The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Welsh: Camlas Sir Fynwy a Brycheiniog) is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable 35-mile (56 km) length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural character and tranquillity belies its original purpose as an industrial corridor for coal and iron, which were brought to the canal by a network of tramways and/or railroads, many of which were built and owned by the canal company.
The “Mon and Brec” was initially two independent canals – the Monmouthshire Canal from Newport to Pontymoile Basin (including the Crumlin Arm) and the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal running from Pontymoile to Brecon. Both canals were abandoned in 1962, but the Brecknock and Abergavenny route and a small section of the Monmouthshire route have been reopened since 1970. Much of the rest of the original Monmouthshire Canal is the subject of a restoration plan, which includes the construction of a new marina at the Newport end of the canal.
The Monmouthshire Canal
Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1792
This canal was authorised by an act of Parliament (32 Geo. 3. c. 102), passed on 11 June 1792, which created the Company of Proprietors of the Monmouthshire Canal Navigation and empowered it to raise £120,000 by the issuing of shares, and a further £60,000 if required. The act stated that the canal would run from Pontnewynydd to the River Usk near Newport and include a branch from Crindau to Crumlin Bridge. The company also had the power to construct railways from the canal to any coal mines, ironworks, or limestone quarries within eight miles (13 km) of it.
Monmouth Canal Act 1797
Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Act 1802
Thomas Dadford Jr. supervised the canal’s construction, and further acts of Parliament were obtained as the work progressed. An act of 4 July 1797 (37 Geo. 3. c. 100) gave the company powers to extend the navigation, which resulted in the Newport terminus being moved southwards to Potter Street, while a third act of 26 June 1802 (42 Geo. 3. c. cxv) authorised specific railways, and allowed the company to raise additional finance.
The main line opened in February 1796 and was 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long and ran from Newport to Pontnewynydd via Pontymoile, rising by 447 feet (136 m) through 42 locks. The 11 miles (18 km) Crumlin Arm left the main line at Crindau, rising 358 feet (109 m) through 32 locks to Crumlin (including the Cefn flight of Fourteen Locks), and was opened in 1799.[2] In the late 1840s, a short extension joined the canal to Newport Docks and, hence, to the River Usk. Because the canal was isolated from other similar undertakings, Dadford was free to set the size of the locks, and they were designed to take boats with a maximum width of 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m), a length of 63 feet (19 m) and a draught of three feet (0.91 m).
On the main line, railway branches were constructed near Pontypool to Blaen-Din Works and Trosnant Furnace. From Crumlin, a railway was built to Beaufort Iron Works, which was 10 miles (16 km) long and rose by 619 feet (189 m), and there were additional branches to Sorwy Furnace, Nantyglo Works, and the Sirhowy Railway at Risca.
