Chichester Canal

Chichester Canal
A map of the planned route of the canal from 1815
Specifications
Maximum boat length85 ft 0 in (25.91 m)
Maximum boat beam18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)
Locks2
Statuspart navigable
Navigation authorityWest Sussex County Council
History
Date of act1819
Date of first use1822
Date closed1928
Date restored1984
Geography
Start pointChichester
End pointChichester Harbour

The Chichester Canal is a ship canal in England, currently navigable at either end, save for two low-level modern bridges obstructing the middle of the route. Its course is essentially intact, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from the sea at Birdham on Chichester Harbour to Chichester through two locks. The canal (originally part of the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal) was opened in 1822 and took three years to build. The canal could take ships of up to 100 long tons (100 t). Dimensions were limited to 85 feet (26 metres) long, 18 feet (5.5 m) wide and a draft of up to 7 feet (2.1 m).[1] As denoted by the suffix -chester, Chichester is a Roman settlement (Noviomagus Reginorum), and 300 Denarii were unearthed when Chichester Basin was formed in the 1820s.

  1. ^ Heneghan 1958, p. 15