Lord Rolles Canal

The Lord Rolle’s Canal (also known as the Torrington Canal), extends from its mouth into the river Torridge at Annery, near Bideford, south to the industrial mills and corn-mills at what is now called Orford Mill, at Rosemoor, near Great Torrington.  It runs from there to Healand Docks and a weir on the Torridge where the ruins of Lord Rolle’s limekilns can be seen today.  These limekilns were designed by James Green, the engineer of both this canal and the Bude Canal and there is similarity in the engineering design with tub boats and inclined planes. The canal includes a sea lock at Annery, a 60-foot inclined plane at Weare Giffard and an aqueduct of five arches over the River Torridge at Beam.

The canal was largely financed by Lord John Rolle; hence it bears his name, although with other shareholders.  It opened in 1827 without parliamentary permission, and only gained its act of parliament in 1835.  The main purpose of the canal was to bring limestone for improving farmland; Lord Rolle was the major landowner of North Devon.  In 1871, the Canal was closed and sold to the London and South Western Railway, with most of it to form the trackway of the proposed new railway from Bideford to Torrington – this railway has now closed and forms part of the Tarka Trail cycleway and long distance footpath.

Much restoration work has taken place at the Sea Lock involving removing invasive vegetation, replacing masonry and re-pointing stonework. More recent works have extended repairs to the harbour walls along the Torridge, and work has started around the limekilns at Rosemoor.  There are plans to clear vegetation, dredge and to reline the Rosemoor section of the canal.