Somersetshire Coal Canal

Historical Canal Maps: NarrowBoat, Winter 2024

Richard Dean

Richard Dean examines an early plan of this long-lost waterway

Among the items that passed to the Great Western Railway when it bought the moribund Somersetshire Coal Canal in 1904 was a large rolled manuscript survey of the northerly arm of the undertaking, which is now held in the National Archives (RAIL 894/11). In poor condition after years of use and with many ink and pencil notes, it is undated but is probably from around 1800, with later amendments and additions, all of which provide a fascinating glimpse of the development of this waterway. While too large to reproduce in full, these extracts give a flavour of the document and its valuable historic content. Western terminus The canal was built to serve the Somerset Coalfield and terminated at Timsbury and Paulton basins, where the company built tramways to the various collieries in the area. Combe Hay Originally intended to climb gradually up the valley with locks, the authorised route was varied in 1796 to provide a long summit level and concentrate the rise of nearly 140ft at Combe H…