Duke of Gloucester visits canal-side warehouse in Telford
The Duke of Gloucester paid a visit to a historic canal-side warehouse in Telford this lunchtime to witness the culmination of years of restoration work by dedicated local volunteers.
During the visit, the Duke met with several local dignitaries, including the Mayor of Telford, Councillor Eileen Callear, and the Chief Executive of Telford & Wrekin Council, David Sidaway, alongside trustees, volunteers, and neighbours of the site.
The Grade II listed buildings at Wappenshall Wharf date back to the 1830s and were originally built alongside the Shrewsbury Canal, which first opened in 1797. After the canal closed in 1944, the site eventually fell into private hands during the middle of the last century. By 1967, the area had been converted into a coal merchant’s yard, and the original canal basin was filled in.
While plans were submitted in 2008 to convert the historic buildings into housing, Telford & Wrekin Council intervened the following year by purchasing the site. The council granted a 125-year lease at a peppercorn rent to a team of enthusiastic volunteers, paving the way for the site to be fully restored. Since then, the group has worked tirelessly to raise funds and recruit help, reaching a major milestone in 2022 when they successfully dug out and refilled the canal basin with water.
During a tour of the site, which now hosts a café open from 10 am to 2 pm on weekends, the Duke, a former architect, shared his historical insights into the development of waterways. He spoke about how the Chinese had failed to fully develop canals despite inventing the lock system 1,000 years ago, which allowed communities to grow food away from cities.
Bernie Jones, Chair of the Shropshire and Newport Canal Trust, expressed his gratitude for the royal visit. He said: ‘We’re delighted with the visit and the Duke’s off-the-cuff speech was incredible’.
Residents interested in supporting the ongoing work or attending the upcoming AGM can find further details on the trust’s website if they want to get involved: https://sncanal.org.uk/about/snct-agm-2019/
