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CONTINUED DECLINE
Among waterways lost in this decade were the Dearne & Dove,
the Grantham, the Nottingham (apart from the section by-passing a length of the
Trent) , the Pocklington, many of the canals in South Wales and several river
navigations.
The recently-formed Grand Union bought the Loughborough and
Leicester Navigations and the Erewash Canal, so now controlled not only the
route from London to Birmingham, but also that between London, Leicester and
the Nottinghamshire coalfield, as well as all but the last few miles of the
London to Nottingham route. They began a series of improvements to their line,
most notably widening the locks on the two Warwick Canals, although an
accompanying widening of the channel of those and the the Grand Junction was
never done. The GUCC bought a small carrying company, Associated Canal
Carriers, renamed them the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company and ordered a
massive fleet of new boats, which were never to be fully utilised because of
the lack both of cargoes and of crew.
On the outbreak of World War 2 the waterways were again taken
under Government control.
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