Aerial view of the Moira Furnace museum on festival weekend

THE STORY BEHIND THE FESTIVAL

OUR STORY

The canal, the community and the people who bring the festival to life.

22-23 MAY 2027

MORE THAN A WEEKEND

A FESTIVAL WITH A PURPOSE

Moira Canal Festival brings people together beside the restored Ashby Canal. It celebrates the waterway, supports its future and gives the community a weekend to be proud of.

the canal came first

Completed in 1804, the Ashby Canal ran for around 30 miles from Bedworth to Moira. It was built mainly to carry coal from the surrounding coalfields and was acquired by the Midland Railway in 1846.

DECLINE AND CLOSURE

Mining subsidence badly damaged the northern canal. The section between Donisthorpe and Moira closed in 1944, with further closures leaving the canal ending near Snarestone by 1966.

A WATERWAY RETURNING

The Ashby Canal Association was formed in 1966 to protect the canal and campaign for its restoration. Decades of work eventually brought water back to the stretch between Donisthorpe and Moira, which reopened in 2001.

A FESTIVAL TAKES SHAPE

The Ashby Canal Trust and Moira Canal Festival were established in 2000. The festival celebrates the canal, brings people to Moira and raises money to support maintenance and continuing restoration work.

the story continues

Restoration is still ongoing. At Snarestone, the navigable canal now extends beyond the rebuilt Bridge 62, while longer-term plans aim to continue towards Ilott Wharf and Measham.

One of the major future challenges is replacing the Gilwiskaw Aqueduct, which once carried the canal over Gilwiskaw Brook. The Ashby Canal Association’s Buy a Brick appeal is helping raise funds towards this next stage.

The eventual ambition remains the same: to reconnect the restored canal at Moira with the navigable canal at Snarestone.

ashby canal trust

ASHBY CANAL TRUST

Formed in 2000, the Trust brings together organisations and authorities with an interest in restoring the canal. It supports maintenance at Moira, restoration work towards Measham and the organisation of Moira Canal Festival.

ashby canal association

ASHBY CANAL ASSOCIATION

01 WHAT'S ON

Entertainment, boats, vehicles, family activities,

food and traders.

Formed in 1966, the Association campaigns for the whole canal, supports restoration, organises volunteer work parties and raises funds for future projects including the Gilwiskaw Aqueduct.