Canal trust wants to excavate Telford wharf basin for new attraction

The Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust has submitted a planning application to Telford & Wrekin Council, asking for permission to carry out the work at Wappenshall Wharf, near Eyeton upon the Weald Moors.

The trust has submitted a previous application that would see one of two grade II listed warehouses at the wharf converted into a shop, reception, conference facilities, offices and an exhibition space.

The other would have a coffee shop and provide space for meetings and conferences.

Wappenshall Wharf is closely associated with Thomas Telford the Scottish civil engineer, who became Surveyor of Public Works in Shropshire in 1787 where he gained his reputation as a road, bridge, church and canal builder.

The trust's plan is create a visitor centre celebrating the life and works of Thomas Telford

The wharf is made up of a complex of canal buildings, a canal bridge and basins, together with the disused arms of the former canal.

It was built between 1836 and 1838 by the Sutherland Estate as a loading point for goods transported along the canal. It acted as a midpoint point after the Newport branch of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was connected to the Shrewsbury Canal.

Permission

The canals and wharf fell out of use in the 1930s and the complex was purchased by Telford & Wrekin Council in 2008 and leased to the trust for 125 years in 2009.

The application to excavate the basin asks for permission to take out the existing infill material and restore the walls, which are currently covered.

The work would also see the laying of a 150mm concrete slab with a geotechnical clay liner membrane, and the construction of a new interlocking concrete block wall to the northern bank of the canal.

The final element is to create a new retaining berm to the east of the basin.

The trust's application explains how the overall ambition for the site is to create valued heritage centre.

It states: "We believe that the excavation, restoration and preservation of this canal basin will be beneficial to the whole community as our project will transform Wappenshall Junction from a former coalyard/truck repair business with two disused canal warehouses and a dried up canal, into a vibrant hub of activity, with information about the canals and their history and the life and works of Thomas Telford and activities for visitors of all ages.

"The canal basin excavation will add to the originality of the restoration project and is an integral part of the interpretation of how the wharf would have functioned originally."

A decision on the application will be taken by Telford & Wrekin Council in the coming months.