BW164/23
Grand Contour Canal
Date
1964-1966
Reference code
BW164/23
Administrative / Biographical history
Proposed by J F Pownall, this scheme would have seen a wide canal, large enough for coastal craft, serving the main industrial areas of the United Kingdom. Following the 310 feet contour, the canal would be on one level, running from near Southampton to Tyneside, from Hartlepool to Chester, with a branch to Birmingham, and from Bristol to near Nottingham. There would have been no locks, but there would have had to be lifts at Newcastle, Hartlepool, Preston, Chester and Bristol.
For more details, see 'The Illustrated History of Canal & River Navigations' by Edward Paget-Tomlinson.