Zouch cut - canal. (1)
Built of stone (operational). (2)

The Soar Navigation consists of improvements to the course of the river, the Loughborough Canal, (built 1774-6), and the upper Soar improvements (Leicester Navigation (built 1791-4). Improvements to the Soar were first begun in 1634 by Thomas Skipworth, who apparently only completed 5-6 miles of improvements before funds ran out. The 1776 Act allowed for river improvements between the junction with Trent and Bishop's Meadow below Loughborough, and a canal from there to the Rushes in Loughborough. In 1794, an Act was passed to extend the canal to Leicester by means of river improvements, with branches to the Charnwood Forest and Melton Mowbray. That was completed in 1794. The original Loughborough-Trent section was 9.25 miles long, had 7 locks, and took boats 72 feet 3 inches long with a beam of 14 feet 3 inches. The upper Soar section to Leicester was 15.75 miles long, had 10 locks and 1 flood lock, and took the same size boats. The Grand Union bought the Navigation in 1832, closing the upper section to traffic in 1848. However, it has since reopened (SOURCE: The canals of the East Midlands (including part of London) 1966 by Charles Hadfield 85-92,188-9,241,36-9,182-5 vol.) (3)

<1> OS, 1:25000 (Map). SNT1082.

<2> NIAS, Sept 1981, Gazetteer - Rushcliffe (Serial). SNT959.

<3> Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.