Restoration FAQs
What is the Montgomery Canal?
‘Montgomery Canal’ is the name used to describe the canal from Lower Frankton to Newtown. It is one part of the historic Shropshire Union canal network.
Does The Shropshire Union Canal Society own the Montgomery Canal?
No. The canal is owned and operated by the Canal and River Trust (C&RT).
Is the Montgomery Canal navigable?
The canal is navigable from Lower Frankton to Crickheath Basin and this stretch is connected to the national canal network via the Llangollen Canal. There are also isolated navigable sections around Welshpool and Llanymynech. The unnavigable parts are the subject of several ongoing restoration projects.
A map detailed the status of each section of the Montgomery Canal can be seen here.
What is the Shropshire Gap?
The Shropshire Gap is the section of the Montgomery Canal between Crickheath Bridge and Llanymynech that needs to be restored.
What is the Society’s role in restoration of the Montgomery Canal?
The Society’s current project, “Crickheath South”, is restoration of the channel between bridges 85-86 (Crickheath – Schoolhouse). The Society operates as principal contractor to C&RT whose role is that of client and principal designer. These roles are defined by HSE CDM (Construction Design and Management) regulations.
In the past, the Society has helped restore other sections of the Montgomery Canal. More detail can be found here.
Who else is involved in restoration of the Montgomery Canal?
There are a number of restoration initiatives underway on the Montgomery Canal at present. South of Llanymynech, in Powys, a large project managed by C&RT and funded by Levelling Up Funding will rebuild two bridges, undertake extensive dredging and provide new nature reserves. In Shropshire, Schoolhouse Bridge has been rebuilt in 2023. This project was funded by Montgomery Waterways Restoration Trust. The Montgomery Canal Partnership brings together those parties with an interest in restoration of the canal and has representatives covering the full range of interests, including local authorities, conservation organisations and waterways groups.
What is the Society doing at Crickheath South?
An overview of the project can be found here.
Why is the channel at Crickheath South being lined?
Water testing of the channel shows that it leaks in places . These sections will have to be waterproofed. The method used for the current project is to use a waterproof lining system. This consists of a layer of geotextile impregnated with a self healing compound sandwiched between two layers of plastic sheeting and covered by a heavy duty geotextile. The lining system is then covered with concrete blocks to weigh it down and protect it.
Why do you not use traditional ‘puddling clay’ to line the channel when restoring the Montgomery Canal?
Clay is extracted from wetland areas which are now recognised as environmentally sensitive. Supply is therefore limited and expensive. The clay must be kept continuously wet otherwise it loses its waterproof properties. Traditionally the lining at the bottom of the channel was up to three feet thick so enormous quantities are specialised heavy machinery would be required to deliver and compact it (or a huge labour force and herds of cows!).
The stretch from Gronwen to Redwith was lined with clay using contractors and EU grants.
Will all of the channel at Crickheath South be lined?
No, only where it is shown to be unacceptably leaky or liable to subsidence.
Why is the channel between Pryces Bridge and Crickheath Basin and at Crickheath South relatively shallow with sloping sides?
The channel is not being rebuilt but being restored to its original 18th century profile. The canal was rural and traffic was light. To rebuild it all to a different profile with, for example, a piled vertical towpath bank would be invasive, prohibitively expensive, require the removal of large quantities of spoil and be counter to modern day environmental regulations such as net biodiversity gain.
What provision will be made for mooring when restoring the Montgomery Canal?
The Society has a history of providing and maintaining visitor moorings . A list can be found here.
Other moorings can be found at eg Queen’s Head and Crickheath.
Moorings on newly-restored lengths will specified by C&RT in consultation with its ‘Navigation Advisory Group’.
Volunteering FAQs
Why do you need volunteers?
The Society is run by its Members and has no paid employees. Everything we do is done by volunteers.
What skills are you looking for in volunteers and how can I get involved?
Please see here for more details.
Montgomery Canal Environmental FAQs
What is so special about the Montgomery Canal?
The canal is special because of the variety of natural habitats it provides along its length supporting aquatic and water margin plants, invertebrates, fish and a whole raft animal species such as otters, kingfishers and bats. Canals are an artificial man-made habitat that provides similar conditions to the natural habitats for these species, which is why they host these plants and animals.
Isn’t the Montgomery Canal an SSSI?
The part of the Montgomery Canal that lies in Wales is a Special Area of Conservation and a SSSI. There is also a previously restored part of the canal in Shropshire that is a SSSI. None of the ‘Shropshire Gap’ is designated a SSSI.
The SAC and SSSI designations are particularly due to its rare plants and invertebrates. It boasts one of the best populations in the UK of the rare Floating Water Plantain and others such as the nationally important Grass-wrack Pondweed.
So shouldn’t we just leave the Montgomery Canal alone?
A canal is an artificial man made habitat. If it was left to nature it would revert to swamp and then woodland and the special plants would be lost.
As a wetland habitat it is one that is constantly changing and would eventually become unrecognisable. This process is known as succession and can result in change from open water habitat with surrounding fringe, to a filled in dry channel in which trees begin to establish. The loss of the open water means that it can no longer support the aquatic species of conservation importance. To prevent succession reaching this point, careful long-term management is required.
Who checks that no harm is being done when restoring the Montgomery Canal?
All works on the Montgomery Canal and others undergo a process known as environmental appraisal. This involves specialists from within C&RT and elsewhere looking at the potential environmental impacts. All environmental, ecological and heritage elements are factored in at the concept, design and implementation stages to make sure the required standards are upheld. Works by the Society comply with these requirements and are monitored by the C&RT specialists.
Do you look after the moorings/picnic areas listed on your website?
The Society was contracted by the then British Waterways (BW) to install these facilities nearly 25 years ago. We ran a large group of volunteers carrying out these tasks around the Shropshire Union system.
When Canal and River Trust took over from BW, they wanted to create their own volunteer resource along the lines of the National Trust and absorbed our enhancement group into this operation, in particular their ‘Small Tasks Team’ and ‘SU Middlewich Branch Action’. Unfortunately neither of these groups still functions so C&RT no longer have the capability to maintain these facilities.
Given our ‘contractor’ status, we handed the facilities to BW/C&RT on completion so we do not own them nor do we have C&RT’s authority to carry out work on them.
C&RT have now enlisted our help in enhancing the canal environment in the Ellesmere Lakes area of the canal. We have created a small team to do this which unfortunately is not geared up to work further afield and we have no current plans to expand this operation.
C&RT do seem to provide some support to volunteer groups in specific areas eg Gnosall Towpath Group and ‘TRAMPS’ on the Welshpool section of the Montgomery so this may be a way forward.
Who maintains the towpaths on the Shropshire Union Canal network?
This is the responsibility of Canal and River Trust (C&RT), for example, to keep towpaths accessible by walkers and others.
C&RT have a number of policies relating to towpath vegetation clearance – you can find more information on their website here. Remember that in some places, for example between Gronwen and Redwith on the Montgomery Canal, vegetation, eg bulrush, has been deliberately used to protect the bank from the wash of boats and to keep it wildlife-friendly. On these stretches, maintenance might be limited to removal of scrub tree saplings particularly where the canal profile is unsuitable for mooring.
Once the Shropshire Union Canal Society has restored a section of the Montgomery Canal, it is handed back to C&RT to look after.
There are a number of volunteer groups who look after sections of towpath on behalf of C&RT. Indeed, the Shropshire Union Canal Society looks after a section of the Llangollen Canal in Ellesmere. You can see the Society at work there and follow our progress on this website and on social media. A report on activity in 2024 can be seen here.
Any problems with the towpath should always be referred to C&RT in the first instance.
Other FAQs
If you have any questions not covered by the above, please get in touch.