The Canal de Berry () is a disused canal in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
which links the
Canal latéral à la Loire
The Canal latéral à la Loire (, "canal parallel to the Loire") was constructed between 1827 and 1838 to connect the Canal de Briare at Briare and the Canal du Centre (France), Canal du Centre at Digoin, a distance of . It replaced the use of th ...
at
Marseilles-lès-Aubigny with the
Cher
Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
at
Noyers rejoining the
Loire
The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône.
It rises in the so ...
near
Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
. With a branch from
Montluçon it provided of canal with
locks wide from 1840 until its closure in 1955. There is now a long operational segment with five locks between
Selles-sur-Cher and
Noyers-sur-Cher.
[
]
Construction
Although discussed from 1484, it was not until 1780 when Armand II-Joseph, 6th Duke of Béthune Charost presented the first solid proposal to the provincial assembly. But work did not start until after an imperial decree in 1809 and was not completed until 1839. The work was designed by Joseph-Michel Dutens[ French Wiki article] and mainly carried out by Spanish prisoners of war in the 1820s.
Because of the shortage of water near the summit level at Sancoins, the 96 locks of the canal were built to a gauge of only by , similar to British "narrow canal" practice. Barges built to this gauge are called ''berrichons''. They could carry about 60 tonnes of freight over the summit of the Canal de Berry but their draught allowed them to carry up to 100 tonnes on other French waterways.[ By 1865 there were 890 ''berrichons'' on the waterway, drawn by teams of two to four horses, mules or donkeys.
The main traffic of the canal was ]cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
from the forges at Montluçon, and coal, pit props, wines and spirits. However despite a new pumping station in 1878, leakages caused a lowering of water levels so the canal was never upgraded to the Freycinet gauge. Traffic declined steadily till the 1930s and was finally closed in 1955.
Restoration
There is an active Association for Reopening the Canal de Berry (ARECABE) which has so far succeeded in rewatering of the canal and two locks. It organises festivals and there is a canal museum at Reugny.
See also
* List of canals in France
This is a list of the navigable canals and rivers in France. For reference purposes, all waterways are listed, including many that have been abandoned for navigation, mostly in the period 1925-1955, but some in later years. Although several source ...
*
References
{{coord, 46.7769, N, 2.7369, E, source:dewiki_region:FR-18_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...
Canals opened in 1839
1839 establishments in France