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Warwickshire is situated in the heart of the country and has 4 major canals running its length and breadth. These canals were built for industrial transport, especially coal, but are now important for use as recreational routes, both for boating holidays, and as footpaths for walkers.
Below are descriptions plus photographs of each of the main canals in Warwickshire and Coventry. Please see the associated links to Waterscape.com (www.waterscape.com/in-your-area/warwickshire) for interactive maps, as well as full details on walks, cycle routes, wildlife, angling, great local pubs to visit by the canals and any events that are planned to do with the canals. Special thanks to Wikipedia for the information on this page. |
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The Grand Union Canal
The waterway stretches for 135 miles and has 160 locks stretching between the two largest cities in England; London and Birmingham. The present Grand Union Canal only came into being in 1929 after a series of separate canals were amalgamated. This was in response to competition from improvements in vehicle technology and the development of new roads which were seen as a threat to the canals. |
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The Grand Union Canal enters Warwickshire by coming in via the south-east by Braunston Junction, just over the border in Northamptonshire by Daventry. It in fact joins up with the Oxford Canal to share a small section. They both head west, travelling between Long Itchington to the north and Southam to the south, before splitting again at Napton Junction. Here the Oxford Canal turns south to travel out of the county while the Grand Union heads north-west.
Shortly after Napton Junction, the Grand Union reaches three locks at Calcutt, which begin the descent to the Warwickshire River Avon. After a 3-mile (5-km) level, the canal descends into the valley of the River Leam by the Stockton flight of ten locks (often known as 'the Itchington ten'). Above the eighth lock down the flight, a short arm (now used as pleasure craft moorings) was used in the past to serve Southam cement works. |
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From the bottom of the locks, a 3-mile (5-km) level leads to the four Bascote locks. The top two form a 'riser' or staircase (see Canal lock). Six more interspersed locks lead to Radford, after which a 5-mile (8-km) level takes the canal through Royal Leamington Spa to Warwick. Between these two towns, the canal crosses the River Avon on an aqueduct. | | |
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At Warwick, the canal rises by two locks to Budbroke junction (formerly the junction with the then-independent Warwick and Birmingham canal). After half a mile, it reaches the bottom of the Hatton flight of 21 locks that lift the canal up out of the Avon valley. The first ten locks are interspersed but from the middle lock the flight is tightly spaced. |
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Three miles (5 km) from Hatton top lock the canal passes through Shrewley tunnel and then passes Rowington village to Kingswood junction by Lapworth where a short spur connects with the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. Another 3 miles (5 km) lead to the Knowle flight of five locks. Finally, an 11-mile (18-km) level takes the canal through Elmdon Heath, Solihull, Acocks Green, and Tyseley to the heart of Birmingham. |
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The Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a 78 mile long narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry, via Banbury and Rugby. It connects to the Grand Union Canal at Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction just outside Coventry. The Oxford Canal passes mainly through the Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire countryside, and is often considered to be one of the most scenic canals in Britain. The Oxford canal forms part of the Warwickshire ring. |
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The canal begins at Hawkesbury junction (also known as Sutton Stop'), where it connects with the Coventry Canal, four miles from the centre of Coventry towards Bedworth. From here it runs on a level without any locks south east through the Warwickshire countryside for 15 miles to Rugby. Much of this section of the canal was straightened out in the 1830s, and remains of the original winding route can still be seen in places. |
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The canal winds through the northern part of Rugby passing through the 250 metre long Newbold Tunnel, to a set of three locks at Hillmorton just east of Rugby. In the churchyard in Newbold-on-Avon, remains can be seen of the original tunnel dating from the 1770s. | | |
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South of Rugby, the canal passes through rural scenery and doubles back on itself for several miles until it heads southwards again passing briefly into Northamptonshire towards Braunston. At Braunston, the Oxford connects with the Grand Union Canal and heads west. It shares a five-mile stretch with the Grand Union until they diverge at Napton junction where the Oxford turns south towards Oxford and the Grand Union turns north-west towards Birmingham. |
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After winding round Napton hill, the canal ascends the Napton flight of nine locks to a summit level. After passing an old wharf and a pub at Fenny Compton, the canal enters a long cutting which, until it was opened out in the nineteenth century, was a tunnel. This section is still referred to as 'tunnel straight'. The canal then reaches the Claydon flight of locks and descends into the valley of the River Cherwell at Cropredy. It follows the river valley from here to Oxford via Banbury, descending through a dozen or so interspersed locks. |
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The section south of Napton junction was never straightened and the summit level is one of the most twisting sections of canal in England. It winds for 11 miles between two points which are under five miles apart; this is the "eleven-mile pound". |
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The Stratford upon Avon Canal
The canal, built between 1793 and 1812, runs 25 miles in total, comprising of two sections. The southern section starts at the River Avon in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, and streches north as far as Kingswood Junction near Lapworth, Warwickshire where it is connected to the Grand Union Canal by a short spur. The northern section continues, to join the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Kings Norton Junction in the suburbs of Birmingham. The southern section of the canal passes over three cast iron aqueducts, unusual in that the towpaths are at the level of the canal bottom. |
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Travelling north, from Stratford-upon-Avon, the first is the Edstone Aqueduct near Bearley which at 250 yards, is the longest in England. Beneath this aqueduct is also the trackbed of the Alcester Railway, (absorbed into the Great Western Railway which ran between Bearley and Alcester, where it joined the Midland Railway's branch line between Redditch and Evesham. There was once a pipe from the side of the canal that enabled locomotives to draw water to fill the loco's tank).
The second is the Wootton Wawen Aqueduct, just outside Wootton Wawen, where the canal crosses the A3400 main road. The third aqueduct is the more modest Yarningdale Aqueduct which carries the canal over a small stream near Preston Bagot, Warwickshire. This cast iron aqueduct was built in 1834 to replace the original wooden structure which was washed away when the stream flooded that year. There is only one tunnel on the canal - at Brandwood near Kings Norton Junction at the northern end. Another interesting feature of the canal are the unique barrel-roofed lock keeper's cottages to be found along its length.
For full details of its route and for amenities along the canal please see the Waterscape - Stratford upon Avon Canal webpages |
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The Coventry Canal
The Coventry Canal is a narrow Canal in England which travels for 38 miles (65 km) between Coventry and Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also runs through the towns of Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth and Tamworth. It is navigable for boats up to 21.9m (72ft) length, 2.1m (7ft) beam and 1.9m (6ft 6) headroom. The Coventry Canal forms part of the Warwickshire ring. |
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The canal begins at a basin in the centre of Coventry and runs north. Just north between Coventry and Bedworth, it forms a junction with the Oxford Canal at Hawkesbury Junction, also known as "Sutton Stop". There is a public house here, The Greyhound, renowned for its real ales, and for the quality of the pies served in the restaurant. There is also a superbly preserved iron bridge over the canal, and some fascinating buildings from the working days of the canal. | | |
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A few miles further north just outside Bedworth it connects to the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal, then runs north-west for a number of miles through Nuneaton, Atherstone, and Polesworth. At Tamworth it splits into the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. The Coventry canal finishes at Fradley Junction where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. | | |
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