The coming of the railway in the 1800’s was a major reason for its demise but the failure to maintain the locks and water courses over many years hadn’t helped.
However, technically, the canal has never been officially closed!
In April 1863, it was used for the last time as far as Stamford as it regularly became impossible for boats to navigate much further than the Deepings.
By April 1865, almost exactly 200 years after being built, it was decided to sell the canal by auction at Stamford Town Hall.
See the Auction link for more.
This photo from 1870 shows the wharf at the side of the warehouse completely empty.
This is the area 150 years later (in 2020) standing where the coal wharf was and looking back towards the bridge.
The warehouse on the right having gone through various changes over the years - from retail to a night club and back!
The railway obviously took over the carriage of coals but there were problems getting it into the centre of Stamford! Mainly caused by the Cecil family, the local landowners and owners of the Burghley estate, who initially wouldn’t have any railway tracks near their land!
To get round this, the first tracks into the town of Stamford were brought south from Essendine station on the GNR which came in round the back of where the Morrisons super-market is now.
It crossed the canal and the river to the west of Hudd’s Mill.
The station below was built on the south side of the town on Water Street
It was only after the success of the railway venture had been proven that the Cecil’s relented and allowed the Midland Railway to build their line from Peterborough to Leicester, which bypassed the station above and went under the London Road to where the present station has been built.
The demise and closure of the Stamford Canal
The Stamford Canal << The earliest proper canal in England? <<
