Essex Waterways
Try the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation Walk
Things To Do
Essex Waterways Navigation Trust (a registered charity) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Essex Waterways Ltd manage and maintain the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation for public benefit. Essex Waterways Ltd took over the management of the Navigation from the original Canal Company that built it in the eighteenth century, in 2005, in order to save the waterway from closing.
Essex Waterways Ltd is a non-profit-making trading subsidiary company of Essex Waterways Navigation Trust, a registered charity, set up by The Inland Waterways Association, which campaigns for the preservation, conservation, restoration and development of the inland waterways of Great Britain.
Ownership of Essex Waterways Ltd was transferred from The Inland Waterways Association to Essex Waterways Navigation Trust on 31st March 2025.
As a private company, Essex Waterways Ltd is bound by the requirements of the Companies Acts, although it also tries to act in the best interests of the waterway and for the benefit of the public. Any surplus funds that are passed up to the parent charity will be spent on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, as part of Essex Waterways Navigation Trust’s charitable purposes, in future years.
Our Health & Safety Policy is here.
Essex Waterways Navigation Trust is managed by a board of trustees. The current trustees are:
Essex Waterways Ltd is managed by a board of directors. The current directors are:
Spend your days by our waterway and work for the beautiful 14-mile Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation.
There are no paid-employment vacancies at present, but we sometimes have opportunities for seasonal staff each summer.
Much of the work on the Navigation is untaken by our dedicated team of volunteers, without whom we could not manage. We always welcome new volunteers to help maintain the Navigation and operate our trips. Find out more here.
