The Trent and Mersey Canal was conceived as a way to provide a link between Liverpool and Hull, passing through the Potteries.

[1] Brindley also built the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, which was begun at much the same time as the Trent and Mersey, and was completed in 1772.

Shugborough Park and Hall, now owned by the National Trust, is located to the south, and Tixall Gatehouse is to the north.

[6] Shugborough Hall was begun in 1695, was extended in the 1760s, and some remodelling was carried out at the end of the eighteenth century by Samuel Wyatt.

The path crosses the Trent at Essex Bridge, a grade I listed structure with fourteen arches, which is only 4 feet (1.2 m) wide.