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The Thanet Canal, also known as the Springs Branch, is a short branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, in North Yorkshire, England. It leaves the main canal in Skipton, and runs to some loading wharfs near Skipton Castle, which were used to load limestone from local quarries into boats for onward shipment. It was opened in 1773, and extended in 1794.
The branch was built quickly, as it was only about long. It left the Leeds and Liverpool canal in the centre of Skipton, and ran around the back of the castle to some loading chutes, into which limestone from the quarries was tipped. In 1785, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company took over the lease of the canal. In 1794, a extension was constructed, to a new loading dock, which was linked to quarries by a tramway. Much of the limestone went to the Low Moor Ironworks in Bradford, where it was used in the smelting of iron. It was also used as road stone, and some of it was burnt to produce lime, for use as a fertiliser and in the production of mortar.
As built, the tramway terminus was a lot higher than the canal, and long chutes were used to load the limestone into boats. Because this caused damage to the boats and the noise disturbed the occupants of the castle, a steeper tramway was constructed, which resulted in shorter chutes, less noise and less damage. One of the shorter metal chutes is still visible on the canal bank, below the castle walls.
Since January 2016 the branch has been closed beyond Mill Bridge after a rock fall from the cliff face beneath Skipton Castle.
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