Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Coventry Canal
Distance
43km from Coventry to Fazeley Junction and 9km from Whittington Brook to Fradley Junc-
tion
Highlights
Coventry Cathedral
Hawksbury Junction and steam pumping station
Oldbury Camp Iron Age hill fort, the reported site of Boudicca's defeat by the Romans
Navigation Authority
Canal & River Trust
Canal Society
Coventry Canal Society
OS 1:50,000 Sheets
128 Derby & Burton upon Trent
139 Birmingham & Wolverhampton
140 Leicester
The Coventry Canal is an early contour canal that begins in the West Midlands and heads
north-west across Warwickshire to the east of a ridge of higher land, into Staffordshire. It was
promoted by Bedworth mine owners who planned to take Bedworth coal to the Trent & Mer-
sey and Oxford Canals. Boats started shipping coal from 1769. It took a further 22 years to
build the rest of the canal, during which time engineer James Brindley was sacked for spend-
ing too much of his time on other canal projects. There is still a statue of him in the basin at
Coventry, though.
Once built, it was one of the most prosperous canals, originally carrying heavy coal traffic
from the Warwickshire coalfield but also making much profit from selling water. It was still
making a profit when it was nationalised in 1947, although narrowboat traffic ceased after
WWII. As far as Lichfield, it is followed by the railway, initially the Coventry to Nuneaton
