Kings Langley to Brentford on the English Grand Union Canal

The Grand Union Canal between Kings Langley and it's end in London.

The southern section of the Grand Union Canal Main Line as it heads south via Denham, Stockley and Hanwell Locks to reach Thames Lock 101 in Brentford, West London - the end of the Grand Union Canal.

Bridge 159a

Bridge 159

M25 Roadbridge Kings Langley

North Grove Lock 71

Hunton Bridge 162

Hunton Bridge Lock 72

Hunton foot bridge

Hunton Bridge Lock 73

Lock Gates at Lock 73

Road Bridge

Foot and Road Bridge

M25 bridge

Lady Capel's Lock 74

Bridge 163

The Grove Bridge 164

Bridge 165 and Pipe

Bridge 165

Bridge 166

Cassiobury Park Lock 75

Cassiobury Park Lock Gates 75

Lock 76 Cassiobury Park

Lock House Cassiobury Park Lock

Gates - Lock 76 Cassiobury Park

Iron Bridge Lock 77

Iron Bridge Lock no.77

Bridge 167

Bridge 168

Cassio Bridge Lock 78

Railway Bridge

Bridge 169 and Pipe

A412 Roadbridge

Bridge Works Railway

Common Moor Lock 79

Bridge 170

Railway Bridge

Lot Mead Lock 80

Lock Gates Lot Mead

Ebury Trail and Pipe Bridge

Bathworth Locks 81

Bathworth Locks - River Chess

Batchworth Locks 81 (Grand Union)

Bridge 173

Batchworth Sidings

Bridge 174

Stockers Lock 82

Bridge 175

Springwell Lock 83

Bridge 176 and Pipe Bridge

Sluice and Bridge 176

Pipe Bridge

Pipe Bridge (3 pipes)

River Colne sidebridge

River Colne Moorings

Copper Mill Lock 84

Copper Mill Lock Gates

Bridge 177

Troy Cut sidebridge

Black Jack's Lock 85

Bridge 178

Bridge 179

Widewater Lock 86

Widewater Lock Gates

Bridge 180

Widewater Moorings

Railway arches near Denham

Denham Railway Bridge

Denham Bridge 182

Denham (Buckinghamshire). Denham Deep Lock is particularly impressive especially when you stand beside the huge lock gates - this is the deepest lock on the Grand Union Canal - changing the water level by 11 feet 1 inch.

Denham Deeplock 87

Denham Deep Lock Gates

Denham Bridge 2 - Bridge 183

A40 Roadbridge

Pipebridges at Denham

Uxbridge Lock 88

Bridge 184

Entrance to Denham Marina

Uxbridge Bridge 185

An old Mill House at Uxbridge

Dolphin Bridge 186

Bridge 186.

Covered pipebridge

Canal pipebridge

Mill Road Bridge 187

Mill Road Bridge.

Pipes at Mill Road Bridge

Iver Lane Bridge 188

Cowley Lock 89

Lock Gates at Cowley Lock

Bridge no.189

Bridge 189

Canal Bridge 190

Bridge 190

Canal side bridge

Bridge 190 and Side Bridge

Cowley Peachey Junction Bridge 190b

Cowley Peached GU Canal junction

Cowley Peachey Junction Bridge 190b

Bridge 191 and a Pipebridge

Bridge 191

Bridge 192

Grand Union Canal - Bridge 192

Cowley Peachey Junction is where the five mile long Slough Canal Arm leaves the Grand Union Canal - the Slough Arm (perhaps obvously) ends at Slough and has no watery connections for narrowboats thereafter. However shortly where after the Slough Arm leaves the Grand Union you reach the junction with the Paddington Arm which starts it's journey from the Grand Union at Bull's Bridge and ends up by Paddington Station in West London. The Paddington Arm does offer cyclists, walkers and of course narrowboats options to continue elsewhere as there is a connection with the Regents Canal which in turn gives access to two river navigations i.e. the Lee Navigation and the Stort Navigation.

Horton Bridge 193 and Pipe

Horton Bridge 193

Canal Bridge 194a

Bridge 194a

Stockley Bridge 195

Stockley Roadbridge

Bridge 196

Dawley Bridge no.198

Southall Sikh Temple

Dawley Bridge 198

Anchor Bridge no.199

Anchor Bridge 199

One of the best parts of this final run by the Grand Union Canal into London and the Thames are the 6 locks that comprise the Hanwell Locks Flight which are built through really nice countryside. The towpath is generally in good condition for walkers and cyclists however you should be aware that - especially between Bridges 192 and 196 - some idiots are using the towpath to race up and down on small and of course un-licenced/un-insured motorbikes. Whilst in this area from the towpath if you look between the hedgerow you can easily spot the huge Sikh Temple at Southall with it's dome glinting in the sunshine (photo on the above photo row).

Bridge no.200

Shackles Dock Bridge

Railway Bridge 200d

Railway bridge 200d

Bridge 200c

Pipebridge and Bridge 200c

Bridge 200a

Bulls Junction - Bridge 21

The Paddington Canal Arm

Bulls Junction Bridge 21

Cluster of Houseboats near Bulls Jc.

Bridge 201

Bridge 202

Bridge 202 and Pipebridge

Adelaide Docks Entrance 202a

Adelaide Docks

Adelaide Docks Entrance 202a

Bridge 203

Footbridge 203a

Norwood Toplock 90

Lock gates at Norwood Toplock

Slade Lane bridge 204

Chubby swan seen near Hanwell Lock

Hanwell Lock 91

Lock gates at Hanwell Lock 91

Three Bridges - 205

Brunel's Three Bridges - 205

Three Bridges - 205

Hanwell Locks - Lock 92

Hanwell Locks - Lock 93

Hanwell Locks - Lock 94

Three Bridges (also known as Windmill Bridge). This particularly interesting bridge(s) was built in Victorian times (1856) by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Windmill Lane - supported by huge girders - crosses over the Grand Union Canal and the canal in turn goes over a single track railway line. The canal is encased in an 8 foot deep cast iron trough and other parts of the bridge have really nice brick arches.

Hanwell's six locks drop the Grand Union Canal by around 53 feet - the whole area around Hanwell lock flight is really pleasant to walk or cycle through. As you pass Hanwell Lock (Lock no.92) you then walk for ages alongside a really nice wall on the left of the towpath - bordering the extensive grounds of what was once the County Asylum (known as Hanwell Asylum) and what is now Ealing Hospital. There is a bricked up entrance into the grounds via which at one time canal boats would deliver coal for the Asylum's boilers and take away vegetables, fruit and animal products produced in the asylum's huge market gardens. Many years ago when the Grand Union Canal was used commercially the boatmen called the dock Asylum Dock and the lock itself was known as Asylum Lock.

Hanwell Locks - Lock 94's Gates

Hanwell Locks - Lock 95

Hanwell Locks - Lock 96

River Brent joins The Grand Union Canal here.

Hanwell Locks - Lock 97

Ontario Bridge no.205a

Large Syphon near Osterley Lock

British Waterways barge

Syphon by Osterley Lock

Osterley Lock 98

Bridge 205d and Osterley Lock

Another syphon by Bridge 206

Grand Union Bridge 206

Bridge 206

Railway Bridge 206a

Gallows Bridge 207

Weirs close to Gallows Bridge

Clitheroe Lock 99

Clitheroe Lock no.99

Clitheroe Lock Gates

Footbridge 207a

A4 Bridge 208

Bridge 208a

Lock 100 and Bridge 208e

Brentford Gauging Locks no.100

Bridge 208e

Brentford Gauging Locks no.100

Brentford Weir - Bridge

High Street Bridge 209

Bridge 209a

Bridge 209b

Views by the canal - Brentford

Bridge 209b

Canal Views

Bridge 209d

Bridge 209d's weir

Thames Lock - 101

Bridge 209c at Thame Lock

Thames Lock - 101

Thames Lock - single and double

Thames Lock - Gates

Bridge 209c at Thames Locks 101

Brentford boatyard

Entrance to the Grand Union Canal at Brentford

Muddy at Low Tide around The Thames - Brentford

The River Thames - Kew on the opposite bank

Towards the end of the Grand Union Canal Main Line starting from Brentford Gauging Locks and on down to the River Thames the canal is affected by tides and therefore boaters should consider the amount of headroom during a rising tide. Thames Lock itself has a permanent Lock Keeper and the lock can only be used at certain times - these times do change from time to time but as of Mid September 2011 (but do check this for any change) the Lock was available either side of high tide 0800-1800 between 1st April and 30th of September and - subject to tide and pre-booking - 0800-1600 between 1st October and 31st March. The Grand Union Canal ends it's long journey from Birmingham at Thames Locks - the remaining few hundred yards making the connection down to the Thames is on the River Brent.

These are our Grand Union Canal topics:
Grand Union Canal Birmingham to Kingswood
Kingswood Junction via Hatton Locks to Royal Leamington Spa
Grand Union Canal Leamington Spa to Braunston
Grand Union Canal Braunston--Stoke Bruerne-Wolverton
Grand Union Canal Wolverton to Horton
Ivinghoe Lock to Kings Langley on The Grand Union Canal
Kings Langley into London at Brentford - this page

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 Nicholson 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!.