoration requires diversion to avoid unrepairable tunnel
	0.5miles	1				1782	1889
	11.8miles	14	78	12.5	NE	1779		Fully navigable - restored 1973
	5.2miles	2	122	26.25	SW	1563		Fully navigable
	1miles	0			NW	1792	1932	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	1.5miles	2				1800	1952	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	11.3miles	1	74.5	15.17	E	1121		Fully navigable
	1.4miles	1				1822	1897	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	14miles	2				1834	1854	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	1.1miles	0				10th C	14-16th C	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	16.5miles	2	240	30	SW	1826		Fully navigable
	129.4miles	90	72	14.7	M			Fully navigable
	4miles	1				1810	1940	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
Grand Union Canal^[6]	286.3miles	236	72	14	M	1927		Fully navigable (bar Buckingham Arm)
	24.3miles	17	72	7	EM	1814		Fully navigable
	10.5miles	0			SW	1838		Under restoration
	33miles	18	75	14	EM	1797	1936	Under restoration
	0.8miles	1				1825	1858, 1925	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	0.6miles	1				1843	1928	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	4miles	8	70	7	NM	1860	1955	Under restoration, but part of original route unsuitable for reopening so will be diverted.
	34miles	22	70	7	W		1881	Under restoration
	1.3miles	3	78	14.5	SE	1830		Fully navigable
	4.5miles	4	70	7	NW	1792	1932	Under restoration
	2miles	0				?	?	Abandoned
	11miles	12				1802	1889	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	3.8miles	9	57.5	14.17	NE	1780		Fully navigable
	19.9miles	74	70	7	NE	1811		Fully navigable
	15.9miles	15	55	14	EA	1793	1934	Under restoration
	0.6miles	0			NW	1801	1952	Abandoned
	10miles	17				1710	1869	Under restoration
	86.5miles	105	70	12.5	SW			Fully navigable - restored and reopened 1990
	1.75miles	1				1828	1859, 1967	Abandoned - route now lost
	1.5miles	1				1788	1880	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some short sections in water
	60.9miles	14	72	14.5	NW		1955	- Under ongoing restoration
	142.6miles	105	62^[7]	14	NE, NW	1816		Fully navigable
	48miles	22	72	13	EM	1807		Fully navigable - part of Grand Union Canal
	18miles	16				1794	1858	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	3.25miles	1				1805	1935	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	7miles	30	70	7	M	1797	1955	Under restoration
	2miles	0	88	19	SE			Fully navigable
	6miles	25				1828	1910	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	46.3miles	21	70’	6.83	W	1808		Fully navigable
	11.8miles	8	72	15	NE	1770	1924	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	1miles	1	100	24	SW	1821	1977	- Under restoration
	26.3miles	13	70	7	NW	1831		Fully navigable
	12.9miles	17	68	14.17	NW			Under restoration
	37.4miles	5	600	65	NW	1894		Fully navigable
	9.5miles	1	70	14.83	NE	1782		Part navigable - remainder of route a mix of in water but unnavigable, and route lost
	11miles	12			EM	1797	1877	Under restoration
	90miles	7	80	11	E			Fully navigable
	33miles	24	70	6.83	W	1821	1944	- Under restoration
	3.75miles	0				1800	1935	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	1miles	0						Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	5.5miles	1	215	22.5	NE	1905		Fully navigable
	1.25miles	7				1817	1864	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
	7.3miles	6	50	12.33	EA	1826		Part navigable - remainder of route in water but unnavigable
	14.7miles^[8]	18	81	14.5	NE	1796		Part navigable - remainder of route partly in water but unnavigable, partly lost
	4.5miles	13				1796	1895	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	15.5miles	18				1802	1847	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	22miles	19				1812	1950	Fully navigable
	78miles	43	70	6.83	M			Fully navigable
	2.25miles	3				1847	1873
	0.5miles	0				1720	1732
	14.8miles	16	70	7	NW	1805	1960	Fully navigable - restored 1974
	1.25miles	2				1795	1826	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost, some small sections in water
	1.5miles	3				1789	1845	Abandoned - line of canal in water
	9.5miles	9	57	14.25	NE	1818	1932	Under restoration - largely navigable
	28miles	6				1823	1847/1926	Abandoned - majority of the route now lost
Regent's Canal^[9]	8.6miles	13	72	14.5	SE	1820		Fully navigable
	3miles	9	62	10.5	NW	2002		Fully navigable
	2.5miles	3	57	14.25	NE	1773	1906	Fully navigable - restored 1996
	21.9miles	18	72	13	EM	1794		Fully navigable
River Lee Navigation^[10]	29.1miles	22	85	16	SE			Fully navigable
	32miles	91	74	14.17	NW	1800		Fully navigable (bar some branches)
Rolle Canal^[11]	6miles	2^[12]				1827	1871	Under restoration
	19miles	0			SE	1804		Fully navigable
	13miles
	13miles^[13]	16				1802	1808
	15.2miles	11	72	13.83	NW	1757	1963
	6miles	2	78.5	16.5	NE	1776
Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation^[14]	28miles	24	61.5	15.25	NE	1802
	25miles	34	81	7	W	1797	1944
	10.5miles	3				1791	1912
	76.5miles	51	72^[15]	7^[16]	NM	1835
	1miles					1768	1779
	3miles	0				1776	1857
	12.5miles	7	70	15	NE	1794	1940
	18miles				SW	1802
	1.75miles	1	240	40	SE	1855
	46.1miles	43	70	7	NM	1772
	6.5miles	10				1670	1863
	14.9miles	3	61.67	17	NE	1802
	4.9miles	0			NW	1797	1962
	13.8miles	15	86	13.25	SE	1769
	7.8miles	21	70	7	M	1779
	1.7miles	5				1792	1943
	25.5miles	56	70	7	M
	8miles	13	70	15.5	SW	1779
	8.5miles	13	72	7	M	1844
	4miles	2				1803	1873
Thames and Medway Canal^[17]	6.5miles	1	24.5	6.5	SE	1824	1935
	28.8miles	44	74	12.75	SW	1789	1933

	1.5miles	0				1815	1840
	93.4miles	76	72	7^[18]	NE	1777
	1.5miles	1	112	65 ^[19]	NW	1796	1944
	13miles	19			NM	1811	1849
	9.6miles	16	72	7	M
	0.1miles	1			NM	1829
	14.2miles	25	72	7^[20]	M	1794
	24.3miles	28	70	7	M	1794
	4.4miles	3	70	7	M	1769
	3.3miles	1				1840	1875
Wey and Arun Junction Canal^[21]	23miles	26	68	11.5	S	1816	1871	in progress^[22]
	19.5miles	16	72	13.83	S
	52.5miles	42	72	7	SW	1810	1914
	1.75miles	1				1788	1921
	30miles	58	71.5	7	M	1815
	23.5miles	39	70	7	M	1797

Canals in Northern Ireland

Canal	Length (miles)	Locks	Year opened	Year abandoned	Year restored
Broharris Canal	2		1820
Coalisland Canal^[23]	7.2	7	1787	1954
Dukart's Canal		3	1777	1787
Lagan Canal	27	27	1802	1958
	21	12	1742	1938
Shannon–Erne Waterway^[24]	39	16	1780	1948	1994
Strabane Canal	4	2	1792	1962
Ulster Canal	46	26	1842	1931

Canals in Scotland

Canal	Length (miles)	Locks	Max boat length (ft)	Width (ft)	Year opened	Year abandoned	Year restored
	18	18			1805	1854
Buchan Canal
	62	29	150	35	1822
	1.5	0			1765	1840
	9	15	86.75	19.65	1817
	1.1	0			1816	1840
	35	38	68.58	19.75	1790	1963	2002
	11	0			1811	1881
	0.25	0			19th century
	0.33	0			1844
	12.25	18^[25]	71	14	1794	1942
	2.25	0		13	1772	1830
Union Canal^[26]	31.5	3^[27]	63	12.5	1822	1930	2000

Canals in Wales

Length (miles)	Locks	Max boat length (ft)	Width (ft)	Year opened	Year abandoned	Year restored
6.75	2			1812	1900
2
25	52			1798
c. 1.5
18	8^[28]				1865
46.3	21	70	6.83	1808
35	48	63	9.17	1796	1962	1970
33	24	70	6.83	1821	1944
21.5	21	60	9		1934
16.5	36	65	7.5	1798	1931

Proposed canal routes

Active projects

Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway: Connection from Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes to the River Great Ouse near Bedford. This link will finally enable broad-beam boats to travel from the north to the south of the inland waterway network.^[29]
Fens Waterways Link: The Fens Waterways Link comprises several new waterways and improvements to current routes. It will create new circular routes and in conjunction with the Milton Keynes and Bedford Waterway, it will be connected to the rest of the country's waterways via the Great Ouse.^[30]
Maidenhead Waterways: Making the York Stream and other parts of the Maidenhead Waterways fully navigable for boats and linking to other nearby canals and navigable rivers.^[31]

Proposals

Grand Union Canal (Slough Branch): Extending Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal south to join the River Thames.^[32]
Rother Link: Planned canal which would connect the Chesterfield Canal at Killamarsh, via the River Rother through to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, thus creating a new cruising ring and encouraging boats to visit the Chesterfield Canal.
Upper Avon Extension (Warwick): This proposed connection from River Avon to Grand Union Canal via Warwick is subject to some landowner opposition.^[33]
Foxton Inclined Plane: Restoration of the wide-beam Foxton Inclined Plane, accompanied by a solution to bypass Watford Locks, would allow wide-beam boats to traverse the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal.^[34]

Former proposals

Grand Contour Canal: First proposed in 1943, was intended to connect the major industrial centres of London, Bristol, Southampton, Coventry, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby, Chester, Manchester, Blackburn, Bradford, Hartlepool and Newcastle.^[35]
London to Portsmouth canal: Also known as the Grand Southern Canal, and proposed on several occasions, this route would utilise existing canals and rivers, with new links constructed, to provide an overland route between the cities of London and Portsmouth, removing the need to enter the English Channel.^[35]
Berks & Hants Canal, a proposed link from the terminus of the Basingstoke Canal at Basingstoke to the Kennet and Avon Canal, rejected twice by Parliament after landowner opposition.^[35]
Polbrock Canal, approved by Parliament in 1797, this link between the north and south coasts of Cornwall would have joined the River Camel with the Fowey at Bodmin.^[35]

Notes and References

M=midlands, EA=East Anglia, NE=North-East etc.
Main line, incl old main line and branches
part of Birmingham Canal Navigations
inclined planes
South Yorkshire
Total holdings 1929
72 from Liverpool to Wigan incl Leigh branch
only 1.1m remains open making 3.7m total including the Beeston cut
now part of the Grand Union Canal
includes Bow Back rivers
Also known as the Torrington Canal
included an inclined plane
only part of this was built
the river section from Bramwith to Rotherham takes boats 229’8" long and 20’ wide
The Middlewich branch is 70’
The old Chester canal from Nantwich to Ellesmere Port is 9’
also known as the Gravesend and Rochester Canal
Preston brook to Croxton Aqueduct is 9’ wide
Web site: Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, of Great Britain . Priestley . Joseph . 2 February 2024 .
Increased to 13' in 1933
includes Arun Navigation
Web site: About the Wey and Arun Canal . Wey and Arun Canal Trust.
also known as Tyrone Navigation
Originally the Ballyconnell and Ballinamore Canals
an inclined plane was later used
originally known as "Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal"
includes the Falkirk Wheel
includes 3 inclined planes
Web site: Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway. Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. 2007-09-23.
Web site: The Fens Waterways Link. Environment Agency Waterways Team. 2007-09-23. 24 August 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050824213757/http://www.fenswaterways.com/main.asp?page=link. dead.
Web site: The Maidenhead River Project. Maidenhead Waterways Restoration Group . 2007-09-23.
Web site: IWAAC Inland Waterway review 2006 . Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council . 2007-09-23 . pdf . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070722073707/http://www.iwaac.org/downloads/reports/iwaac_inland_waterway_review_dec2006.pdf . 22 July 2007 .
Web site: Upper Avon Extension (Proposed) . Inland Waterways Association . 2007-09-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070502184258/http://www.waterways.org.uk/Waterways/PrincipalNavigations/UpperAvonExtensionUnderRestiration . 2 May 2007 .
Web site: Ludgate . Martin . 2014-04-09 . Far and wide? . 2023-02-03 . Canal Boat . en.
Web site: Waterfront | Canal & River Trust . 19 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220119050634/https://canalrivertrustwaterfront.org.uk/heritage/feature-pos3-imagined-canals/. dead.