Birthplace Of The Trent And Mersey Canal - Stone,UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 52° 54.562 W 002° 09.622
30U E 556465 N 5862518
This sign welcomes people to the town of Stone who are travelling south along the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Waymark Code: WM10BAV
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 04/06/2019
Views: 1
"As its name implies, the Trent and Mersey canal (T & M) was built to link the River Trent at Derwent Mouth (in Derbyshire) to the River Mersey. The second connection is made via the Bridgewater Canal, which it joins at Preston Brook in Cheshire. Note that although mileposts measure the distance to Preston Brook and Shardlow, Derwent Mouth is a mile or so beyond Shardlow.
The plan of a canal connection from the Mersey to the Trent ("The Grand Trunk") came from canal engineer James Brindley. It was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1766 and the first sod was cut by Josiah Wedgwood in July that year at Brownhills, Burslem. In 1777, the canal was completed, including more than 70 locks and five tunnels, with the company headquarters in Stone."
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These days there is no commercial boat traffic on the canal, but it is extremely popular with leisure boaters and there is a large boatyard in Stone just beyond this welcome sign.
The canal towpath is also popular with cyclists and walkers and the sign stands just to the side of the towpath so welcoming all to the town.
A picture on the sign shows drawings of a narrow boat on the canal, the former Joules brewery that backed on to the canal, a World War I memorial from the centre of the town and the parish church of St. Michael.