Welcome to the website of the Cheshire Locks Project

A busy scene near WheelockThe Cheshire Flight of 26 locks was built in the 1770s and raises the Trent and Mersey Canal from the Cheshire Plain at Wheelock to the summit level at Kidsgrove on the edge of the Potteries in North Staffordshire.

On this website you will find out more about the Locks and about our Project. If you have any interesting stories about the Locks, or images which you would like to contribute to this website, please contact us.

This project is a partnership created by The Inland Waterways Association Stoke-on-Trent Branch and the Trent & Mersey Canal Society, following discussions between the societies and British Waterways staff about increasing use of this famous flight.

We are keen to hear your own experience of the Locks, whether as a boater, walker, cyclist, angler or interested neighbour. Please take a few minutes to complete our short questionnaire. This information will be extremely valuable to us as we develop plans to improve the experience for all visitors to the Locks.

Portfolio of Evidence presented to Fiona Bruce MP

On June 19th /20th 2010, the IWA Stoke-on-Trent Branch had a sales stand at the Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival. Meanwhile, the Trent & Mersey Canal Society were doing a ‘Lock Wind’ at the Big Lock. The previous day, whilst finalising the petition, we discovered that we were about 100 short of a thousand signatures, so the T&M team were tasked with making good the shortfall, which they did during Saturday. On Sunday morning, these were added to the petition spreadsheet so that the whole Portfolio of Evidence could be presented to Fiona Bruce MP after she had attended the Church Service in the marquee. Alison Smedley MBE (IWA Stoke Branch Secretary) accompanied Fiona to the Branch Stand where she was presented with the Portfolio in one of the branch Friendship Bags.