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The Droitwich Canal is a synthesis of two canals in Worcestershire, England; the Droitwich Barge Canal and the Droitwich Junction Canal. The Barge Canal is a broad canal which opened in 1771 linking Droitwich Spa to the River Severn at Hawford Mill, Claines. The Droitwich Junction Canal is a narrow canal, opened in 1854, which linked Droitwich to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Both were built to carry salt, and were abandoned in 1939. They have been the subject of a restoration plan since 1973, and the Barge Canal was officially reopened in 2010, while the Junction Canal reopened in July 2011. Following the opening of the canal, ownership transferred to the newly created Canal and River Trust ==History== Droitwich has been an important centre for the production of salt, obtained from natural brine springs, since before Roman times. In order to get the product to market, an Act of Parliament was obtained in 1662 to authorise improvements to the River Salwarpe, but the work was not completed, being abandoned in 1675. The improvements involved six locks on the river, of which five had been built when the scheme failed. Another Act of Parliament, obtained in the 1670s, authorised improvements to the Salwarpe and the River Stour, and although the promoters spent £4,000 on the scheme, another bill was put before Parliament in 1693, and a fourth attempt was made in 1703, but this was opposed by owners of the salt works. In 1747, Simon Wood again proposed making the river navigable, and in 1755 there was a scheme to construct a pipeline to carry the brine to Hawford on the River Severn, but both schemes foundered. With salt production increasing, Droitwich Council asked James Brindley the canal engineer responsible for the Bridgewater Canal to survey a route from the town to the River Severn. This he did in 1767, and the following year an Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction.〔(British Waterways: History )〕 This created ''The Company of Proprietors of the Droitwich Canal Navigation'', who had powers to raise £33,400 by issuing shares, and an additional £20,000 if required. Although Brindley was officially "Inspector of the Works", he was busy building the Trent and Mersey Canal at the time, and so the contractor responsible for building the locks was sent by John Priddey, the resident engineer, to work with and be taught by Brindley. A working capital of £13,400 was raised by issuing 134 shares, mostly bought by local people, and construction started on 27 June 1768. As work proceeded, a further 66 shares were issued, raising another £6,600, and a loan of £3,500 was taken out, making the total cost of the project £23,500. The canal was constructed as a broad canal, capable of taking Severn Trows which were wide and long. Like most of Brindley's canals, it was a contour canal, following the contours as much as possible, to reduce the number of embankments and cuttings required, although there was an awkward bend near Salwarpe church, as the obvious route to the north of the building was specifically excluded by the Act.〔 The canal was long, and included eight locks, with a total fall of . Because of the presence of brine springs, the water was salty, and did not support populations of fresh-water fish.〔 The official opening was on 12 March 1771, and the canal was a commercial success.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Droitwich Canals Trust )〕 The first dividend was paid in 1775 and by 1777 the £100 shares were trading at £160. A proposal in 1784 to link to the Stourbridge Canal caused disagreement among the shareholders, but the bill to construct the new canal and amalgamate the two companies failed. After the event, the company changed its rules on proxy voting, since it felt that some of those who had voted for amalgamation had not been shareholders, and therefore had not upheld the interests of the canal. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Droitwich Canal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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