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Stafford Riverway Link

Things to do nearby

Old Stafford Branch Canal

The Stafford Riverway Link is a new name for the old Stafford Branch Canal or River Sow Navigation which formerly linked the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal at Baswich with the town centre of Stafford.  The restoration project aims to rebuild this link for community benefit.

The link consisted of a short section of canal branching off the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal near St Thomas Bridge 101 leading via a basin and an aqueduct over a drainage channel into a lock down into the River Sow.  From here the river course was straightened and made navigable for 1½ miles to its terminus at a basin near Green Bridge in Stafford.

History of the Canal

The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal opened in 1772 passing within one and a half miles of Stafford at Radford Bank, but on the other side of the River Penk.  However, the first fixed link with the town was not made until 1805 when a horse tramroad was opened, running from a basin and warehouses at Radford Bank alongside the main road into the town centre.  This carried coal from the canal and other goods but its limited capacity and the need for transhipment meant it was not a great success and it closed in about 1814.  This was replaced in 1816 by the River Sow Navigation which was constructed privately without an Act of Parliament by Lord Stafford who owned all the necessary land.  The Navigation served the town for over a century but became disused in the 1920s.

Restoring the Stafford Riverway Link

The route can still be walked on riverside footpaths and the potential value of its restoration to boaters and for trade and tourism in Stafford can be appreciated.  Stafford Riverway Link was incorporated as a Community Interest Company in 2009.  A Feasibility Study was commissioned in 2011 with financial support from IWA and Staffordshire County Council, and from 2012 working parties have been held at Baswich every few months.  The site of the lockhouse has been uncovered and its foundations consolidated, the basin has been excavated, and a roadway around the field has been surfaced to give access for construction plant and materials.  In 2019 a long term lease was secured on the site and reconstruction of the towpath side wall of the basin was completed.  By 2022 volunteers had built the other basin walls and the future lock entrance, and a start was made on lining the bed.

Waterway underfunding

Hundreds of miles of waterways – along with their unique heritage and habitats – are currently starved of funding and rely on constant lobbying by us to safeguard their future.

Sustainable Boating

We want boating on canals and rivers to be more sustainable and – even though the current overall contribution to UK carbon emissions is very small – we want to help reduce emissions on the waterways.

Waterways Heritage at Risk

Britain’s canals and rivers are a unique, living heritage. But that heritage is at risk – from urban development, lack of protection, loss of skills and knowledge and climate change.

You can help Save Waterways Heritage.

Waterway restoration

Restoring the UK’s blue infrastructure – our inherited network of navigable canals and rivers – is good for people and places.

LOVE YOUR WATERWAYS

Britain's waterways are vital; together we can campaign for them now and for the future.