Ledbury lies roughly midway along the Hereford and Gloucester Canal.
The original line of the canal ran through the centre of the town, and included a flight of five locks.
All of this was lost when the Gloucester Ledbury railway was built, largely along the line of the canal.
A greenway now exists along the route, enjoyed by many Ledbury residents, and sadly no reminders of the canal remain, save for the arched bridge beneath the railway embankment through which the canal originally passed – see black and white image below.
Canal Restoration
In view of the above, it follows that restoration of the canal along its original route is not really viable.
Consequently, the creation of a new route for the canal west of the town is being considered – this would replace the original route from alongside the Ross Road / Leadon Way roundabout south west of Ledbury to a point around 500m beyond the railway viaduct to the north.
Recently approved plans for new housing north of the railway include part of this proposed route.
A series of four or possibly five new locks will be needed to lift the canal level by around 20m along the course of the diversion.
Click on the maps to see larger versions.
More on canal restoration in Ledbury.
Ledbury Update
Ledbury Update Back in 2016, Bloor Homes applied for planning in Ledbury. This was for a mixed-use development including the erection of up to 625 new homes (including affordable housing), up to 2.9 hectares of B1 employment land, a canal corridor, public open space (including a linear park). It was […]
May 2016 – Plans for a New Length of the Canal unveiled at Ledbury
Another new partnership is planned on the line of the Canal. This time it is to the north of Ledbury. Bloor Homes plans to build 625 homes, and most importantly, will include a half mile of the Canal along the western side. The masterplan was unveiled to the people of […]
