Construction Grand Junction Canal

berkhamsted station on london , birmingham railway grand junction canal on right-hand side.

at north end, there problems construction of blisworth tunnel: quicksand encountered, , errors made in alignment meant tunnel had pronounced wiggle. opening of braunston tunnel, line open oxford canal through weedon bec in june 1796. however, blisworth tunnel continued cause problems, collapsing in january 1796. canal opened braunston blisworth in 1797. canal thames reached 2 waters near hemel hempstead in 1798, bulbourne @ north end of tring summit in 1799, , stoke bruerne @ south end of blisworth tunnel following year.

thus, exception of blisworth tunnel, main line open in 1800. allow goods cross gap, road built in 1800 on top of blisworth hill and, later, upon recommendation of committee member joseph wilkes, benjamin outram contracted build tramway on hill.

james barnes proposed work begin again on tunnel on new line. robert whitworth , john rennie called in advice, , supported proposal. however, construction on new line did not start until june 1802, , not completed until march 1805.

initially, 9 locks used in temporary arrangement lower , raise canal crossing of river great ouse @ wolverton @ river s water level. in 1799, william jessop designed three-arch masonry aqueduct , embankment cross river , replace locks. collapsed in 1808, , wooden trough used temporary replacement. decided build iron aqueduct, benjamin bevan engineer. foundation stone replacement aqueduct laid on 9 september 1809, , opened on 22 january 1811.

the grand junction canal had reduced distance london midlands 60 miles (100 kilometres)—via oxford , river thames—and made journey reliable. result, thrived: in 1810 carried 343,560 tons of goods through london, equal amounts , out of capital.