1745 - William Jessop Born 1750 - most roads included in the Turnpike Act heavy tolls levied on most popular trade routes 1770 - Louth canal completed 1774 - Grantham to Sleaford waterway suggested 1779 - Erewash Canal opened providing access to cheap Derbyshire coal 1780s Plans develop for Grantham to Trent link 1790 - Jessop surveyed the Trent/Grantham route and estimated the cost at £58,000. 1791 - Plan put to Nottingham to Grantham canal group & approved 1792 - Plan opposed by Newark to Grantham group & rejected by Parliament 1793 - Plan passed by Parliament which included provision for a junction to Newark 1797 - In February William King section from Hickling to Grantham completed & filled with water 1797 - Late spring canal opened after difficulty retaining water in the Cropwell area 1814 - William Jessop Died 1815 - Belvoir Railway installed 1841 - Maximum volume of traffic on canal 1845 - Canal sale agreed with Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway 1854 - Sale finalised with Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway 1861 - canal sold to Great Northern Railway (GNR) 1921 - Railway Act grouped GNR together with others into London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) 1929 - last boat traffic 1936 - Canal closed by Act of Parliament and classified as suitable for agricultural purposes 1950s 46 bridges demolished and lowered 1963 - Canal transferred to the ownership of British Waterways Board, later British Waterways (BW) 1968 - Canal classified as ‘Remainder’ - with no potential use. 1969 - proposal to infill the canal - opposed by Grantham Civic Trust & IWA 1970 - formation of The Grantham Canal Restoration Society 1971 - Hickling boat rally 1972 - Stathern boat rally 1973 - Trent Bridge boat rally 1976 - Iron stone quarrying ceased in the area 1977- proposal for coal mining in the Vale of Belvoir 1982 - Mining application rejected 1992 - Approval given to remove Woolsthorpe railway embankment 1993 - Casthorpe Bridle Bridge opened 1993 - Denton Slipway built 1994 - Woolsthorpe boat rally & gate renewal of Locks 16-18 completed 1994 - Grantham Canal Navigation completed restoration of section from Hickling to Hose 1995 - Casthorpe Road Bridge opened 2002 - Locks 6 & 7 restored 2007 - Denton to A1 dredged & IWA National Trailboat Rally 2008 - Woolsthorpe Top lock 18 rebuilt 2009 - Harlaxton Wharf rebuilt 2010 - Trip boat “The Three Shires” purchased. Woolsthorpe & A1 moorings installed 2013 - Gates at Lock 18 replaced 2014 - Application made to National Lottery for restoration of Locks 14 & 15 2015 - Work commenced rebuilding Lock 15 2018 - Work commenced rebuilding Lock 14 2019 - Lock 15 Opened by Richard Parry, Chief Executive CRT with Cllr. Jackie Smith, Chairman SKDC

William Jessop 1745 - 1814