The Oxford Canal - Banbury via Aynho, Islip, Lower Heyford into Oxford.
Oxford Canal Bridges and Locks from the centre of Banbury at Bluebird Bridge
across lovely Oxfordshire countryside to it's end at Isis Lock Bridge 243 and Isis Lock 46 in Oxford City.
The Oxford Canal joins the lovely River Cherwell which seems to wander and meander about even more than it's watery neighbour for a short distance but they soon part company again as in the photo on the right. However elsewhere both river and canal are often just a few yards
away from each other. In one particularly interesting spot (at Weir bridge and Lock) the River Cherwell actually cuts across the Oxford Canal.

Originally the Oxford Canal was built and used for moving coal to the South but these days it is the habitat of fishermen, cruise boats, cyclists, walkers, herons, kingfishers, fat ducks and a large number of private canal boats. We have often used the canal for our walking trips - it is quite ideal to create lots of circular walks in and around the open countryside especially around the Lower Heyford area of Oxfordshire. One of the nicest things about the canal are the small bridges which frequently cross over it - these are usually simply farmer's bridges used to move stock etc. between their fields either side of the canal. There are quite a few photos of the railway bridges and also some of the what appears to be the remains of bridges as well.
Of course in reality these remains are no longer bridges since they do not cross the canal but are interesting so
included. The original canal bridges were numbered and where some of the numbers are now missing but bridge remains exist we have made a guess that these were numbers belonging to said bridges.
As you head south out of Banbury the towpath passes quite a few derelict warehouses alhtough the town seems to be busy renovating these buildings and probably one day soon they will all be people's flats. As you walk along the towpath you soon get into really open countryside - as the River Cherwell is often right next to the canal the towpath can be really wet and muddy (due to seep-age).
The Oxford Canal and it's Lift Bridges.
There are quite a few canal liftbridges along this section of the Canal and also you can see some locations where these lift bridges have now been (sadly) demolished.

Bluebird Bridge

Albion Bridge 166

Samuelson Bridge 168

Demolished Bridge 169

Demolished bridge

Haynes Lift Bridge 170

Foxes Lift Bridge 171

Nadkey Bridge 172

Lift Bridge 173

M40 Bridge

Grants Lock 30

Grants Bridge 174

Grants Bridge 174

Stevens Lift Bridge 175

demolished bridge 176?

Twyford Bridge 177

Demolished lift bridge - possibly 178

or this demolished bridge may have been 178

King's Sutton
Lock 31

King's Sutton Lock 31

Tarvers Bridge 179

Tarvers Bridge 179

Scroobys Lift Bridge 181

Coles Lift Bridge 182

Dismantled Railway Bridge

M40 Road Bridge

Coles Lift Bridge 183

Demolished
Lift Bridge 184?

Demolished
Lift Bridge 185?

Haddons Lift Bridge 186
Nell Bridge and The Oxford Canal.
Poor old Nell Bridge - it has been totally covered over by the building of a crappy concrete road bridge with obviously no consideration by the authorities to the history and beauty of one of the oldest canal bridges on the Oxford Canal.
The River Cherwell
is always quite close to the canal along this stretch and particularly interesting is the area around Anyho Weir Lock where it actually (diagonally) crosses the Oxford Canal. The canal's towpath is carried across the river on a really nice set of brickwork
arches. If there has been heavy rain the currents here are quite violent. Anyho Weir Lock
is situated immediately after Weir Bridge - this lock is quite unusual in that it is an irregular octagan shape and quite shallow. The lock takes the canal only around one foot below the River Cherwell but this octagonal shaped design allows sufficient water to be passed through the system.
Nell Bridge Lock 32
Nell Bridge Lock 32
Nell Bridge Lock 32
Nell Bridge 187
Weir Bridge 188
Aynho Weir raised towpath

Aynho Weir Lock 33

Aynho Weir Lock 33

Belchers Lift Bridge 189

Aynho Bridge 190

Demolished Lift Bridge - 191?

Souldern Bridge 192

Chisnell Lift Bridge 193

Somerton Deep Lock Bridge 194

Somerton Deep Lock 34

Somerton Deep Lock 34

Somerton Deep Lock Bridge 194

Meadlands Bridge 195

Somerton Bridge 196

Demolished Lift Bridge - 197?

Deep Cutting Bridge 198

Somerton Mill Bridge 199

Pipe Bridge

Heyford Common Lock 35

Heyford Common
Bridge 200

Railway Bridge 201

Single Bridge 202

Bridge 203

Bridge 203

Allen's Lock 36

Allen's Lock 36

Allens Bridge 204

Mill Lift Bridge 205

Heyford Wharf Bridge 206

Cleeves Bridge 207

High Bush Bridge 208

Dashwood's Lock 37

Dashwood's Lock 37

Dashwood Bridge 209

Dashwood Bridge 209

Northbrook Bridge 210

Northbrook Packhorse Bridge by 210

Northbrook Lock 38

Northbrook Lock 38

New Brighton Bridge 211

Old Brighton Bridge 212

Pigeons Lock 39

Pigeons Bridge 213

Pigeons Bridge 213

Pigeons Bridge area

Pinsey Bridge 214

aka Binsey Bridge sometimes

Caravan Lift Bridge 215

Enslow Railway Bridge 216a

Enslow Bridge 216

Bakers Lock 40

Bakers Lock

Horse Bridge 217

Bunker Hill
Railway Bridge

Shipton Weir Bridge 218 + Lock 41

Shipton Weir Lock 41
Shared Waters on the Oxford Canal.
The River Cherwell and The Oxford Canal meet therefore and share their waters through Oxfordshire just south of Bakers Lock at the nicely shaped Horse Bridge - this river/canal comination then continues south as far as the really beautiful area around Shipton Weir Lock where The river Cherwell and the canal part company.

Shipton Lift Bridge 219

Shipton Lift Bridge 219

Shipton on Cherwell Railway Bridge

Dismantled Railway Bridge

Dismantled
Railway Bridge

Shipton Bridge 220
and Stoplock

Shipton Bridge 220

Aubreys Lift Bridge 221

Sparrowgap Bridge 223

Langford Lane
Bridge 224

Langford Lane Bridge 224

Roundham Lock 42

Roundham Bridge 226

Roundham Bridge 226

Bullers Bridge 227

Bullers Bridge 227

Yarnton Bridge 228

Yarnton Bridge 228

Kidlington Green Lock 43

Kidlington Green Lock

Pipe Bridge Kidlington

Oxford Canal Footbridge

Oxford Canal Footbridge

Kings Bridge 230

Drinkwaters Lift Bridge 231
Duke's Cut connects the Oxford Canal with the River Thames.
The Cut was built in 1789 at the request of the Duke of Marlborough - hence the name. For narrowboats leaving Dukes Cut Lock 44a the turn right into the Cut occurs almost immediately - then on under Dukes Bridge and into Lock 44b (which has a railway bridge above it just to add to the fun). The Cut is more like a river with willows and other trees lining the route and often fallen branches
are floating around so care is needed. The "towpath" is generally narrow and lined with nettles and bramble to start with and also quite muddy - then it follows the twists of the Cut between fields to reach the
River Thames. For walkers and cyclists note that there is no access to the Thames
Path via this cut - the nearest way to the Thames is by leaving the canal at Bridge 235 then via Wolvercote to The Thames at Godstow Bridge. Note: Dukes Lock 44a on the Oxford Canal was originally named Shuttleworth Lock.
Dukes Lock 44a
Dukes Lock
Railway Bridge
Oxford Canal Link to The Thames
Dukes Bridge 232
Dukes Cut Lock 44b

A40 Bridge 232a

A40 Bridge 232a

Lift Bridge 233

A34 Western Bypass Bridge(s) 233a

A34 Western Bypass Bridge(s)

Perry's Lift bridge 234

Perrys Lift Bridge

Wolvercote Lock 45

Bridge 235

Wolvercote Lock 45

Footbridge 235

Balls Bridge 236

Balls Bridge 236

Bridge 236a

Bridge 236a

Missing bridge 237? location

St Edward's Lift Bridge

St Edward's Lift Bridge 238

Bridge 238b

Bridge 238b

Location of missing bridge 239?

Bridge 239a

Bridge 239a

Aristotle Bridge - 240

Aristotle Bridge

Canal Bridge 242

Bridge 242b

Bridge 242b

Bridge 243

Canal Bridge 243

Oxford - Isis Lock 46

Another route to The Thames at Isis Cut

The Oxford end of the Oxford Canal
From the end of the
Oxford Canal at Isis Locks and Bridge
if you turn right along the road you will find that Oxford Railway Station is just a short stroll away. Should you instead you turn left along the road then Oxford City Centre plus all the many churches, colleges and so on for which Oxford is so famous are again just a few minutes stroll away.
The Oxford Canal - a complete record of it's bridges and canal locks are split into these pages:-
A photo record of the Oxford Canal's Locks
Northern end of the Oxford Canal - Sutton Stop
to Braunston Turn
Oxford Canal - Braunston south to Banbury
From Banbury into the City of Oxford and the end of the Oxford Canal (this page)
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