Editing Grantham Canal (section)

===Decline===
In common with most canals, competition from railways posed a major threat, and in 1845 the canal owners agreed to sell it to the [[Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway]] when their line from Ambergate to Grantham was opened. Although the railway was completed in 1850, the railway company did not honour the agreement. The canal company brought a large number of cases against the railway company, and successfully opposed several bills which the railway were trying to get passed in Parliament. Eventually the railway company agreed to pay, and shareholders received £45 per share in cash, with the balance being in railway mortgages. The agreement was reached on 1 June 1854, and the transfer of ownership took place on 20 December. Railway mergers meant that the canal came under the control of the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] in 1861,{{sfn |Hadfield |1970 |pp=195–196}} and later the [[London and North Eastern Railway]].{{sfn |Cumberlidge |2009 |p=145}}

Traffic declined as the railway companies neglected the canal, and were down to 18,802 tons in 1905, on which the tolls amounted to £242 and the [[London and North Eastern Railway (General Powers) Act 1936]] ([[26 Geo. 5 & 1 Edw. 8]]. c. cxxvii) formally closed the canal,{{sfn |Hadfield |1970 |p=196}} though there had been no boat traffic since 1929.{{sfn |Shill |2011 |p=179}} The closure act stipulated that water levels should be maintained at {{convert|2|ft|cm|sigfig=1}} to support agricultural needs. This effectively guaranteed the continued existence of the canal channel, but structures such as locks and bridges deteriorated, and in the 1950s 46 of the 69 bridges over the canal were lowered as part of road improvement schemes.{{sfn |Potter |2006 |p=96}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.granthamcanal.org/history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001030939/http://www.granthamcanal.org/history/ |archive-date=1 October 2020 |url-status=live |title=History |publisher=Grantham Canal Society |access-date=1 January 2013}}</ref> Although the low bridges act as barriers to navigation, large parts of the canal are still in water.<ref name=jane2009/>

In 1948 Britain's railways, and hence the canal, were nationalised,<ref name=jane2009/> and became the responsibility of the [[British Transport Commission]]. In 1963 control of the canal passed to [[British Waterways]].{{sfn |Hadfield |1970 |p=207}} Under the terms of the [[Transport Act 1968]], all waterways within the jurisdiction of British Waterways were classified as [[British Waterways#Transport Act 1968|commercial, cruising or remainder]] waterways. Remainder waterways were those that were deemed to have no economic future, and maintenance would only be carried out where failure to do so would create health or safety issues.{{sfn |Cumberlidge |2009 |p=37}} The Grantham Canal was listed in this latter category.{{sfn |Cumberlidge |2009 |p=40}}