Foss Dyke

Foss Dyke
Brayford Pool in Lincoln, where the Foss Dyke meets the River Witham
Specifications
Length11 miles (18 km)
Maximum boat length74 ft 6 in (22.71 m)
Maximum boat beam15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Locks1
StatusOperational
Navigation authorityCanal and River Trust
Geography
Start pointLincoln
End pointTorksey
Connects toRiver Trent, River Witham
Foss Dyke
River Trent
Torksey Junction
Torksey EA pumping station
 A156  road bridge
Torksey Lock
Trent Witham Ancholme transfer pipeline
Sheffield–Lincoln railway
 A57  bridge, Saxilby
Saxilby pumping station
River Till
Burton Waters marina
 A46  Newark Road bridge
Main drain
Catchwater drain
Nottingham–Lincoln line
 B1009 / B1273  bridges (inc. Brayford Way bridge)
Brayford Pool, Lincoln
River Witham
 A57  bridge
Lincoln High Bridge aka the Glory Hole
Lincoln railway station
Sincil Dyke
Witham Navigation

The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around AD 120 by the Romans, but there is no consensus among authors. It was refurbished in 1121, during the reign of King Henry I, and responsibility for its maintenance was transferred to the city of Lincoln by King James I. Improvements made in 1671 included a navigable sluice or lock at Torksey, and warehousing and wharves were built at Brayford Pool in the centre of Lincoln.

Connection to the River Witham at Brayford was hampered by the small bore and depth of High Bridge, a medieval structure just below the pool. The channel through it was made deeper in 1795, but John Rennie's plans to demolish it in 1803 were not adopted. The canal was leased to several generations of the Ellison family, who profited from the tolls but failed to maintain it. Although cargoes of coal and wool moved to the railway, the carriage of grain continued, and the last commercial operation was in 1972. The Brayford Mere Trust have turned Brayford Pool into a marina, and the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership are opening a footpath and cycleway from Lincoln to Torksey; the section to Saxilby was officially opened on 26 July 2011.