PLANS to open up one of the oldest working boat yards on the Llangollen Canal will now become a reality after a £409,933 development grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Ellesmere Yard, which dates back to 1806, could house a visitor centre and craft workshops as well as continue as a working canal maintenance depot.
Kathryn Woodroffe, project manager at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Ellesmere Yard is a site steeped in history, having played a central role in the development of the area for more than two centuries. It remains an active and vital canal maintenance yard, one of the oldest still in operation. We are thrilled to explore new ways these unique buildings can continue to serve the maintenance needs of the canal while also being repurposed to support and enrich the local community, ensuring that Ellesmere Yard continues to be a cornerstone of our heritage and future.”
Ellesmere Yard on the Llangollen Canal was built in 1806. It is an important operational base for the Canal & River Trust and was the office and workshops of the Ellesmere Canal Company. It is considered a rare example of a historic purpose-built canal maintenance yard and is somewhere that gives a sense of ‘stepping back in time’.
Investment is needed in the historic buildings at the yard, and the award, alongside funding from Historic England and Shropshire Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund, could see the site become a home for more independent craftspeople and a visitor destination alongside its role as a working canal maintenance yard.
Louise Brennan, Historic England regional director (Midlands), said: “We’re so pleased to be able to help fund the works at Ellesmere Yard. It played a vital role in the development of the area, and the refurbishment will ensure that it continues to have a central role in the community for years to come – full steam ahead!”
Over the next 12 months, the trust will use the Heritage Fund to carry out important assessments of the site, including heritage, architectural and access audits. It will consult with local residents, businesses and others to explore the ways in which the site could benefit the local community. Funding for this project has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.
The agreed plans, which will include the refurbishment of the many heritage buildings on site to make them watertight and fit for purpose, will then be submitted for funding to the Heritage Fund.
