The concept of a canal from the River Trent to Grantham was first raised on 27 August 1791, as a way of supplying the district with cheaper coal.

3. c. 30) on 3 March 1797, and made clear the obligations of existing shareholders to pay the extra subscription, and also authorised an additional £24,000 to be raised.

At Harlaxton, the canal passed through a deep cutting (effectively crossing the watershed between the River Witham and the River Trent), which was only wide enough for a single boat, but this situation was partially rectified in 1801 when the cutting was widened in two places to allow boats travelling on opposite directions to cross.

Although the penalty imposed by Lincoln Assizes was small, they ceased this trade, and the coal merchants agreed to maintain stocks of 2,660 tons at Grantham.

[8] The closure act stipulated that water levels should be maintained at 2 feet (60 cm) to support agricultural needs.

Remainder waterways were those that were deemed to have no economic future, and maintenance would only be carried out where failure to do so would create health or safety issues.

[15] In 1970, the British Waterways Board attempted to obtain an act of Parliament which would have allowed them to cease maintaining the water levels of the canal.

[16] In 1974, a National Boat Rally was held at Nottingham, to gain support for the restoration scheme, and to promote the idea of a new link to the Trent, which would pass through old gravel workings.

A major development was the granting of permission in 1992 to remove an old railway embankment, which blocked the route near the top of the Woolsthorpe flight of locks.

[18] New gates were fitted to the top three locks, and rebuilding of Casthorpe bridge was funded by Lincolnshire County Council,[19] opening up 4.4 miles (7.1 km) of the canal for navigation.

Further down the canal, restoration of a 2.3-mile (3.7 km) section between Hickling Basin and Hose was funded by a derelict land grant of £400,000, received in 1993.

[11] A major setback occurred in 2007, when one of the walls of Woolsthorpe Top Lock had to be propped to prevent it collapsing, and British Waterways took the decision to fill it in, as funding was not available to rebuild it.

[19] The Canal and River Trust applied for a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant to cover the costs of rebuilding locks 12 to 15 of the Woolsthorpe flight using volunteers.

[22] The Society were assisted by the Waterway Recovery Group, and because of the HLF funding, the project included training of their own volunteers in the skills needed to build locks.

At Grantham, an embankment carrying the A1 road blocks the line of the canal, and the terminal basin has been filled in.

[11] There are plans for a tunnel under the A1 as part of a cycle route to improve access to Grantham, and the basin could be redeveloped in due course.

[25] There is also a 5-mile (8 km) dry section between Cotgrave and Kinoulton, which has presented problems since construction in the 18th century: gypsum in the soil reacted with the waterproof clay leading to leaking.

He would be responsible for planning and managing funding schemes for the restoration, identifying development opportunities and the promotion and interpretation of the canal.

[28] Download coordinates as: The Duke of Rutland also constructed a private wagonway or tramway between the wharf at Muston Gorse and Belvoir Castle.