From Deeping St James to the Wash and Bourne Eau
The upper part of this navigation is only suitable for light craft and canoes. The River Welland was navigable as far as Stamford, the uppermost length being canalised into the Stamford Canal.
The historical connections of this area with Holland can be seen in the Dutch style of many of the buildings in Spalding. The Romans navigated the river between Stamford and Peakirk and the remains of a Roman canal can still be seen.
During the seventeenth century, a canal was built with twelve locks to Stamford. Through the early part of the nineteenth century, the use up to Stamford declined.
Following the floods of 1947, the river was straightened and widened and, in 1953, the Coronation Channel, which is not navigable, was constructed to protect Spalding from floods. Fulney Lock was built in 1955-56.