English Canal Locks and Bridges Between Braunston Turn and Banbury - Oxfordshire.

Photos of the Oxford Canal's Bridges and Locks as the Canal continues it's wandering across the English Countryside.

The following series of photographs show all the bridges which cross the beautiful Oxford Canal as it wanders south from Braunston Turn in Northamptonshire down to Banbury in Oxfordshire going through Lower Shuckburgh, Napton and it's lock flight, Marston Doles, Wormleighton, Fenny Compton Wharf, Claydon and Cropedy.

From Braunston to Napton Junction The Oxford Canal's towpath is shared with the Grand Union Canal - this section has hardly any towpath in places and is a real mess suffering from collapse, mud, nettles and brambles. From Napton to Fenny Compton there are some muddy bits but it's basically ok and then on into Banbury it's fine. The walk along the canal between Fenny Compton and Banbury was achieved by parking at Banbury Railway station and getting a taxi (this was 15 UKstg) up to Fenny Compton Wharf and then walking back (about 10 miles). This meant we had plenty of time to divert and look around both Copredy and Claydon as well as spending time enjoying the many locks along the way. This stretch of the Oxford Canal is really scenic - loads of things to look at apart from the many locks and bridges.
The River Cherwell accompanies the canal at various times but is quite hard to see it at times due to the masses of foliage around. Several disused railway lines are evident and you can go and admire the lovely brickwork and arches from several semi-demolished bridges - they knew about design in those days especially when compared to the ugly concrete messes called bridges which are used by the M40 to cross the canal. We also discovered a small dis-used brick works - this was used to provide the bricks for the canal's tunnel at Fenny Compton (which is now a deep cutting instead).

Castle Bridge 91 Braunston Turn - Bridges 93 and 94 Braunston Turn Bridge 93 - Oxford Canal Braunston Turn Oxford Canal - Bridge 94 Turnover Bridge 95
Castle Bridge 91 Braunston Turn Bridges 93+94 Braunston Turn Bridge 93 Braunston Turn Bridge 94 Turnover Bridge 95
Oxford Canal - Turnover Bridge 95 Oxford Canal Aqueduct 96 Oxford Canal Bridge 97 Bridge 97 on the Oxford Canal Ivy bridge 98 - Oxford Canal England
Turnover Bridge 95 Oxford Canal Aqueduct 96 Oxford Canal Bridge 97 Oxford Canal Bridge 97 Ivy Bridge 98

Further along the Towpath: We found the Fenny Compton Wharf to Marston Doles stretch quite tiring on our feet although it is only about 8 miles mainly because the walking is constantly flat with not one Canal Lock to break up the route. Also the only way back was to either return on the towpath or make a circular out into the countryside. The latter is how we achieved the walk but the distance was around 20kms - a description of these walks with some photos can be found via our this page. The Oxford Canal is perhaps quite well known for how much it meanders around - a perfect example of this are the huge bends which occur on it's journey between Bridge 116 and Bridge 138.

Ivy Bridge 98 - Oxford Canal Hargreaves Bridge 99 Hargreaves Canal Bridge no 99 Oxford Canal - Chambers Bridge 100 Chambers Bridge 100
Ivy Bridge 98 Hargreaves Bridge 99 Hargreaves Bridge 99 Chambers Bridge 100 Chambers Bridge 100
dismantled railway bridge at the Oxford Canal Oxford Canal England - Nethercote Bridge 101 Nethercote Bridge 101 Oxford Canal - Flecknoe Road Bridge 102 Flecknoe Road Bridge 102
Dismantled Railway Bridge Nethercote Bridge 101 Nethercote Bridge no.101 Flecknoe Road Bridge 102 Flecknoe Road Bridge 102
Oxford Canal - New Bridge 103 New Bridge 103 - Oxford Canal Canal bridges - Jacksons Bridge 104 Jacksons Bridge 104 Oxford Canal Bridge 105
New Bridge 103 New Bridge 103 Jacksons Bridge 104 Jacksons Bridge no.104 Oxford Canal FootBridge 105
Bridge 105 on the Oxford Canal Oxford Canal - Garners Bridge 107 Garners Bridge 107 Canal Bridges - Nimrod Bridge 108 Nimrod Bridge 108 on the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal Bridge 105 Garners Bridge no.107 Garners Bridge 107 Nimrod Bridge 108 Nimrod Bridge no.108
Napton Junction - Bridge no.17 Coventry Road Bridge 109 Coventry Road Bridge 109 - Oxford Canal Oxford Canal Bridges - Stockton Road Bridge 110 Stockton Road Bridge no.110 Oxford Canal
Bridge 17 at Napton Junction Coventry Road Bridge 109 Coventry Road Bridge 109 Stockton Road Bridge no.110 Stockton Road Bridge 110
Napton Canal Bridge 111 Oxford Canal - Napton Bridge 111 Brickyard Bridge 112 on the Oxford Canal Brickyard Bridge 112 The Folly Bridge 113 on the Oxford Canal in England
Napton Bridge 111 Napton Bridge 111 Brickyard Bridge 112 Brickyard Bridge 112 The Folly Bridge 113
Oxford Canal - The Folly Bridge 113 Napton Bottom Lock 08 Oxford Canal - Napton Bottom Lock 8 Napton Lock 09 Lock 9 at Napton - Oxford Canal
The Folly Bridge 113 Napton Bottom Lock 8 Napton Bottom Lock 8 Oxford Canal (Napton) Lock 9 Napton Lock 9
Gilkes Bridge 114 Oxford Canal - Gilkes Bridge 114 Napton Lock 10 Gates - Oxford Canal England Lock 10 at Napton on the Oxford Canal Lock 11 at Napton
Gilkes Bridge 114 Gilkes Bridge 114 Napton Lock 10 Napton Lock 10 Napton Lock 11
Napton Lock 11 Shut Bridge no.115 on the Oxford Canal Oxford Canal 115 Shut Bridge and Napton Lock 12 Oxford Canal England - Napton Lock 12 Napton Lock 13 Gates
Oxford Canal (Napton) Lock 11 Shut Bridge 115 Shut Bridge 115 and Lock 12 (Napton) Lock 12 Napton Lock 13 (Gates)
Oxford Canal - Napton Lock 13 Canal Bridge photos - Greens Lock Bridge 116 Greens Lock Bridge no.116 Napton Adkins Lock 14 Gates Napton Adkins Lock 14 Gates
Oxford Canal (Napton) Lock 13 Greens Lock Bridge 116 Greens Lock Bridge 116 Napton Adkins Lock 14 Napton Adkins Lock 14

Napton area. Napton Locks Flight comprises of nine narrow locks which takes the Oxford Canal up a total of 49 feet to Toplock at Marston Doles. By Napton Toplock there is still a linesman's hut - these huts were used as a refuge by canal workers in bad weather and also for equipment storage. Just by Napton Adkins Lock 14 starts the Old Engine House Arm which is now used for private moorings for a short distance and thereafter is really weeded up. This feeder arm goes off into the fields and terminates at the remains of the Old Engine House - this once contained a steam pump which drew water from a spring and helped with the supply of water to the canal.

Old very weedy Engine House Arm on the Oxford Canal The Old Engine House - Oxford Canal Twenty Acre Bridge 118 on the Oxford Canal Oxford Canal England - Twenty Acre Bridge no.118 Napton Lock 15
Old Engine House Arm Old Engine House Twenty Acre Bridge 118 Twenty Acre Bridge 118 Napton Lock 15
Napton Lock 15 gates Marston Doles Bridge Oxford Canal - Marston Doles Bridge Napton Top Lock - Oxford Canal at Marston Doles Oxford Canal England - Napton Top Lock
Oxford Canal (Napton) Lock 15 Marston Doles Bridge 119 Marston Doles Bridge 119 Napton Top Lock 16 Napton Top Lock 16
Top Lock - Napton Flight Linesmans Hut at Napton Locks Oxford Canal Bridge 122 Bridge 122 - Oxford Canal England Priors Hardwick Bridge
Napton Top Lock Linesmans Hut Oxford Canal Bridge 122 Oxford Canal Bridge 122 Priors Hardwick Bridge 123
Priors Hardwick Bridge Oxford Canal - Priors Hardwick Bridge Spurfoot Bridge on the Oxford Canal England Spurfoot Bridge Bridge 125 on the Oxford Canal
Priors Hardwick Bridge 123 Priors Hardwick Bridge 123 Spurfoot Bridge 124 Spurfoot Bridge 124 Oxford Canal Bridge 125
Oxford Canal England - Bridge 125 Oxford Canal - Bridge 126 Bridge 126 Oxford Canal Stoneton Bridge 127 Oxford Canal - Stoneton Bridge
Oxford Canal Bridge 125 Oxford Canal Bridge 126 Oxford Canal Bridge 126 Stoneton Bridge 127 Stoneton Bridge 127

Wormleighton - the bendy Oxford Canal. From just after canal bridge 126 right through to Wells Bridge 136 the Oxford Canal makes an amazing sequence of loops even by it's standards. This was because when the canal's designer James Brindley reached Wormleighton Hill the influential owners of the Manor were not too keen about the canal and certainly did not want any of the necessary locks to cope with going over the hill anyway near their land. Therefore instead of a fairly direct 1.25 miles run the canal had to be routed right round the hill which increased the distance to around 3.5 miles.

Oxford Canal - Willison's Bridge Willison's Bridge 128 Ladder Bridge - Oxford Canal Bridge 129 - Ladder Bridge Knotss Bridge - Oxford Canal
Willison's Bridge 128 Willison's Bridge 128 Ladder Bridge 129 Ladder Bridge 129 Knotts Bridge 130
Oxford Canal - Knotts Bridge Oxford Canal - Griffins Bridge Griffins Bridge - Oxford Canal in England Old footbridge over the Oxford Canal Oxford Canal - Bridge 132
Knotts Bridge 130 Griffins Bridge 131 Griffins Bridge 131 Oxford Canal FootBridge Oxford Canal Bridge 132
Bridge 132 on the Oxford Canal Old Town Bridge - Oxford Canal England Oxford Canal - Wells Bridge Wells Bridge number 134 Bridge 135 - Sherne Hill
Oxford Canal Bridge 132 Old Town Bridge 133 Wells Bridge 134 Wells Bridge 134 Sherne Hill Bridge 135
Sherne Hill Bridge Oxford Canal Fenny Compton - Bridge 136a Fenny Compton Wharf - Bridge 136a Bridge 136 on the Oxford Canal Fenny Compton Wharf - Bridge 136
Sherne Hill Bridge 135 Oxford Canal Bridge 136A Oxford Canal Bridge 136A Oxford Canal Bridge 136 Oxford Canal Bridge 136
Fenny Compton Wharf - The Oxford Canal Tunnel Bridge 137 Oxford Canal - Tunnel Bridge 137 Turnover Bridge Oxford Canal - Turnover Bridge 137a
Fenny Compton Wharf Tunnel Bridge 137 Tunnel Bridge 137 Turnover Bridge 137a Turnover Bridge 137a

Fenny Compton Tunnel: As the Oxford Canal heads away from Fenny Compton Wharf there is a quite unusual feature for this canal - it actually travels in a straight line. This is where there was originally a 1138 yard long narrow tunnel which had a series of iron rings on it's walls which boatmen used to pull the boat along. However following the purchase of the land above the tunnel the tops of both ends were removed and eventually by the early 1870s the whole tunnel had been converted into a really deep cutting. The towpath goes high above the canal for a distance and just a little way along a short path takes you to where an old brick kiln still exists. This was used to make the huge number of bricks required in the making of the tunnel - the building is still fairly intact even if somewhat covered with brambles and nettles.

Oxford Canal Bridge 138 The cutting which was originally a tunnel at Fenny Compton Brick Kiln used for making the original tunnel at Fenny Compton Reservoir Bridge 139 Reservoir Bridge 139 - Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal Bridge 138 Fenny Compton Tunnel Cutting Old Brick Kiln Reservoir Bridge 139 Reservoir Bridge 139
Boundary Lift-Bridge 141 Boundary Lift Bridge 141 - Oxford Canal England Feeder Bridge on the Oxford Canal Feeder Bridge 142 Hay Bridge Oxford Canal
Boundary Lift-Bridge 141 Boundary Lift-Bridge 141 Feeder Bridge 142 Feeder Bridge 142 Hay Bridge 143

Lift Bridge: As the canal system was being built often as not the route would go right through farmland and obviously create an access problem for livestock and so on. In some cases bridges were built but quite often the solution was to build a much cheaper lift bridge. These lift bridges are left in the "up" position and just lowered as necessary - they are quite easy to manipulate as they are counterblanced. The lift bridge mechanism is never on the towpath side of the canal else it would of course obstruct the movement of the horses on the towpath - there is usually a rope or chain to pull the bridge down from the towpath of course (see picture of Bridge 141 above). The Oxford Canal still has quite a few lift bridges which are almost all in full working condition as they are still in use for livestock movement between fields.

Hay Bridge 143 Claydon Top Bridge - Oxford Canal Claydon Top Bridge 144 Claydon Top Lock 17 Claydon Top Lock
Hay Bridge 143 Claydon Top Bridge 144 Claydon Top Bridge 144 Claydon Top Lock 17 Claydon Top Lock 17
Oxford Canal - Claydon Top Lock 17 Claydon Lock 18 Claydon Lock 18 Claydon Middle Lock 19 Claydon Middle Lock - Oxford Canal
Claydon Top Lock 17 Claydon Lock 18 Claydon Lock 18 Claydon Middle Lock 19 Claydon Middle Lock 19
Claydon Middle Bridge 145 Oxford Canal - Claydon Middle Bridge 145 Claydon Lock 20 Claydon Lock 20 Claydon Bottom Lock
Claydon Middle Bridge 145 Claydon Middle Bridge 145 Claydon Lock 20 Claydon Lock 20 Claydon Bottom Lock 21
Claydon Bottom Lock 21 Claydon Bottom Bridge 146 Oxford Canal - Claydon Bottom Bridge 146 Oxford Canal Bridge 147 Oxford Canal Bridge 147 - England
Claydon Bottom Lock 21 Claydon Bottom Bridge 146 Claydon Bottom Bridge 146 Oxford Canal Bridge 147 Oxford Canal Bridge 147
Elkingtons Lock 22 Elkingtons Bridge 148 Elkingtons Bridge Varneys Bridge 149 Varneys Bridge 149 England Oxford Canal
Elkingtons Lock 22 Elkingtons Bridge 148 Elkingtons Bridge 148 Varneys Bridge 149 Varneys Bridge 149
Varneys Lock 23 Varneys Lock nbr 23 Broadmoor Lock 24 Broadmoor Bridge 150 Broadmoor Bridge 150 - Oxford Canal
Varneys Lock 23 Varneys Lock 23 Broadmoor Lock 24 Broadmoor Bridge 150 Broadmoor Bridge 150
Possible ruins of Liftbridge 151 Oxford Canal possible ruins of Liftbridge 151 Cropedy Lock 25 Oxford Canal - Cropedy Lock Cropedy Lock Bridge 152
Possibly ruins of liftbridge 151 Extinct liftbridge 151? Cropedy Lock 25 Cropedy Lock Cropedy Lock Bridge 152

Canal Wharfs: As the Canals were opened any close by village or small town would - usually at their own expense - have a small wharf built so they could get involved in the newly created trade opportunies. These wharfs were often just stone or brick walls which allowed the boats to load and unload their goods and normally built close to where an existing track met the canal. Some of these wharfs were quite busy - for instance durng the 1790s several thousand tons of coal were unloaded at Cropedy Wharf each year. There also used to be a Toll House by Cropedy Wharf - charges were estimated by measuring the heights of the boats above the waterline using a gauging road to calculate the weight of the cargo.

Oxford Canal - Cropedy Lock Bridge 152 Cropedy Wharf Bridge 153 Cropedy Wharf Bridge Cropedy Mill Bridge 154 - Oxford Canal England Cropedy Mill Bridge 154
Cropedy Lock Bridge 152 Cropedy Wharf Bridge 153 Cropedy Wharf Bridge 153 Cropedy Mill Bridge 154 Cropedy Mill Bridge 154
Keens Bridge 155 Keens Bridge 155 Ox ford Canal - Slat Mill Bridge 156 Slat Mill Bridge 156 Slat Mill Lock
Keens Bridge 155 Keens Bridge 155 Slat Mill Bridge 156 Slat Mill Bridge 156 Slat Mill Lock 26
Slat Mill Lock 27 on the Oxford Canal England Caves Bridge 157 Oxford Canal - Caves Bridge Bourton Bridge 158 Bourton Bridge 158 - Oxford Canal
Slat Mill Lock Caves Bridge 157 Caves Bridge 157 Bourton Bridge 158 Bourton Bridge 158
Little Bourton Lock Oxford Canal - Little Bourton Lock nbr 27 Little Bourton Lock Oxford Canal Little Bourton Lock Gates Oxford Canal Bridge 159
Little Bourton Lock 27 Little Bourton Lock 27 Little Bourton Lock Little Bourton Lock Gates Oxford Canal Bridge 159
Oxford-Canal Bridge 159 Oxford Canal - M40 bridge north of Banbury Hardwick-Lock 28 on the Oxford Canal Hardwick-Lock Gates Hardwick Bridge 160
Oxford Canal Bridge 159 Oxford Canal - M40 Bridge Hardwick Lock 28 Hardwick Lock Gates Hardwick Bridge 160
Hardwick Bridge - Oxford Canal Railway Bridge over the Oxford Canal - N. Banbury Oxford Canal footbridge Road bridge over the Oxford Canal north Banbury Marsh Bridge 163
Hardwick Bridge - Oxford Canal Railway Bridge Oxford Canal N. Banbury Oxford Canal Footbridge Banbury N Banbury Roadbridge Marsh Bridge 163
Marsh Bridge - Oxford Canal England Tom Rolt Bridge Banbury - Oxford Canal Spiceball Bridge Banbury Lock Lift Bridge no165 at Banbury
Marsh Bridge - Oxford Canal Tom Rolt Bridge Banbury Spiceball Lift Bridge 164 Banbury Lock 29 Pedestrian Lift Bridge 165

 

Useful Canal Books:-
Anatomy of Canals   Nicholson Guide to the Waterways   British Canals: The Standard History

 

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Our Oxford Canal Photos with every bridge and lock shown in sequence are split through several pages as follows:-
A photo record of the canal's locks
The northern end of the canal - Sutton Stop to the Braunston Turn
Braunston going on south to Banbury in Oxfordshire (this page)
From Banbury into the City of Oxford and the end of the Oxford Canal

 

More English Canal Pictures including a photo record of the whole of the Grand Union Canal plus several Canal Arms can be found via our English Topics.

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