Burslem Port Trust

The Burslem Port Trust is a charity set up in 2008 to promote the restoration and revival of the defunct Burslem arm of the Trent & Mersey Canal in Stoke-on-Trent.[1][2]

The refurbished canal will broadly follow the line of the original, but its junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal will be sited slightly to the east of the original position.[3] When completed, the Burslem Port project will deliver a re-opened canal branch, a mooring basin in a newly constructed pool at Furlong Mills, recreational facilities in the heritage buildings on the historic wharf, and outdoor/sporting activities along the canal side.[4][5]

History

The Burslem arm is 3/8 mile (0.6 km) arm off the summit level of the Trent & Mersey Canal. The canal opened in 1805, was closed by a major breach in 1961,[6] and abandoned a year later.[7]

Proposals for the arm's restoration began seriously in 1999, and since then there have been initial designs and a feasibility study which together led to the Trust's formation in 2011.[8] Volunteer work parties began in 2014, and on 19 September 2021 there will be a celebration of the building of a new footpath from Burslem's centre to the proposed site of the "Burslem Port".[9][10]

The Trust's aims

The Trust's alliterative motto is "Bringing Boats Back to Burslem".

The Trust intends that the development will:[11]

  • bring boats back to Burslem by restoring the canal branch
  • create waterside facilities and a linear park
  • encourage footfall to Burslem (a rather depressed town within the city of Stoke on Trent)[12]
  • promote increased leisure and exercise
  • strengthen the local economy and build a stronger sense of community
  • increase urban green space and habitats for wildlife

The restored arm will inherently add a significant extra volume of water to the canal's summit level.

See also

References
  1. Canal & River Trust (CRT) report on the Burslem Port Trust project
  2. CRT press release
  3. Map sources
  4. The Burslem Port Trust
  5. Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership report
  6. Photos of the breach
  7. Trent & Mersey Canal Society milepost by the Burslem arm
  8. Inland Waterways Association (IWA) map of the project
  9. History of the Burslem Port
  10. Historic photos
  11. Burslem Port Trust Brochure, 2021
  12. Photos of dereliction in Burslem


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