Glasson Basin was the biggest dock in the North West importing cotton, sugar, and spices from Africa and the Indies. This dock also prospered from its active involvement in the slave trade. Read more about our research into canals and transatlantic slavery.
On the Lancaster Canal, Glasson has changed significantly since the harbour opened in 1787. The dock sits on the 2.5 mile stretch of the Glasson Branch on the Lancaster Canal, which opened in 1826, and provides the towns of Kendal, Lancaster, and Preston with a link to the sea.
Today, Glasson Dock is a scheduled monument. Glasson is a quiet village with a marina and a small, active port and the Glasson Branch of the Lancaster Canal has swopped cargo for leisure boating.
