Market Harborough Canal - England

Foxton Locks - Market Harborough - Lubenham Circular Walk along the canal arm and some nice countryside.

A circular walk in Leicestershire including photos of the two sets of staircase locks at Foxton Locks plus other photos from the area including the remains of the inclined plane - also all the bridges along the canal side arm which goes to Market Harborough.

Located on the Leicester Arm of the Grand Union Canal, Foxton boasts the largest set (two lots of 5 in fact) of staircase locks on the canal system in England and has to be a must see place to visit if you enjoy canals and related buildings etc. Foxton is located around 3 miles to the northwest of Market Harborough in the English County of Leicestershire - just a little way off the B6047 Kettering to Market Harborough road. There is a Long Stay car park on one side of the road (currently UKstg1.50 to park all day) or you can go into the Short Term (for up to 4 hours and currently costing UKstg2.0) British Waterways car park in their Country Park. Foxton Locks area has been really smartened up - the paths are all in good condition, as mentioned there is lots of parking available, there are several canal side pubs at the bottom of the flight or you can get a cup of coffee if you wish by the lock-keepers cottage by Toplock. The old engine house now contains a small canal museum where amongst other things you can see a working model of the boat lift.

Our topic shows quite a few photographs taken around Foxton Locks including the lock flight itself plus various bridges - also several pictures of where the inclined plane was located. This has so far not been restored but hopefully one day boats may yet again have the facility available. At the moment the only way along the Leicester Canal is to use the lock flight - these are narrow locks only able to accommodate one boat at a time and there is only a small basin between the two staircase flights. A Canal Arm leaves the main canal at Foxton and heads off for around 5 miles to arrive at the really nice town of Market Harborough - we have quite a few photos of the Market Harborough Canal Arm including all of the bridges along the route - there are no locks. The towpath all the way is in excellent condition and fine for walkers and cyclists. Rather than walk back to Foxton it is possible to go across country to make a really nice circular walk - which includes a brief visit into Lubenham to see it's church and some very old buildings.

Bridge 60 - Gumley Roadbridge Foxton - Gumley Roadbridge no.60 Foxton Toplock - Lock no.8 Foxton's Staircase Locks - Lock 9 footbridge at Lock9 at Foxton The Lockgates at Foxton Lock no.10
Bridge 60 - Gumley Roadbridge Gumley Road Bridge Foxton Top Lock 8 Foxton Lock 9 Footbridge going over Lock 9 The Lock Gates at Lock 10
Lock 11 at Foxton Staircase Lock 13 at Foxton view of the narrow lock 14 plus small reservoir at Foxton trolley used when the inclined plane was built Concrete base for the runners at Foxton part of the inclined plane at Foxton
Foxton Lock 11 leading to Lock 12 Foxton Lock 13 - part of the staircase locks Foxton Lock 14 with a storage pond on the right Trolley used during the building of the inclined plane Site of the inclined plane showing the concrete base for the runners Concrete base - inclined plane
Lock 16 and Bridge 61 at Foxton Locks view of Foxton Lock Flight Part of the two sets of staircase locks at Foxton Foxton Bottom Lock and Bridge 61 Canal bridge 61 at Foxton Bottom Lock 17 - Foxton
Lock 16 with Bridge 61 Foxton's Staircase Locks Lock 16 with Lock 15 behind it Bridge 61 from Bottom Lock Bridge 61 Foxton Bottom Lock 17

About Foxton and It's Locks and Inclined Plane. The two sets of staircase locks were designed by Benjamin Bevin to take the canal down (or up) a total of 75 feet and comprise of two lots of 5 locks - these were built between 1810 and 1814. Staircase locks are different to normal canal locks as the intermediate locks share the same gates - the locks at Foxton are just 7 feet wide so cater for only one boat at a time - it can be a lengthy process traversing the flight. The canals were of course originally designed as highways for transporting goods around the country and because of the delays in getting through Foxton Locks in 1894 the Grand Junction Canal Company asked an engineer called Gordon Cale Thomas to find a solution to the bottlenecks.

Bridge 62 - Rainbow Bridge Upper side-arm bridge at Foxton Locks one of the pulley wheels at Foxton Bridge near the site of the inclined plane view from the base of the inclined plane at Foxton
Rainbow Bridge 62 Bridge into the Upper Side Arm - lower channel to the inclined plane One of the huge pulley wheels which used to drag the tanks on the inclined plane Bridge by the inclined plane Bottom view of where the inclined plane was situated - top to bottom it's 75 feet

The result was the building of an inclined plane counter-balanced boat lift - two massive tanks which could each hold two narrow boats or one up to 10 foot wide barge. Once parked inside the tanks the guillotine gates would be closed trapping a tank full of water. Then a huge winding drum powered by a 25hp steam engine reeled in the upward moving tank using a heavy steel cable whilst simultaneously letting out the cable which was attached to a descending tank. The boat lift opened in 1900 but although the throughput of boats was much improved at Foxton all that really happened was that the problem was pushed elsewhere - namely to the set of narrow staircase locks at Watford Gap (see our photos here). These locks at Watford gap were also meant to be widened but it never happened and eventually the Boat Lift was closed in 1911 and everyone had to use the staircase locks again.

 

The Market Harborough Canal Arm. This five mile long Arm leaves the Leicester Line from the bottom of Foxton Locks and wanders through the countryside to arrive at Market Harborough - and we do mean "wanders" - it follows the contours and is nearly as bendy as the older Oxford Canal.

Completed in 1809 the original idea was to continue the Arm from Market Harborough on through to Northampton - it never happened. There are no locks on this generally quite wide Arm - the towpath is really well surfaced and excellent for either cyclists or walkers. The following walk goes from Foxton Lock-keepers cottage down the flight then along the Arm to Market Harborough - then back across country to Foxton - just a little bit of hill climbing around Lubenham and a total walk of around 10 miles.
From the Gumley Road car park a path takes you the short distance down to the Leicester Canal at bridge 60 - cross the bridge onto the towpath and turn right towards the Foxton Lock Flight and the Toplock. Obviously you may well spend some time wandering around the area but once ready for the walk go to the bottom of the lock flight and the canal junction - the Leicester Canal goes off half left and the Arm goes off to the right - you need to be on the Arm's far towpath and you can get to this by crossing over Rainbow bridge (62). There is nothing complicated about this walk to Market Harborough - just a case of enjoying the lovely countryside and enjoying the old bridges and buildings you pass on the way.

Gumley Road - Bridge 60 at Foxton Locks  Foxton Top Lock and the Lock Keeper's Cottage  The feeder arm to the inclined plane - top level - Foxton Locks  Now a museum this was originally the engine house part of the staircase locks at Foxton - Lock 14 View of the part of Foxton Lock Flight
Gumley roadbridge Lock keeper's cottage next to Toplock Channel on the left goes to the inclined plane (top) The old engine house at Foxton Locks Foxton Lock 14 looking down the flight Foxton Locks looking up the flight
Staircase Locks at Foxton Foxton's Inclined Plane Bridge no.61 Rainbow Bridge at Foxton Foxton Locks - canal junction Foxton Locks - Feeder Arm Bridge
View looking up the Staircase Locks at Foxton View down the inclined plane at Foxton Canal Bridge 61 Rainbow Bridge - bridge 62 Foxton Canal Junction - Leicester Line Feeder arm bridge
Swingbridge at Foxton Junction and the swingbridge Leicestershire - the Market Harborough Canal Arm missing bridge on the canal arm? Blackhorse Bridge - no.3 Blackhorse Bridge - 3
Swing Bridge on the Market Harborough Arm Canal Swing Bridge Market Harborough Arm Site of a missing canal bridge Blackhorse Bridge 3 Blackhorse Bridge no.3

Foxton's St. Andrews ChurchYou can divert off the canal at Bridge 3 to take a look at Foxton's nice old church (St Andrew's) - also a little way past Bridge 8 (Gallows Hill bridge) remember to look back from where the canal bends to the right for an excellent view of warehouses and also a nice high brick chimney.
When you reach Bowden Hall Bridge it's worth just popping up to the road where there are some really nice old buildings/warehouses as well as the Hall itself. The canal does bend around quite a lot and manages to make a quite tight twist just after Bridge 14 (Wooden Stepbridge) as it gets more into Market Harborough. Just after this really tight bend on the canal and where it straightens up take note of a footpath on the right - you will use this later.

Beautiful canal arm on it's way to Market Harborough Swingbridge no4 Market Harborough Canal Arm - Swingbridge no4 Swingbridge Clarkes Bridge no.5 Clarkes Bridge - the Market Harborough Arm
Really beautiful trees and countryside Swingbridge 4 Swing Bridge Swingbridge 4 Clarkes Bridge - 5 Clarkes Bridge no5
stepbridge 6 Foxton Stepbridge 6 Johnsons Bridge no.7 Market Harborough Canal Arm - Johnsons Bridge 7 On the way to Market Harborough on it's canal arm Market Harborough Canal Arm
Stepbridge 6 Stepbridge 6 A canal syphon and Johnson's Bridge 7 Johnsons Bridge 7 Views along the canal Arm The really beautiful Market Harborough Canal Arm
well hidden Gallows Hill Bridge Gallows Hill Bridge no8 pipe and Gallows Hill Bridge probable site of a small wharf The beautiful Canal Arm to Market Harborough Market Harborough Canal Arm - Sedgeleys Bridge no.9
Gallows Hill Bridge is there somewhere... Gallows Hill Bridge Gallow Hill Bridge 8 and it's pipebridge Site of a canal wharf Beautiful views along the Arm. Sedgeley's Bridge - 9
Sedgeleys Bridge Bowden Hall Bridge 10 pipebridge area around Bowden Hall by the Canal Arm near Market Harborough Bowden Hall Bridge no.10 Market Harborough Arm old warehouses
Sedgeley's Bridge - 9 Bowden Hall Bridge 10 Beautiful pipe at Bridge 10 Warehouses (well they were once) Bowden Hall Bridge no.10 Canal side warehouses
walking the Market Harborough Arm and approaching Saunts Bridge Saunts Bridge no.11 Market Harborough - Saunts Bridge Saunts Bridge no.11 on the canal arm Uncle Tom's Bridge 12 On the Canal Arm near Market Harborough - Uncle Tom's Bridge no.12
The views around this area were fantastic Saunts Bridge 11 Lovely old Saunts Bridge Saunts Bridge Uncle Tom's Bridge 12 Uncle Tom's Bridge

The basin at Market Harborough is really nice - all the warehouses and old buildings have been renovated and are now being used as a mixture of flats, small shops and so on - there is quite a bit of seating and it is a great spot especially if the sun is out

Bridge 13 - Turnover Bridge Turnover Bridge 13 on the Market Harborough Arm stepbridge no.14 just outside of Market Harborough - canal stepbridge no.14 Market Harborough Arm near the town Market Harborough's Union Wharf
Turnover Bridge no.13 Turnover Bridge 13 Step Bridge 14 Wooden Stepbridge 14 Nearly into Market Harborough Market Harborough Canal Basin
Market Harborough Canal Arm - the Basin Union Wharf Arm Basin at Market Harborough On the way back to Foxton from market Harborough across the fields Lubenham's All Saints Church Close to the church at Lubenham there is a nice old railway bridge
Union Wharf Union Wharf in Market Harborough Union Wharf Route is marked with orange posts Lubenham - All Saints Church Lovely old railway bridge by the church

The walk continues by returning back along the canal and then taking the previously noted path leaving the towpath between fences on the left which quickly brings you onto Logan Crescent. Turn right then take the next right onto Knoll Street which you follow to the bottom of the hill. Turn left along Gardiner Street and follow the road along looking out for a signposted footpath on the right which goes between a brick wall and fence. This brings you onto Brookfield Road, turn right and shortly turn left into Hill Gardens then go right along The Pastures at the top of which you will find the start of a footpath. Follow the path alongside houses and then to a field - go almost straight ahead across the field aiming for a single oak tree and a marker post - from here there are orange marker posts showing the route.

Lubenham - The Tower House Old stables at Lubenham Lubenham - ex-stables by the Tower House field walks heading back to Foxton from Lubenham in Leicestershire presumably old military site now disused
Lubenham - The Tower House The old stables at Tower House in Lubenham Old stables - now converted for use by people instead of horses Far side of Lubenham - path is marked with orange marker-posts. Site of dis-used camp - take the left hand path just after here

Continue across the next field to a road - turn right and cross the road - very shortly take a path leaving on the left. This marked path crosses fields and eventually joins a small road on the edge of Lubenham. Turn left and follow the road round to the church. Walk through the churchyard and out onto Rushes Lane at the far side - turn right and then stay on this lane as it passes several old buildings and eventually reaches a main road. Cross the main road onto the road opposite (The Green) and then go left and looking out for and taking a footpath on the right. Follow the footpath and when it splits take the left fork - continue across the fields and eventually through a small wooded area to reach Foxton Road by a small farm. Cross the road and take the footpath opposite. This path crosses fields and arrives at Holme's Farm. The path continues across several small fields but when we walk it these were all enclosed with electric fences - far easier to go right along the track and then shortly take the track on the left. Just before reaching the pond go right across fields and follow the marker posts - when you come to a clump of trees (marked on the map as the site of a dis-used camp) in a dip the path splits - take the left fork and then continue across more fields to eventually arrive back at the canal by Bridge 60.

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