Foss Dyke

Foss Dyke
Brayford Pool in Lincoln, where the Foss Dyke meets the River Witham
Specifications
Length	11 miles (18 km)
Maximum boat length	74 ft 6 in (22.71 m)
Maximum boat beam	15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Locks	1
Status	Operational
Navigation authority	Canal and River Trust
Geography
Start point	Lincoln
End point	Torksey
Connects to	River Trent, River Witham

v t e Foss Dyke
Legend
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.