The Grand Union Canal from Braunston to Wolverton.

The locks and bridges as well as other canal features on the Grand Union Canal on it's journey between Braunston (and Braunston Tunnel), Norton Junction, Gayton Junction, Stoke Bruerne, Blisworth and Wolverton.

The photograph on the right is of Turnover Bridge (Bridge no.47) - this beautiful old Grand Union Canal bridge not only carries a small road across the Grand Union Canal but also was built with a walkway so that the horses which towed the barges could go over the canal without having to be unhitched. Note if you are thinking of going to this bridge and using the car park next to it which is currently shown on maps forget it. For some obscure reason the owners - British Waterways - have padlocked the entrance and we believe it is only available for several of the permanent moored boats. We have been several times in and around this area and usually you may see 2 or 3 cars parked inside the car-park i.e. just about empty yet it is the only parking available near this part of the Grand Union Canal.

General views at Braunston	Iron Side Bridge at Braunston	Braunston's Marina	Butchers Bridge no.1	The first bridge - Butchers Bridge no.1	Bridge 2
Bridge 2	Braunston Bottom Lock 1	Bottom Lock 1	Bridge 3	Bridge 3	Lock 2 - Braunston
Lock 2	Bridge 4	Bridge 4 and Lock 3	Braunston Flight - Lock 3	Lock 3	Lock 4
Lock 4 at Braunston	Lock 5	Lock 5 - Braunston	Bridge 5	Bridge 5	Braunston Toplock 6

Around Braunston and especially the last 200 yards or so before Braunston Tunnel the towpath is in a poor state with quite deep mud, some side bank collapse and really mucky to walk through. In addition the towpath at the Welton Wharf side of the tunnel is also in poor condition as far as Bridge 10 - thereafter it's in good condition for walking and cycling. If walking the canal's towpath you have to go across the top of Braunston's Tunnel as only boats can go through (i.e. the tunnel has no inner towpath - before motorised barges the boatmen had to "leg" their craft through the tunnel - legging is where they lay on their backs and push against the roof with their feet and legs). Braunston Tunnel is 2042 yards long, 15.75 feet wide and 12.3 feet high and was constructed by engineers William Jessop and James Barnes in 1793. The 2060 yard long walk across the top of the tunnel is on a nice track passing through open countryside and easy to follow.

Braunston Toplock 6

Northern end of Braunston Tunnel

Airshaft ventilating Braunston Tunnel

Braunston Tunnel South end

Welton Wharf Bridge 6

Welton Wharf Bridge 6

A little further along from Braunston Tunnel the Grand Union Canal arrives at Norton Junction which is where the very beautiful Leicester Canal Arm starts its long journey via Foxton Locks (which is also where the short Market Harborough Arm heads off for a few miles) to reach Leicester where the Leicester Canal Arm then becomes a river navigation on The River Soar.

Bridge 7	Bridge 7	Lords Bridge 8	Lords Bridge 8	Bridge 9	Grand Union Bridge 9
Bridge 10	Bridge 10	Norton Junction - GU/Leicester	Buckby Locks - Toplock 7	Buckby Locks - 7 (Toplock)	Watling Street Bridge 11
Bridge 12	Bridge 12	Buckby Locks - 8	Buckby Locks - 8	Buckby Locks - 8	Buckby Locks - 8
Bridge 13	Bridge 13	Buckby Locks - 9	Buckby Locks - 9	Bridge 13b	Bridge 13b
Buckby Locks - 10	Buckby Locks -	Bridge 14	Bridge 14	Buckby Locks - 11	Buckby Locks - 11
Buckby Locks - 12	Buckby Locks - 12	Grand Union Canal Bridge 15	Bridge 15	Buckby Locks - Bottom Lock 13	Buckby Locks - Bottom Lock 13
Buckby Marina - Bridge 15a	Bridge 16	Bridge 16	Muscott Mill Bridge 18	Muscott Mill Bridge 18	Diamond Bridge 19
Diamond Bridge 19	Location of missing Bridge 20	Brockhall Road Bridge 21	Brockhall Road Bridge 21	a5 Roadbridge no.22	Road Bridge a5 - 22
Dodford Bridge 23	Dodford Bridge 23 and Pipe Bridge	Weedon Bridge 24	Weedon Bridge 24	Aqueduct-Bridge at Weedon (N)	Aqueduct-Bridge at Weedon (N)
Lovely railway bridge at Weedon nr canal	Aqueduct-Bridge at Weedon (S)	Aqueduct-Bridge at Weedon (S)	Weedon Beck Bridge 25	Weedon Beck Bridge 25	Stowehill Bridge 26
Stowehill Bridge 26	Some nice sluices	Flore Lane Bridge 27	Flore Lane Bridge 27	Standingham Bridge 28	Standingham Bridge 28
High House Bridge 29	HIgh House Bridge 29	Missing lift bridge either 30 or 31	Heyford Wharf Bridge 32	Heyford Wharf Bridge 32	Heyford Wharf
Bridge 33	Bridge 33	Bridge 34	Bridge 34	Heyford Fields Marina Entrance	Elliots Bridge 35
Elliots Bridge 35	Bugbrooke Wharf Bridge 36	Bugbrooke Wharf Bridge 36	Bugbrooke Wharf	Bridge 38	Bridge 38
Bridge 40	Bridge 40	Bridge 41	Bridge 41	Bridge 42	Bridge 42
Banbury Lane Bridge 43	Banbury Lane Bridge 43	Banbury Lane Bridge 43a	Banbury Lane Bridge 43a	Easts Bridge 44	Easts Bridge 44
Wrights Lane Bridge 45	Wrights Lane Bridge 45	Bridge 46	Bridge 46	Turnover Bridge no.47	Turnover Bridge no.47

At Gayton Junction The Northampton Canal Line branches off from the Grand Union Canal by Junction Bridge 48 - horses pulling the barges to and from the Northampton Arm would have used Turnover Bridge 47. There are a nice series of 17 canal locks along the 5 mile long Arm including the 13 Rothersthorpe Lock Flight. Please see our Northampton Canal Arm topic for photos and more information.

The towpath on Turnover Bridge	Junction Bridge 48 (Gayton jc.)	Junction Bridge 48	Roadbridge crossing the Grand Union Canal	A dismantled Railway Bridge near Blisworth	Bridge 48b
Railway Bridge 48b	Station Road Bridge 49	Station Road Bridge 49	Candle Bridge 50	Candle Bridge no.50	Blisworth Mill Bridge 51
Blisworth Mill Bridge with old warehouse	Grand Union Canal - Blisworth Mill bridge 51 in the distance	View of Blisworth Tunnel when approaching from the North	The North Entrance to Blisworth Tunnel - Grand Union Canal	One of the airshafts which ventilate Blisworth Tunnel	You have to walk over the top of Blisworth Tunnel - there is no internal towpath

Constructing Canal Tunnels: Building long tunnels such as the 3076 yard long Blisworth Tunnel (completed in 1805) was probably the most difficult and certainly the most dangerous part of the construction of the canal systems in the U.K. The tunnels would be started from either side of the hill but also shafts were opened along the route and miners would work outwards from these as well - the idea being of course to all meet up to create the tunnel. At the time the only tools available to the miners were picks, shovels and wheelbarrows - parts of Blisworth Tunnel's original route which started construction in 1793 came across quicksand in 1796 (and the intended route had to be abandoned) for instance and this made the work exceedingly dangerous. Once the tunnels were completed some of the airshafts were filled in whilst others were left to provide ventilation as at Blisworth Tunnel and at Braunston's Tunnel where they can still be seen in the fields above.

View of Blisworth Tunnel

Southern Portal Blisworth Tunnel

Blisworth Tunnel Ring segment

The area around Blisworth Tunnel

An old tunnel worker's hut

Dry-dock at Stoke Bruerne

If out towpath walking or cycling on this stretch of the Grand Union Canal when you reach the northern end of Blisworth Tunnel there is no towpath going through the actual tunnel so you have to go over the top - about two thirds of this is along a fairly quiet road and the last bit takes you slowly down on a wide path to the Southern side of the Tunnel. Above top right is a photo of one of the segments which was used to re-line Blisworth Tunnel during the 1980s when the original brick lining was replaced with similar concrete segments.

At Stoke Bruerne you can expect the area to be quite busy - especially on a nice sunny spring or summer weekend when people on holiday tend to arrive. There is a canal museum there and also a very large public house next to the canal bridge. The museum does have a car-park which at the time of our last visit enjoyed a parking charge of UKstg 2.50 - there are also toilets available next to the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum - these toilets are only available whilst the museum is open.

Footbridge and then Lock 14 at Stoke Bruerne	Bridge 53 - Stoke Bruerne	Stoke Bruerne Bridge 53	Bridge 53	Lock 15 - Stoke Bruerne	Stoke Bruerne's Lock 15 - lock gates
Bridge 53a outside of Stoke Bruerne	Stoke Bruerne Lock 16	Lock gates and Keepers Cottage - Lock 16 Stoke Bruerne flight	Stoke Bruerne Lock 16	Lock 16 - gates	Stoke Bruerne Lock 18
View inside Lock 18 at Stoke Bruerne	The flight of locks at Stoke Bruerne - locks 16 17 and 18	GU Bridge 54	Bridge no.54	Slipway by Grand Union Canal Lock 19	Stoke Bruerne Locks - no.19
The lock gates at Lock 19	Stoke Bruerne - Lower Lock no.20	Stoke Bruerne Lower Lock no.20	Footbridge by Lock 20	A sidearm leaving the Canal near Lock 20	Canal Bridge 54b
Canal weirs	Impressive sluices on the Grand Union Canal	Sluices/Syphon	Grand Union Canal Bridge 56	Bridge 56	Canal Bridge 57
Bridge 57	Weirs at Grafton Regis	Canal Bridge no.58	Bridge 58	Canal Bridge no.59	Bridge 59
The Marina at Yardley Wharf	Bridge no.60	Bridge no.60	Grand Union Canal Bridge 61	Bridge 61	Canal Bridge no.62
Bridge 62	Bridge 63	Bridge 63	Bridge 64	Grand Union Canal Bridge 64	Some nice sluices at Cosgrove
Solomons Bridge no.65	Solomons Bridge no.65	Solomons Bridge 65	Solomons Bridge no.65	Tunnel under the canal	Horse access tunnel at Cosgrove

The two photos above right are where a "horse-size" short tunnel was built under the canal to allow access for the horses which at one time were used to tow the canal barges to get onto and off the towpath - there were originally several stables situated on both sides of the Grand Union Canal at Cosgrove.

Pipe Bridges	A Pipe Bridge	Pipe Bridges - Cosgrove	Cosgrove Lock no.21	Lock 21 at Cosgrove	The Old Stratford Cut leaves the Grand Union

A little below are photos of the Great Ouse Aqueduct - initially the Canal was taken across the Ouse Valley by the use of 9 temporary locks but because of flooding in December 1799 a brick aqueduct was built instead - this opened for business in the Summer of 1805. Just a few months later part of the embankment collapsed followed some weeks later by the entire structure. In 1811 a cast iron trough which was held up on stone pillars and supported by long earth embankments was completed. Only one of the original locks remains - Cosgrove Lock 21 shown above. The Old Stratford Cut was opened in 1800 and went to several wharfs at Old Stratford - this cut was extended into Buckingham in 1801. The Arm was fully closed in 1964 and is now mostly destroyed however there is a plan to rebuild/re-open this 17 kilometre long Buckingham Canal Arm keeping to it's original line wherever possible.

Canal Aqueduct over the Ouse

Pipebridge across the Ouse

Small tunnel Canal Aqueduct

 Great Ouse Aqueduct

Grand Union Canal Bridge 68

Bridge no.68

Canal Bridge 69	Bridge no.69	Warehouse at Wolverton	Warehouses	Old Warehouses Wolverton	Bridge 69b
Bridge 69a	Bridge 69b	Bridge 69b	Bridge 71	Footbridge Wolverton	Wolverton Warehouses

The following are our Grand Union Canal Main Line Topics:

Birmingham (Salford Junction) through to Kingswood
Kingswood Junction via Hatton Locks to Royal Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa to Braunston
Braunston - Gayton - Stoke Bruerne - Wolverton : this page
Grand Union Canal Wolverton to Horton
Ivinghoe Lock to Kings Langley
Kings Langley to the end of the Grand Union at The Thames

We have picked out a few Books about England - concerning the waterways of England. The Nicholsons Waterways Guides are a "must take" for anyone going on a Canal Barge or Narrowboat holiday (as well as anyone visiting the canals) as they are packed with really useful information. (The relevant Nicholoson Guide covering The Grand Union Canal is BOOK 1.)
If the development and history of our English and British Canals is of particular interest consider looking at the Anatomy of Canals series which are really good reading!.