The Churnet Valley sections of the Caldon Canal are some of the most picturesque in Britain. Once bustling with industry, it has been reclaimed by nature and only the occasional steam train or boat engine disturbs the peace.
The Caldon Canal is a backbone of access to the Churnet Valley, with or without a boat. Where the railway threatens you with a £1000 fine for trespassing, the canal has a nice flat towing path.

Cherryeye Bridge

When the Trent and Mersey Canal was nearing completion, it became clear that its water supply was inadequate. The biggest problem was the summit pound in Stoke on Trent, which threatened to run dry in summer. The solution was to build a branch canal to tap the plentiful rainfall of the Staffordshire Moorlands, where, to kill two birds with one stone, there were large reserves of limestone.
Originally, James Brindley, the man responsible for the Trent and Mersey main line, was sent to survey the line. This task, unfortunately, killed him, so his brother-in-law, Hugh Henshall, took over.
Eventually, after one or two options were discarded, a plan was adopted that would take the canal through the Churnet Valley to Froghall. In doing so, it would take in the coal mines of that area, but bypass the town of Leek, much to the annoyance of its inhabitants. The connection to the quarries at Caldon Low was to be completed by a railway.
The canal was dug as far as what is now called Froghall Old Wharf between 1777 and 1778. The railway link, however, was not a success and had to be rerouted. To accommodate this, the canal was extended through Froghall Tunnel to the Froghall Wharf that exists today.
For an account of a day spent walking the canal from Stoke, see the Stoke To Leek Walk page.
For an account of the trials and tribulations of the railways and tramroads, see The Caldon Low Tramroads page.

It soon became clear that the Caldon Canal on its own could not solve the Trent and Mersey's water problems. In fact, the Caldon itself now had supply problems which restricted its own trade. So, a big new reservoir was planned for Rudyard, northwest of Leek, to feed water into the summit level at Hazlehurst. The original plan envisaged a simple feeder channel but the people of Leek, still unhappy that the Caldon Canal hadn't come their way in the first place, had other ideas. Thus, the section from the southern edge of the town to Hazlehurst was built as a navigable canal, with a further length leading to a basin in Leek itself. The canal was never busy, carrying mostly raw materials and finished products for the mills in Leek, coal for industrial and domestic use and general agricultural and domestic cargo.
The two arms of the canal enter the Churnet Valley on opposite sides of the valley occupied by Endon Brook. This was once the course of the Churnet itself, until glaciation forced it into its current course. To join the main line at the summit level and, thus, deliver the water to where it was needed, the Leek arm had to cross this valley on a high embankment. The summit level was then extended along the side of the valley to meet it. This included removing three locks, which had originally lowered the main line towards Froghall, and replacing them with a triple staircase at the new junction.
The staircase locks, however, proved to be a bottleneck and a waste of water. They were, therefore, abandoned, to be replaced by the layout which stands today. The new junction is further back along the summit level and three individual locks now lower the main line to pass underneath the Leek Arm, which is carried over the top in an aqueduct.

London Bridge carried an ironstone tramway to a wharf on the canal

After a few teething troubles, the canal was a commercial success. It was used to carry anything and everything, including coal, limestone, ironstone, bricks, timber, pottery materials and agicultural products. It continued to be successful, even after the railway takeover in the 1840s. When ironstone was discovered in the 1850s, it triggered a boom in carrying to the steelworks at Shelton. Conveniently, this also increased the demand for limestone, which was used as a flux, to remove impurities from the iron during smelting.
The decline began after the First World War. Some industries, such as coal and ironstone mining, closed down entirely. For the remainder, as with other canals, rail and then road competition began inexorably to erode traffic levels. By the 1950s, it was almost disused and some sections were derelict. Finally, in 1961, a closure notice appeared at Etruria.

The Corn Warehouse at Froghall

The canal was never entirely abandoned because the water supply was still needed for the main line of the Trent and Mersey. However, it had fallen into a terrible state before volunteers began the long process of recovery. After a good deal of hard slog and a lot of money spent, the canal was restored to navigation in 1974 and upgraded to full "cruising waterway status" in 1983.
Issues remain. The canalized river section is heavily infested with Himalayan balsam: an ornamental but highly invasive species that loves damp river banks. Some sections of the canal are confined to narrow concrete troughs to combat long-term problems with leaks and slippage. Hazlehurst aqueduct and embankment are in need of major maintenance. At Froghall, the tunnel leading to the New Wharf and the Uttoxeter Branch is too low for many boats.
There are different problems at Froghall Old Wharf. The canal itself is in good condition, although the winding hole is a bit small for the longest boats. The issue is, rather, with the unsightly surroundings: especially the Boltons Copper Works site. Demolition work, during 2008, cleared many of the derelict buildings but there is a controversy over what should replace them. The original plan, for 200 houses and a hotel, was strongly opposed, locally, and seems to have bitten the dust. A "mixed scheme of housing, tourism and employment" seems to be the favoured option, now, but a economic recovery is probably needed, first. In any event, it would be great to see the site put to good use and the remaining junk removed from around the canal.