Description:The Caldon Canal in a near derelict state. The road bridge carries the A53, Leek New Road and has been rebuilt and widened since the photograph was taken. Restoration of the canal took place in the 1970s. The lock in the foreground is no.7, Railway Lock and just through the bridge can be glimpsed the gates on lock no 8, Road Lock. Beyond that is the highest point on the canal, lock No9, the Top Lock. All the locks are just seven feet wide.
The Caldon Canal is 18 miles long, running from Etruria (junction with the Trent & Mersey) to Froghall. Originally built to carry limestone, coal and ironstone, the Caldon also acts as a water feeder for the Trent & Mersey Canal.