Ellesmere Yard

Nestled along the historic Llangollen Canal, Ellesmere Yard has been a key part of the region's canal maintenance network since its establishment in 1806.

A view across the canal of industrial brick buildings, with their sharp reflections in the canal.

This historic site is one of the last operational canal yards of its kind, housing Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings like a blacksmith’s forge, pattern room, and dry dock that have served the region for over two centuries. Although not yet open to the public, it remains a vital hub of heritage craftsmanship, with plans underway to offer curated experiences in the future.

A living piece of history

Ellesmere Yard has continuously operated since its founding, playing a central role in maintaining the canals that were vital to the Industrial Revolution and beyond.

Today, it still serves as a functioning maintenance hub, working on canal infrastructure and boats while preserving traditional heritage skills. Its historic structures, many influenced by the renowned engineer Thomas Telford, offer a rare glimpse into the rich industrial past of England’s waterways.

History of Ellesmere Yard

Learn more about this unique canal maintenance site with over 200 years of operational history

A unique vision for the future

As part of the Forging Ahead project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Ellesmere Yard is undergoing a transformation to secure its future as both a working yard and a hub for creative industries. Our vision balances operational needs with community engagement, offering opportunities for volunteering, heritage skills training and educational activities.

While the Yard is not yet open to the public for regular visits, plans include controlled access for events, workshops and curated heritage experiences. Our volunteers have been actively running special heritage tours of the site, though these are currently on pause. The tours will resume in 2025 once the necessary development work begins. These efforts aim to create a sustainable future for the site, maintaining its vital role in the local community and the nation’s canal network.

Forging Ahead project

An exciting new chapter for Ellesmere Yard, supported by a generous grant of £409,993 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Explore Ellesmere Yard

A stone building with a large doorway and a dry dock inside sits by the canal at sunset.

Historic dry dock

One of the few remaining working dry docks in the UK, where traditional boat maintenance skills are still practiced

A man with protective eyewear and ear guards holds a metal rod into flames in a forge.

Blacksmith’s forge

A fully operational forge, where a resident blacksmith continues to use techniques that have been passed down for generations

A volunteer talks to a member of the public in a room filled with shelves laden with historic pots, beams, and other parts of canal infrastructure.

Pattern Room

Home to a unique collection of wooden patterns used to cast metal parts for canal infrastructure, offering a rare glimpse into the craftsmanship that supported the canal network

A black and white photo shows a man in period garb drilling into a new lock gate in a large workshop.

The Lock Gate Shop

This workshop continues the site's 200-year legacy of skilled craftsmanship, while supporting ongoing canal operations and heritage preservation today

An old workshop, with an aged work bench and tools hanging on the walls.

The Joiners Shop

A space used for detailed woodworking tasks, including pattern making and crafting windows and doors for lock keepers' cottages

A traditional working boat with sloped canvas sides is moored along a grassy bank with a wooden horse.

Saturn Flyboat

A historic Shropshire Union Canal flyboat now moored at Ellesmere Yard, serving as a living museum and educational resource to offer visitors a glimpse into the working lives of 19th century families