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Shropshire Union Canal

The Shropshire Union Canal is part of the Waterways of mainland Britain and is made up of the Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal), the Shropshire Union Canal (Chester Canal), the Shropshire Union Canal (Wirral Line), the Shropshire Union Canal (Middlewich Branch), the Shropshire Union Canal (Dee Branch), the Shropshire Union Canal (Llangollen Canal), the Shropshire Union Canal (Montgomery Canal) and the Shropshire Union Canal (Weston Branch). .

The Shropshire Union Railway and Canal 
        Company, to give it its full name, was created following the 
        take over, in 1845, of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction 
        Canal by the Ellesmere and Chester Canal (itself formed by 
        the merger of the Chester and Ellesmere Canals in 1813).

A year later the company changed its name and 
        passed acts to build railways and convert most of the canals 
        to railways.  By 1850 they had bought the Shrewsbury Canal 
        and Montgomeryshire Canals and leased the Shropshire.

Before these schemes were completed, they had 
        leased themselves in perpetuity to the LNWR.  As the SU 
        Canals were mainly in the areas of rival railway companies, 
        the LNWR entusiastically promoted their canals, although 
        there was some early rationalisation; in particular the 
        closure of the Shropshire.

Shortly before 
        railway grouping in 1922 the LNWR bought the SU outright, 
        and things rapidly declined under the LMS, with the closure 
        of the Montgomeryshire and Shrewsbury Canals.  At 
        nationalisation in 1944 all but the main line and the 
        Middlewich Branch were abandoned for navigation, although 
        the Llangollen line was kept open for water supply.