Charnwood Forest Canal

The Charnwood Forest Canal, sometimes known as the "Forest Line of the Leicester Navigation", was opened between Thringstone and Nanpantan, with a further connection to Barrow Hill, near Worthington, in 1794 It marks the beginning of a period of history that saw the introduction of railways to supplement canals and, in the end, superseding them, leading eventually to the Midland Counties Railway.

[3] In 1808 the company sought to abandon the Forest Line but were advised that this would require a costly act of parliament, so they turned this down, and the unused canal became derelict.

The canal company was dismayed to receive a formal request by the Earl of Stamford that the Forest Line be put into good order to carry limestone.

A proposal was drawn up to convert the canal to a wagonway or railway throughout and a bill was presented to parliament but was opposed and was not passed.

In the end a landowner who wanted to buy some of the land agreed to pay for a private bill and the Forest Line was officially abandoned in 1846.

[4] It was not until 1832 that the opening of the Leicester and Swannington Railway allowed the Leicestershire miners to regain a competitive advantage.

The now derelict and dried up Charnwood Forest Canal south of Osgathorpe .
The remains of Junction House alongside the Charnwood Forest Canal, at the junction with the Barrow Hill branch south of Osgathorpe , in 2009. This is the last remaining building of the Charnwood Forest Canal.
The now derelict Charnwood Forest Canal alongside the entrance to Longcliffe Golf Club in Nanpantan .