In October 1756, John Grundy carried out a feasibility study into making the River Lud navigable. The study was promising and a subscription list was opened in January 1760 to pay for a proper survey and Act. Grundy had proposed a course less than 11.5 miles, stretching from Tetney to Louth. Parts of the River Lud required straightening, bridges and nine locks were required as well as a sea-sluice and a lock where the river joins the Humber. On March 24th 1763, Parliament passed the Act for building the navigation. Construction began in 1767, four years later five miles of the canal were opened and three years after that the navigation was completed to Louth. The final costs were £27500. Only eight of the nine proposed locks were built. {1}{2}{3} The opening of the Louth Navigation was a landmark in Louth's modern development. The opening of the canal led to the building of new roads and an expansion of the town eastwards into the area known as Riverhead. An inland port was established here, with warehousing and other related trades developing around the canal basin. The Canal closed to navigation in 1924. The Louth Navigation allowed the town to develop as a small port, to the detriment of Saltfleet, although its inland position restricted the size of vessels and amount of traffic it could handle. {4}{5}{6}