|
 Construction of the
Oxford began in 1769, supervised by the famous engineer
James Brindley (a bronze statue of Mr Brindley can be
seen at the Coventry Canal Basin). Brindley died shortly
afterwards and his brother-in-law Samuel Simcock took
over and saw the canal to its completion. By 1774 the
canal had reached Napton. By 1778, after raising more
funds, it progressed to Banbury. Further financial
problems meant that the final stretch to Oxford was not
started until 1786 and was built as cheaply as possible,
with the utilization of wooden lift bridges
(right,
courtesy of Stephen and Lucy –
www.luphen.org.uk) or swing bridges
instead of expensive brick ones and deep locks with
single gates at both ends instead of the usual double
gates. Sections of the River Cherwell where integrated
with the canal to reduce construction costs, leading to
some tidal stretches, still in use today. The Oxford
Canal finally reached its destination in 1789; twenty
years after construction began. For 15 years it was one
of the most important and profitable transport links in
Britain, taking coal, stone, agricultural products and
much more from the Midlands to London. The Southern
section was then largely superseded by the more direct
Grand Junction Canal (now the Grand Union), which was
completed in 1805. However, the short section between
Braunston and Napton became part of the busy direct
route linking Birmingham to London.
The Oxford Canal
originally meandered around hills and high ground in
order to avoid the need for cuttings and embankments and
to access as many sources of revenue as possible (the
constructors being paid by the mile had nothing to do
with it, of course). In the 1820’s it was decided that
the section between Braunston and Hawkesbury Junction
should be straightened, reducing it by some twenty miles
and making the navigation time more competitive with
that of the railways. The northern section continued to
be well used by freight traffic until the 1960’s, whilst
the southern section became something of a backwater and
carried mostly local traffic. As a result it escaped
large-scale development and few towns sprung up on its
banks. It was threatened with closure but, luckily, the
use of canals for pleasure craft was just beginning to
become popular at this time and this became the South
Oxford’s saving grace. Ironically its lack of commercial
success was the very thing that kept it unspoiled and
makes it such a desirable destination today. It is to be
noted that its design and popularity contrive to keep
the Oxford narrow and shallow and that water
conservation is always an important consideration, with
shortages sometimes affecting journey times.
 From our beautiful marina
at Springwood Haven your luxury narrowboat will take a
right under Wood Bridge and along the Coventry Canal. In
no time at all you will find yourself nudging the
outskirts of Nuneaton with its canal side properties,
allotments and football ground. As the scenery starts to
become more rural you continue straight ahead at the
isolated Marston Junction and on to Hawkesbury Junction,
a favourite meeting place for boat folk of old and home
to the well known Greyhound Inn (its wise to book for
meals and, sadly, children are not permitted after 7pm).
Here you will encounter your first lock, “Hawkesbury
Deep”, all of 4 inches! This was a ‘stop lock’ between
the Coventry and Oxford Canals, which were originally
owned by different companies (right,
courtesy of Stephen and Lucy –
www.luphen.org.uk). Passage from one to the
other was chargeable and the stop lock ensured the boats
paused long enough to pay their toll. Some of the old
loops provide evidence of the canal’s older, more
meandering course, before it was made more competitive
with the railways, whilst the M6 reminds us of the
nature of transportation today. The landscape quickly
resumes its rural splendor, arriving at The Rose and
Castle pub at Ansty. Stretton Stop provides some canal
style hustle and bustle (beware the swing bridge) before
the canal skirts Brinklow Village, site of a former
wharf. Brinklow is now a ten minute walk from the canal.
Straddling the former Roman Road of Fosse Way (nowadays
surprisingly busy) this petty village boasts a Norman
motte-and-bailey castle, one of the largest and best
preserved in England and a 13th century church. Brinklow
Marina is a little further along the canal, again
occupying a section its former course. Look out for
further evidence in the shape of long abandoned bridges
in the middle of fields!
 With lock free progress, it takes very little time to
reach Newbold, again much coloured by the canal’s 19th
century rerouting. This explains why the Boat Inn is
nowhere near the canal, and why there are old tunnel
entrances blocked off nearby. Newbold’s new tunnel, at
right angles to the old one, has a magical light display
(right,
courtesy of Enjoy Warwickshire -
www.warwickshire.gov.uk )
(turned off after dark so as not to inconvenience the
bat residents) whilst the village is a good place to
pick up provisions. The next place of note is Rugby.
Cruising through the northern reaches of the town, the
old loops are very much in evidence. It’s quite a walk
to the town centre but, naturally, there are lots of
eating, drinking and shopping opportunities and, for
fans of football with a non-spherical ball, the various
museums are a must!
It’s not until you reach
Hillmorton that you remember that canals have locks.
There are three here – strange paired locks with a canal
boat shaped island between. Stop and eat at Badsey’s
Bistro, voted Britain’s best canalside restaurant. There
follows over an hour of lock free countryside until you
reach Braunston Turn. This junction was built as part of
the 1830’s project to eliminate some of the Oxford’s
flamboyant twists. Here your continued direction of
travel will depend upon your chosen destination, but
either way, Braunston marina is not to be missed.
Described by Michael Pearson in his indispensable canal
guides as "a point of pilgrimage which has captured the
imagination of waterway writers, artists and
photographers more than almost any other canal
location", Braunston is a source of pleasure and
inspiration to all canal enthusiasts. The village is
also extremely pretty and has a choice of eating,
drinking and shopping facilities. Look out for the
de-sailed windmill with its panoramic views.
 If your destination is
Stoke Bruerne you will turn left onto the Grand Union
Canal at Braunston Junction, passing next to the marina
and on to a fascinating stretch of water. You begin by
ascending six locks, (possibly stopping for refreshments
just after the second lock at the Admiral Nelson pub)
followed by a 2042 yard tunnel (the seventh longest on
the canal network) and some subterranean and remote
scenery, until you reach Norton Junction. Follow the
canal round to the right and you will pass Buckby Wharf,
birth place of the Buckby Can (right), an essential water
carrying vessel, usually decorated with the traditional
‘roses and castles’ design, used by boaters of old who
didn’t have the luxury of a capacious water tank. Seven
locks will take your mind off the fact that the M1 is,
for a while, your neighbour, until boat and car part
ways at bridge 19. Bridge 24 gives access to the village
of Weedon Bec, with its wealth of antique shops, pubs
and stores. Keep an eye out for the River Nene, which
cradles the village. The Grand Union continues until it
reaches Gayton Junction, shortly followed by Blisworth.
This beautiful village has a church founded in the 12th
century and a brand new marina. Its main claim to fame,
though, is the tunnel – the longest that can be
navigated in England. The 3076 yard long Blisworth
tunnel, opened in 1805, is wide enough for two boats to
pass, but was built without a tow path. Originally boats
were poled through, but this was soon replaced by
legging. Leggers had to lay on boards either side of the
boat, a dangerous scenario that resulted in several
deaths. The horses, meanwhile, had a boat free jaunt
over Blisworth Hill. Today the tunnel takes about half
an hour to traverse, a thrill for tunnel enthusiasts,
but some of our canine customers may prefer the horses’
old route.
 The south end of the
tunnel opens out at your final destination, Stoke
Bruerne (right,
courtesy of Stephen and Lucy –
www.luphen.org.uk). This popular tourist destination is fiercely
proud of its canal heritage and is described in
Nicholson’s Ordanance Survey Guide to the Waterways as
“the best example of a canal village in this country.”
It boasts the Waterways Museum, housed in an old corn
mill, featuring a vast range of outside and inside
exhibits. Pretty cottages face onto the canal, along
with two pubs and an up market restraunt. There is also
an attractive double arched bridge and seven locks. This
might well be the ultimate destination for a canal
enthusiast’s narrow boat holiday. There are winding holes
on the northern edge of the village, after the fifth
lock or an hour or so further along the canal at Yardley Gobion.
If your destination is
Banbury or Oxford, bear right along the Oxford Canal,
moor just past Braunston Junction and explore the marina
and village on foot. A short cruise will then take you
to Napton Junction. Remain on the Oxford as it continues
to mince and meander round the village of Napton on the
Hill in such an exaggerated fashion that the nearby
Napton windmill is visible for many hours, from a whole
variety of angles! The canal rises above the village by
means of nine attractive locks which take it up to one
of the most convoluted summit levels on the system. The
views here are staggering. The canal zigzags for eleven
miles between Napton and Claydon, which are
geographically less than five miles apart. The few boats
that you encounter will often appear to be traveling on
mysterious waterways parallel to your own. This eleven
mile pound is mentioned in Tom Rolt’s seminal book
“Narrow Boat”, published in 1944.
 The canal passes through
some beautiful, rural Warwickshire countryside and the
bare minimum of villages. The Wharf at Fenny Compton
will provide you with great food and some human company,
should you feel the need for either. From here on you
will often spot the railway running a fairly straight
line to Oxford, whilst the canal wobbles backwards and
forwards, meeting, crossing and then diverging from its
high speed companion. You will enter a long, narrow
cutting, referred to by the misnomer of ‘Fenny Tunnel
straight’, due to the fact that it once had a roof! Slip
over the border into Oxfordshire and on to Claydon,
where you will find the Bygones Museum and Tea Rooms. A
flight of nine locks ease you down into the valley of
the River Cherwell with the last lock situated in the
village of Cropredy (above right,
courtesy Andrew Denny -
www.grannybuttons.com ). This Cotswold riverside village,
which won a “Best Kept Village” award in 2005 and the
“Number One Waterside Best Village” in 2006, is a
popular boaters’ destination. The village has two pubs,
a store and a very famous annual music festival! The
canal and the river then keep intermittent company as
you pass down the last four locks into the town of
Banbury. The nursery rhyme, 'Ride a Cock Horse', has
made Banbury one of the best-known towns in England. The
original ‘Banbury Cross’ was pulled down at the end of
the 16th century, to be replaced in 1859 by the present
one to commemorate the wedding of the then Princess
Royal to Prince Frederick of Prussia. Banbury is also
famous for its special fruit and pastry cakes, based on
a Tudor recipe. At one time the cakes were exported to
Australia, India and America and they are still produced
today. Originally a small medieval market town, Banbury
has grown, not least due to the opening of the Oxford
Canal in 1790 and the arrival of the railway. Today it
is its proximity to the M40 motorway that has brought a
flourish of industry and commuters. It offers its
visitors many fine pubs, a wealth of parks, a large
shopping centre and a modern museum. A taxi ride away
you will find the Hook Norton Brewery Visitor Centre and
the Water Fowl Sanctuary and Children’s’ Animal Centre
near Wigginton Heath. There is a 70 ft winding hole just
after the town centre.
If your destination is
Oxford, the Oxford Canal’s economy drive becomes apparent
with the proliferation of lift bridges (many are chained
open) and single gated locks, as it keeps company with
the River Cherwell. Sadly, it also has a passing
acquaintance with the M40 part of the way. Other than
that, the landscape mostly consists of picturesque
meadows, woodland, church spires (King Sutton’s rises
198 feet above the ground), pretty cottages, wharfs and
weirs. At Aynho Weir lock the River Cherwell crosses the
canal. The lock is a curious diamond shape in order to
take more water from the river. This shallow lock is
followed by Somerton Deep, one of the deepest narrowbeam
locks on the system. Between the two locks, at Aynho
Wharf, the excellent Great Western pub offers good food
and is of interest to rail and canal enthusiasts alike.
Canal, river and railway
plait their tree lined way through the lovely old
villages of Upper and Lower Heyford. A short walk from
here is Rousham House (built 1635), landscape Gardens
and Park, a must for fans of William Kent and largely
unchanged since the 18th century. You are welcome to
bring a picnic, but not your children or dogs! One of
the features, a sham ruin known as the 'Eyecatcher', can
be seen from Heyford Common Lock. A few more locks and
some sharp bends will keep you on your toes as you
progress through the idyllic, wooded landscape of the
next seven miles. Inspector Morse aficionados will start
to recognize locations and canal side pub connoisseurs
can choose between the celebrated Rock of Gibraltar and
The Boat. Between Baker's Lock and Shipton Weir Lock,
again shallow and oddly shaped, the channel widens as
canal and river merge and the forces of a natural
waterway can be felt.
With Oxford just a few
miles away, the landscape becomes increasingly more
urban. Just after Dukes Lock to your right you will see
Dukes Cut, built by the Duke of Marlborough in 1789 as
the original link between the new canal and the Thames.
There is one more lock and three lift bridges before you
reach the visitor moorings between bridges 242 and 243
and you head off to explore the City of Dreaming Spires.
Less than quarter of a mile further along, the Oxford
Canal ends abruptly at Hythe Bridge Street. At one time
it continued under two bridges to a turning basin, goods
wharf and coal wharf which were filled in 1951 with
Nuffield College now standing on part of the site.
Oxford is famous the world over for its University and
its historical significance. The area has been
established as a town since the 9th Century. A favourite
home of royalty and scholars, today’s Oxford is a
bustling cosmopolitan city. As a boating enthusiast you
are obliged to take a punt on the Isis (the stretch of
the Thames that passes through Oxford) but there is
plenty more of interest. There are lots of historic
buildings to visit including the castle, Blenheim Palace
and over thirty colleges which make up the University.
Museums, such as the Science Museum on Broad Street, the
Natural History Museum on Park Road (home to the remains
of a dodo) and Ashmolean Museum, the oldest in Britain.
There are lots of attractive parks and gardens, an open
top bus tour, a covered market, innumerable places to
eat and drink (the Lamb and Flag has connections with
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and E. Morse whilst the Q.I.
Café may be quite interesting to bookworms), cinemas,
theatres and shows, to mention just a few.
 Those of you on Elan, Dee
or Taw Valley will be able to turn in the 50 ft winding
hole just before bridge 243, but larger boats will need
to pass through Isis Lock (known to boaters as 'Louse
Lock', right, courtesy
of
John Eade) and turn just beyond there. For the adventurous
and experienced you may wish to return to the Oxford
Canal along the Isis and up through Duke’s cut, with its
sharp bends, current and weirs. If so you will need to
acquire a Thames short stay license from British
Waterways. Carry on through Sheepwash Channel and turn
right onto the river. Here I would like again to quote
from the eloquent Mr Pearson, whose poetic insights I
cannot hope to match. “The next reach is spellbinding.
Soon the tree-lined banks open out to expose the full
extent of Port Meadow where cattle and horses graze
against a skyline of Oxford’s dreaming spires. Godstow
Lock intervenes, but then it’s well worth mooring to the
grassy bank upstream of Godstow’s ancient stone bridge
to explore the ruins of the nunnery where Henry II’s
mistress, Fair Rosamund, died. Or, considering the needs
of the inner man, repairing to the famous Trout Inn,
overlooking the adjacent weir stream.” After King’s Lock
turn right once again, along Duke’s Cut and back to the
relative simplicity of the Oxford Canal. |
