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 left - however elsewhere both river and canal are often just a few yards
away from each other. In one particularly interesting spot the River Cherwell cuts across the canal at Weir bridge
and Lock. One of the
saddest things we have come across on the Oxford Canal is the (presumably responsible) Oxfordshire County Council's poor
treatment of Nell bridge. They have simply shoved an ugly load of concrete immediately across the top of this
once gorgeous little bridge - which incidentally is one of the oldest on the Oxford Canal system. In other locations
where roads have to cross at existing canal bridge sites at least some attempt has been made to keep the original
canal bridge intact by routing their ugle concrete bridge either higher up or to the side, but here they have simply
vandalised it - shame on them.
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 said bridges at one time.
Oxford Canal Bridges and Locks between the centre of Banbury at Bluebird Bridge to Isis Lock Bridge 243 and Isis Lock 46 in the heart of Oxford.
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. 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). There are quite a few lift bridges along the route and also sadly some locations where these bridges have been demolished.
Nell Bridge.
Poor old Nell Bridge - totally covered over by the building of a crappy road
bridge - no thought to the history and beauty of this - one of the oldest canal bridges on the Oxford Canal.
The River Cherwell. The Cherwell is always quite
close to the canal along this stretch and particularly interesting is around
Anyho Weir Lock where it actually diagonally crosses the Oxford Canal. The
canal's towpath is carried over the river on a really nice set of brickwork
arches - if there has been heavy rain the currents 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 - taking the canal only
around one foot below the River Cherwell - this extra width allowed sufficient
water to be passed through the system.
Shared Waters. The River Cherwell and Oxford Canal meet and share their water passage through Oxfordshire just south of Bakers Lock at the nicely shaped Horse Bridge - this dual waterway then continues south as far as the really beautiful area around Shipton Weir Lock where river and canal part company.
Duke's Cut. This short waterway connects the Oxford Canal with the River Thames and was made at the request of the Duke of Marlborough - hence the name. As you go along the Cut it is much more like a river - lots of willows and other trees line the route and inevitably there are quite often fallen branches around so care is needed. The "towpath" is generally narrow and lined with nettles and some bramble to start with and also often quite muddy - then it follows the twists of the Cut as it goes between fields to reach the River Thames.
Several books about English Canals and their History:-
Useful Canal Books:-
Anatomy of Canals
British Canals: The Standard History
Nicholson Guide to the Waterways
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The Oxford Canal - a complete record of every
bridge and lock are split into 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
From Banbury into the City of Oxford and the
end of the Oxford Canal (this page)
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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