Welcome

The Burslem Branch Canal is a 3/8 mile arm of the Trent and Mersey Canal in Stoke-on-Trent. The canal opened in 1805 and was closed by a major breach in 1961.

Backed by the Trent and Mersey Canal Society and the Stoke-on-Trent Branch of the Inland Waterways Association, and with active support from Renew North Staffordshire, the local housing regeneration body, and British Waterways, the Burslem Port Project aims to restore the Branch Canal and create an attractive and safe “haven” for boaters passing through or visiting Stoke-on-Trent.

The restoration will also be a major feature in and contributor to, the regeneration of both the Middleport community alongside the canal site and nearby Burslem, the “Mother Town” of the Potteries.

 View towards Burslem

Burslem Port at The Waterways Festival

Visit the Destination Staffordshire marquee to discover more about all the canals in Staffordshire, and the world of possibilities the county holds for holidays and great days out! The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Stoke-on-Trent branch has joined forces with Staffordshire County Council and arranged for local waterways organisations to exhibit in one marquee supported by the Destination Staffordshire tourism team.

In here you will find displays by the groups campaigning for the: Burslem Port branch, Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals, Lichfield & Hatherton Canals, Stafford Riverway, Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, and Trent & Mersey Canal, plus the IWA branches for: Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Shrewsbury & North Wales, plus the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal campaigners – yes, that waterway joins the Shropshire Union Canal in Staffordshire!