Canal names

5/7/2019

Canal naming seems to fall mainly into one of 2 categories. An exception is when 'navigation' is in the title, or a person's name is the canal name - the Bridgewater is an example of the latter, named after the supposedly misogynist and certainly unmarried Duke of.

Place name canals

•    The Leeds to Liverpool Canal leaves you in no doubt of its beginning and end. The northern most crossing of the Pennines
•     the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, which leaves me wondering why it is not 'to' Birmingham?
•     Gloucester and Sharpness is another with a stated  city for its start and finish.
•     other place name canals simply take one major place name, ignoring a less known finishing place. Examples include the Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon,  Llangollen, Huddersfield, Rochdale - the latter two also Pennine crossings.
•      and not to forget canals called after their counties. The Shropshire, or Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

River names

Some canals are so wedded to a river, that they are named after their river, even though most of the route may actually be a canal.

•    the Trent and Mersey, traversing England,  from the Mersey estuary to the Humber.
•     the Kennett and Avon, a confusing reference given the number of R Avons. The Kennett runs east from the canal summit to the Thames at Reading, the Avon west to Bristol. Calling it the Bristol to Reading canal would make its location clearer.

Others are simply a river, with locks making them navigable.
Many rivers fall into this category, the Thames of course, the Severn, the Avon (Tewkesbury to Stratford-on-Avon). Some of these are tidal, and may also flood. Not my favourite experiences.

Navigations

It seems that when a river or two is made navigable, someone baulked at calling it a canal. So we have my favourite name, the Fossdyke Navigation, which dates from Roman times. And many others, like the Calder and Hebble (think Yorkshire).

Other navigations are simply called after a city or county, like Birmingham Canal Navigations, or South Yorkshire Navigations - which we've used this trip, taking us down the eastern part of England and onto the Trent. JJ will tell you that Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice.

If you are still reading this boring analysis, well done, and maybe find a new hobby!

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