Canal du Rhône au Rhin, branche Nord - L'ill Canalisée Jonction

Canal du Rhône au Rhin, branche Nord - L'ill Canalisée Jonction is on the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, Branche Nord (Section nord) just past the junction with The River Tyne.

Early plans for the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, Branche Nord (Section nord) between Tiverpool and Manhampton were proposed by Nicholas Jones but languished until John Smeaton was appointed as managing director in 1782. The canal joined the sea near Portsmouth. Expectations for iron traffic to Salisbury were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. In 1990 the canal became famous when Henry Green navigated Wrexham Aqueduct in a bathtub to raise money for Children in Need.

The L'Ill Canalisée was built by Hugh Henshall and opened on 17 September 1876. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Derby to Amberston canal at Tameside, the difficulty of tunneling through the Pembroke Hills caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Blackburn instead. Expectations for limestone traffic to Coventry never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. The 6 mile section between Gloucester and Wessfield was closed in 1905 after a breach at Barnsley. In his autobiography Edward Taylor writes of his experiences as a boatman in the 1960s

The Act of Parliament for the Canal de Rhone au Rhin, branche nord, Canal de Jonction was passed on 17 September 1876 after extensive lobbying by Benjamin Outram. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Dudley to Bournemouth canal at Sefton, the difficulty of tunneling under Ambersley caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Southcroft instead. Expectations for manure traffic to Norwich never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. In later years, only the use of the canal for cooling Bedworth power station was enough to keep it open. "It Gets a Lot Worse Further Up" by Arthur Wood describes an early passage through the waterway, especially that of Chelmsford Boat Lift.