Shropshire & the Marches Canals

The Montgomery Canal is navigable in part, and the rest is being actively being restored, although there are some significant obstacles to overcome.

The Shropshire canals are all closed. Those running through what is now Telford are long gone, replaced by railways, then roads and finally by the city of Telford itself.

Coalbrook Dale is of course a place of national significance due to its role in the Industrial Revolution, but the chances of it being linked by canal again are zero.

The descent from Norbury through to Shrewsbury can still be found.

Canals covered

  • Montgomery Canal

  • Shropshire Canals (Shrewsbury & Newport Canals)

Want to download the map to help you explore?

Here are two Google Maps that you can download for your personal use. (You will need to zoom in a lot to see the detail).

The map titled RSL shows canal as single lines, that titled RPL shows them as polygons that can be clicked to show more detail. Clicking the square brackets at the top right corner of the map will open it in your ‘Google My Maps’. See the ‘Explanatory Notes’ page for more detail.