Celebrating 30 years of National Lottery funding

On 19 November 2024, the National Lottery will be 30 years old. In that time, canals have benefitted enormously through projects of all sizes that have been boosted by National Lottery funding. We’re looking back at just a few of them.

Kennet & Avon Canal restoration

Award date: 1996 Award: £25 million

After decades of decline, this 87-mile waterway fell into disrepair and by the 1960s several sections had closed to boats. Thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts and volunteers, the decline was reversed and the Kennet & Avon Canal was officially reopened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, but there was still much to be done.

Happily, in 1996 National Lottery funding provided £25 million to complete the restoration, including rebuilding bridges, replacing lock gates, repairing an embankment and dredging. Substantial restoration works were matched by the development of canalside resources, including wildlife habitats and moorings.

Now this waterway haven in southern England once again links London (via the River Thames) with the Bristol Channel, passing through spectacular landscapes including Wiltshire and the rolling Cotswolds.

Huddersfield Narrow Canal restoration

Award date: 1996 Award: £14.8 million

This was dubbed ‘the impossible restoration’, but the valiant efforts of waterways enthusiasts – plus a National Lottery grant of nearly £15 million – made the impossible possible.

After lying derelict for more than 50 years, restoration work began on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in 1983. By 1996, much of the 21-mile canal had been restored, but a number of expensive engineering tasks remained – not least the reopening of Standedge Tunnel, Britain’s longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel.

Funding from the National Lottery helped bring the project to completion, with the first boats passing through Standedge Tunnel in 2001. In May that year, the canal was formally reopened.

Anderton Boat Lift restoration

Award date: 1999 Award: £3.3 million

Anderton Boat Lift, AKA the ‘Cathedral of the Canals,’ lifts boats 50 feet from the River Weaver Navigation to the Trent & Mersey Canal. Built in 1875, the boat lift was in use for over 100 years until it was closed in 1983 due to corrosion.

During the 1990s British Waterways carried out preliminary investigations before launching a bid to restore the three-storey high iron edifice. A grant of £3.3 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped restoration works to begin in 2000 and the lift reopened to boat traffic in 2002.

The Anderton Boat Lift is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways, attracting thousands of visitors over the years. We're now delivering a vital project to refurbish Anderton Boat Lift and visitor centre to ensure it remains operational for future generations.

Droitwich Canals restoration

Award date: 2003 Award: £4.6 million

The Droitwich Barge Canal and Droitwich Junction Canal reopened in 2011, after years of hard work by the Droitwich Canal Trust, local volunteers and our charity - in our former guise of British Waterways.

The restored canals complete a 21-mile cruising ring for boaters in Worcestershire and provide peaceful green space for the local community.

Mongomery Canal restoration

Award date: 2013 Award: £2.6 million

While the Montgomery Canal was closed to boats for many years, it is now being reborn as a cruiseway through the picturesque Welsh Marches.

One restored section connects to the Llangollen Canal, while the other is only accessible by a slipway at Welshpool. Work continues to join the two sections through volunteers and the activity of the restoration partnership.

One of several SSSIs around our waterways, the 'Monty' is renowned for nature with both otters and water voles spotted along its length. Several nature reserves border the canal, filled with wildflowers and insects, including dragonflies and damselflies.

Finsley Gate restoration

Award date: 2014 Award: £2.6 million

Finsley Gate Wharf, known locally as Mile Wharf, is one of the oldest wharves on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. The site includes three listed warehouses, a listed canal cottage, a former blacksmith’s forge and a boat slipway, dating from between 1700 and 1830.

In 2021, new life came to the banks of Burnley’s famous ‘Straight Mile’ with the completion of the £3m restoration of Finsley Gate Wharf. The project, funded in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has delivered a wonderful waterside attraction for the local community.

Finsley Gate Wharf offers boat trips and boat hire, a café, gardens and learning areas where visitors can learn about the rich history of the canal.

Unlocking the Severn

Award date: 2016 Award: £11.4 million

This ambitious project provided a boost to one of the UK’s rarest fish, the twaite shad.

Shad migrate each year, travelling upstream along the River Severn to reach their natural spawning grounds. The construction of weirs in the nineteenth century brought huge advancements in society, but unfortunately the shad paid the price.

Shad don't have the ability to leap over obstacles in the river, unlike salmon. Unable to jump the weirs, the population of shad crashed. By constructing four large fish passes on the River Severn, and modifying two weirs on the River Teme, Unlocking the Severn has unlocked 158 miles of river for fish – enabling them to reach key spawning grounds once again.

Excitingly, 25 species of fish had been recorded using Diglis Fish Pass by the end of 2022. As well as shad, this includes other rare or endangered migratory species, such as salmon, eel and lamprey.

Looking ahead

We hope you’ve enjoyed our glance back at some of the highlights from 30 years of National Lottery funding. We're delighted to share that many more lottery-funded projects are even now ‘Forging Ahead’, such as major works underway at Ellesmere Yard in Shropshire - the recipient of a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant in 2023.

We look forward to bringing you further news about how National Lottery funding is helping us to keep canals alive.