Page:The Canal System of England.djvu/33

 The Stroudwater Navigation forms part of the second through-route from the Severn to the Thames. It is an independent Canal and is connected with the Thames Navigation by the Thames and Severn Canal.

The Thames and Severn Canal. This waterway was purchased in 1895 by the Thames and Severn Canal Co., of whose shares the Gt. Western Railway Co. were the largest owners. It was later handed over to the Thames Conservancy Board, who spent £23,000 on improvements. Some difficulty was experienced in keeping it water-tight, and when these funds were exhausted the canal was transferred to the Gloucestershire County Council, who early in 1904 successfully completed the work, and it is now open for traffic.

Around Birmingham the canals amount to 634 miles, They are all narrow and to a great extent owned by railway companies, but there is one independent through-route to the Severn.

The connection of Birmingham with the sea by a new waterway has attracted much attention. In 1882 a special committee to consider this subject was appointed by the House of Commons, and a lengthy report was issued.

The Birmingham Town Council also in 1888 appointed a Committee to examine the different Canal routes between Birmingham and the Sea.