Canal anniversaries in 2025
Most of the canal network was built over 200 years ago
With dozens of canals and hundreds of iconic structures, every year there are canal anniversaries to be celebrated across the network.
Here are some of the canal anniversaries in 2025, and our nearest bases for visiting on a canal boat holiday:
The Anderton Boat Lift is 150 years old
Also known as ‘The Cathedral of the Canals’, this extraordinary structure raises boats 15 metres (50ft) from the River Weaver to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Designed by Edwin Clark and opened in 1875, it consists of two caissons, each large enough to take a barge or pair of narrowboats. In 1983 problems with the mechanism caused the lift to close. But after a Heritage Lottery Funded restoration, it reopened in 2002. Our nearest bases are at Anderton, Acton Bridge & Bunbury.
The Shropshire Union Canal is 190 years old
Completed in 1835, the 76-mile long Shropshire Union Canal runs from Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey to Autherley Junction, near Wolverhampton. There it meets the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. Much of its length is isolated and rural, with stretches where there are no towns for miles. The northern section follows the gently rolling Cheshire landscape. While the southern section has long embankments and deep cuttings, so fewer locks. The cuttings are full of vegetation and wildlife, with a feeling of stepping back in time. We have bases on the Shroppie at Brewood in Shropshire & Bunbury in Cheshire.
The Worcester & Birmingham Canal is 210 years old
Completed in 1815, the 29-mile long Worcester & Birmingham Canal links the River Severn at Worcester with Birmingham’s Gas Street Basin. There it joins the Birmingham Canal Main Line. The canal also connects with the Stratford Canal at Kings Norton Junction and the Droitwich Canals at Hanbury Junction. There are 58 locks along the length of the canal, including the 30 at Tardebigge, the longest lock flight in the UK. Chocolate crumb was one of the cargoes once carried along the canal, taken to the Cadbury factory at Bournville. We have bases on the Worcs & Birm Worcester, Stoke Prior & Alvechurch.
Blisworth Tunnel is 220 years old
At 1.74 miles long, Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire is the second longest navigable tunnel on the canal system. Construction began in 1793, and it opened in 1805. It’s wide enough to accommodate two narrowboats, so it’s not necessary to book a passage through it. Stoke Bruerne is home to the Canal & River Trust’s Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum. Our nearest bases are at Gayton & Braunston.
Dundas Aqueduct is 220 years old
Completed in 1805, this magnificent Bath stone aqueduct at Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire, was designed by John Rennie. It’s a scheduled monument and carries the Kennet & Avon Canal over the River Avon and Wessex Main Line railway. You can reach Dundas Aqueduct on a canal boat holiday from Bath, Monkton Coombe, Bradford on Avon, Hilperton & Devizes.
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is 220 years old
Completed in 1805, the awesome Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal in North Wales is part of an 11-mile stretch of the Llangollen Canal designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Towering 38 metres high above the Dee Valley in North Wales, it’s also known as ‘The Stream in the Sky’. Designed by Thomas Telford, the aqueduct’s 305-metre long cast iron trough is supported by 19 enormous hollow pillars. Ox blood was added to the lime mortar used to bind the masonry together, as it was believed the blood of a strong animal would help strengthen the structure. You can reach this aqueduct from our bases at Trevor, Chirk, Blackwater Meadow, Whitchurch, Wrenbury & Whixall.
Norwood Tunnel is 250 years old
Designed by James Brindley, Norwood Tunnel on the Chesterfield Canal, opened in 1775. At 2,637 metres (2,880 yards) at the time it was the longest tunnel in the world. Sadly there were always problems with subsidence as there are lots of mine workings in the area. After decades of repairs, there was a major collapse in 1907 which was never repaired, so the western, Derbyshire, section has been cut off from the rest of the canal for over a century. The Chesterfield Canal Trust is campaigning to restore the canal.
