Shroppie Fly PH is an notable flight of locks on the Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) just past the junction with The Fossdyke Canal.
Early plans for the Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) between Oldcorn and St Helens were proposed by John Green but languished until Thomas Jones was appointed as engineer in 1782. The canal joined the sea near Cambridge. Expectations for manure traffic to Wokingham were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. The Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal - Main Line) was closed in 1905 when Ambersford Aqueduct collapsed. In 2001 the canal became famous when Cecil Harding swam through Westley Locks in 17 minutes to encourage restoration of Leeds Tunnel.

| Audlem Visitor Moorings (above wharf) | 1½ furlongs | |
| Audlem Lock No 24 | 1 furlong | |
| Audlem Bridge No 78 | ¾ furlongs | |
| Bridge Inn (Audlem) | ½ furlongs | |
| Audlem Wharf | ½ furlongs | |
| Shroppie Fly PH | ||
| Audlem Lock No 25 | ¼ furlongs | |
| Audlem Water Point (below Lock No 25) | ½ furlongs | |
| Audlem Visitor Moorings (below wharf) | ¾ furlongs | |
| Audlem Lock No 26 | 1½ furlongs | |
| Audlem Moorings (between Lock 26 and bottom lock) | 2 furlongs | |
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Nearest water point
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
Nearest rubbish disposal
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
Nearest chemical toilet disposal
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
Nearest place to turn
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
Nearest self-operated pump-out
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
Nearest boatyard pump-out
In the direction of Autherley Junction
In the direction of Nantwich Basin Entrance
There is no page on Wikipedia called “Shroppie Fly PH”




![The Audlem Crane. This old crane has been a feature of the canal-side at Audlem since it was erected here in 1972. The question is: where did it come from? The received wisdom, as quoted here: [[129421]], is that it was recovered from the old goods shed at Audlem railway station after that closed in 1967. However Peter Silvester, an authority on the Shropshire Union Canal, writing for Audlem Online has cast doubt on the theory. He notes that the crane is of a standard London & North Western Railway (LNWR) design whereas Audlem station was on the Great Western Railway. Most intriguingly, however, he states that Harry Arnold MBE, a respected canal photographer and journalist who died in 2008, was adamant that the crane came from a railway/canal transhipment depot in the West Midlands. Two other similar canes were re-erected at Cambrian Wharf in Birmingham and Diglis Basin in Worcester. See [[6926641]] which shows the former. See https://www.audlem.org/news/mystery-of-canal-crane.html for the full story. Silvester also notes that, rather in the manner of Trigger's broom, most of the structure was replaced in a 2019 renovation - only the cast iron fittings are original. by Stephen McKay – 23 August 2026](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/39/53/8395311_2e0c2a7e_120x120.jpg)



![The Shroppie Fly, Audlem. The Shroppie Fly is one of two canal-side pubs at Audlem. A Shroppie Fly was a 'fast' (in relative terms) boat that conveyed perishables, and even sometimes passengers, along the Shropshire Union Canal. The boats would travel by day and night hauled by dedicated horses that were stabled at strategic points along the route. The Shropshire Union was particularly suited to this type of traffic partly because it passed through rich dairy farming countryside but also because it was built generally straight with locks kept to a minimum. See [[5112608]] for a view of a restored fly-boat. by Stephen McKay – 22 August 2026](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/39/41/8394108_8280ffab_120x120.jpg)



![Pub sign at the Shroppie Fly in Audlem. There are several boards and a hanging sign to be seen. They all contain a printed reproduction of the same rather faded water-colour painting, as seen from Lock No 13. Go compare: [[[6554804]]] by Roger D Kidd – 18 October 2012](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/55/48/6554807_6b299b26_120x120.jpg)










![Pub sign at the Shroppie Fly in Audlem. There are several boards and a hanging sign to be seen. They all contain a printed reproduction of the same rather faded water-colour painting as seen from Lock No 13.Go compare: [[[6554804]]][[[6554800]]] by Roger D Kidd – 18 October 2012](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/55/48/6554815_cc34aedd_120x120.jpg)

![The Shroppie Fly in Audlem, Cheshire. This view is from Lock No 13. The flight of fifteen locks at Audlem raises (or lowers) the water level by a total of 93 feet, (about 28·4 metres) in one and three quarter miles (or 2·8 kilometres).Pub sign: [[[6554807]]] by Roger D Kidd – 18 October 2012](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/55/48/6554804_f9bee312_120x120.jpg)




