BW79

Bradford Canal Joint Committee

Description

Records of the Bradford Canal Joint Committee: Acts and byelaws 1770-1922, administrative records 1880-1888, plans of the canal 1893-1919, surveys of the canal 1902-1913, exchanges of land 1898-early 20th century, plans showing land ownership 1878-1916, plans showing encroachments 1883-1905, plans of Bradford Terminus, wharves, company property and other buildings at the terminus 1879-1921, plans of company buildings alongside the canal late 19th century-1919, plans of buildings and works alongside the canal 1881-1905, plans of bridges 1878-early 20th century, plans of locks and pumping stations 1878-1917, plans of culverts and drainage 1878-1922, plans of improvements and maintenance 1879-1883, details of plant and installations, late 19th-early 20th century, plans of sewage works 1897-1917, plans of roads 1896-1897, plan of canal crossing the Idle and Shipley Railway 1878.

Date

1770-1922

Reference code

BW79

Access Status

These records are available immediately for research

Administrative / Biographical history

In 1878 an Act transferred ownership of the Bradford Canal from the Bradford Canal Company Limited to the Leeds and Liverpool and Aire and Calder canal companies, who thought the canal important enough to jointly buy and manage. Traffic built up and new warehouses were constructed. However, all the water had to be pumped making the canal costly to maintain. Losses increased as road transport became cheaper and in 1922 the Bradford Canal closed. For further information on the Bradford Canal see Edward Paget-Tomlinson's 'The Illustrated History of Canals & River Navigations' and Charles Hadfield's 'The Canals of Yorkshire and North East England'.

System of arrangement

It has not been possible to ascertain the complete original structure of record-keeping from the records held for this company. The fonds has been arranged into series by subject, which is how some of the records were originally kept. The company's Acts, byelaws and administrative records have been placed first, followed by plans and surveys of the canal. These are followed by plans detailing land ownership, company boundaries and encroachments. These progress through plans of the Bradford Terminus and wharves, company property and other buildings at the terminus to company and other buildings and works alongide the canal. Plans concerning canal features follow this - bridges, locks and pumping stations, culverts and drainage, improvements and maintenance, and plant and installations. At the end of the collection are plans relating to sewage works, roads and the Idle and Shipley Railway.