Former Newcastle Canal Junction - Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 00.378 W 002° 10.845
30U E 554971 N 5873285
This sign on the towpath of the Trent and Mersey Canal marks the site of a former junction of the Newcastle canal that no longer exists.
Waymark Code: WM104ND
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/25/2019
Views: 6
The sign is a tall metal structure with silhouette cut outs of various objects which can be found along the canal. There is also a panel with information about the Newcastle Canal.
Overall the sign has a nice appearance but the wording on the information part is rather faded.
The Newcastle Branch Canal ran for four miles between Brook Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyne and its junction here with the Trent & Mersey Canal. A branch to Newcastle was suggested when the Trent & Mersey Canal was being promoted but it was not considered a priority and resources were concentrated on the main line. The branch canal was finally constructed by the Newcastle-under-Lyne Canal Company between 1795 and 1797.
Important early trade on the canal was lime and the terminal basin Brook Lane, Newcastle was the site of two lime kilns. The canal was acquired by the North Staffordshire Railway Company in 1863 and it remained in use throughout the century although trade to Newcastle was insignificant. By 1938 the canal had been infilled as far as Church Street, Stoke.
It is ironic that a canal constructed with the intention of improving trade with Newcastle should benefit the potters of Stoke. Josiah Spode had already established his works at Stoke but understandably he had no objection to the construction of the canal which ran between his works and those of potter Thomas Wolfe. Spode developed an internal tram-road system that connected various parts of the factory to the wharf on the banks of the canal.
The junction of the Newcastle & Trent & Mersey canals remained in use until the early 1970s, as a mooring and headquarters by the Stoke Boat Club. The construction of the A500 in the mid 1970s resulted in its final demise along with a number of other canal side wharves and buildings along the Stoke stretch of the Trent & Mersey Canal. The City of Stoke-on-Trent Civic Offices now occupy the line of the Newcastle Branch Canal.
Type of Historic Marker: stand alone metal board
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: City of Stoke-on-Trent
Related Website: [Web Link]
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Age/Event Date: Not listed
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