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The Grand Union Canal, running between Birmingham and London and
passing through Linslade was opened in 1805 for the transport of
trade. The canal was heavily utilised by the local sand quarries
which were connected by the narrow gauge railway.
Canal carrying continued through to the late 1950s when the canal
began to go through the change from carrying goods to pleasure cruising.
Due to the changing times, the building of the M1 and a general
reduction in need, local shipping businesses made the decision to
convert to passenger trade. The Wyvern Shipping Company, local canal
boat hire company, started its life in 1953 transporting coal from
Coventry to London.
The canal at Linslade remains a fascination for residents and visitors
and is steeped in canal history. Frank Jones, born in 1904, was
a masterly boat painter and resident boat artist at Linslade in
the 1930s. His work was liked and respected by the boat population
and the trade and in the 1940s and 50s he became quite a canal celebrity.
The writer Alan H Faulkner, famed for his books about the canal
(both local and the wider canal history) was brought up near Linslade.
Visit the Wyvern Shipping
Co.
www.canalholidays.co.uk
to hire a canal boat
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