The Beautiful Stratford-on-Avon Canal - England.

Guide about the towpath, bridges, locks and other canal features for the Stratford-on-Avon Canal which is located in the English Midlands.

The 25.5 mile long Stratford-on-Avon Canal runs between Kings Norton Junction near Birmingham (where it connects with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal) more or less in a south easterly direction to Stratford upon Avon (where it links up with the River Avon).
The canal was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1793 and after some delays finally opened between Kings Norton Junction and Lapworth in 1803 and eventually connected with the Avon at Stratford Canal at the end of June 1816. The Canal's locks are very similar to those found on the Oxford Canal i.e. they are narrow and only one barge at a time can go through - transversing the Flight at Lapworth can therefore take some time - particularly the 6 to 14 sequence and shortly after that the 15 to 19 sequence of locks all of which are right on top of each other.

Kings Norton Junction is a really nice peaceful area with it's nice old Junction Bridge 72, a beautifuly made old brick warehouse and additionally several seats along the grassy areas which are just right for stopping off for a lunch break or picnic. Several cycle routes intersect at the junction - by using the Worcester Canal's towpath the centre of Birmingham is only about 6 miles away in one direction and Worcester around 25 miles away in the other.

Right at the head of Kings Norton Junction is the fairly large Junction House - it's noticeboard makes interesting reading concerning toll and cargo charges in effect in 1894. For instance tonnage per mile of Lime at 1/2d, manure, bricks tile and stone at 3/4d, cattle, sheep and pigs were 1-1/2d and on top of this a charge of 1d per mile per boat. The Stratford on Avon canal starts off by passing through residential areas of Birmingham's suburbs for around 5 miles but you would hardly know this - it is often heavily tree-lined and very peaceful. The canal is quite wide for narrowboats and the towpath is generally in really good condition as far as Dickens Heath with just one short stretch where it has become muddy.

Kings Norton Junction	Junction Bridge 72	Junction Bridge 72	Toll Office	Warehouse by the Jcn.	Bridge 1

Around 200 yards along the Stratford upon Avon Canal there is a quite rare and nicely preserved double guillotine stop lock - these type of locks were used to control water flow between canals owned by different companies - water was a valuable commodity. The stop lock mechanism is still there and shows the gearings, chains and iron gantry as well as the oak "guillotines" at each end of the lock.

Bridge 1 and stoplock	guillotine double stop lock	Site of an old swing bridge	Pipebridge	Brandwood Tunnel West	Brandwood Tunnel East

Brandwood Tunnel is 322 metres in length and wide enough to be able to take two way narrowboat traffic - the size of barge it can accommodate is maximum 2.13 metres Beam and 2.1 metres Air draft. There is no towpath within the tunnel - before the days of mechanically powered barges boatmen pulled their narrowboats and barges through by using the iron hand-railings which were built into the tunnel's sides. If cycling or walking along the canal you have to divert up into Brandwood End. Although it's just a short distance you have to use a side road and then cross a major road where several main roads meet (there are pedestrian lights) and nothing is marked. From the West Portal walk up to the road - turn left and then go right on a path which cuts across grass to the main road. Go straight across the road and then shortly bear left down a path on the right and back onto the towpath.

Brandwood Tunnel (E)

East Portal Brandwood Tunnel

Pipebridge and Bridge 3

Bridge 3

Brandwood cut bridge

Lyon's Wharf

Bridge 4	Pipebridge and Bridge 4	Bridge 4	Pipes and Bridge 4	Bridge 5	Bridge 5
Pipes and Bridge 6	Bridge 6	Bridge 6 and nearbye pipes	Bridge 7	Bridge 7	Site of aqueduct stoplock
Shirley Aqueduct	Shirley Drawbridge	Shirley Drawbridge	Shirley Drawbridge	Bridge 9	Bridge 9
Railway bridge	Railway bridge 9a	Bridge 10	Bridge 10	Bridge 11	Bridge 11
Bridge 12	Bridge 12	Footbridge 13	Bridge 14 Dickens Heath	Bridge 14	Bridge 15

Up to this part of the Stratford on Avon Canal there are very few bridges chowever from Dickens Heath onwards you start to regularly come across many really nice old bricked bridges. The towpath changes to more of a grass and dirt surface from here - when we last walked this stretch there had been little rainfall for several weeks and most of the towpath was dry however it is obvious from the surface that in places this must get extremely muddy when wet and probably difficult to traverse for cyclists. The canal is completely lined with beautiful trees and quite dense foliage for some miles now and walking along especially when there is a little bit of dappled sunshine getting through is a complete walking pleasure. Just after passing Bridge 16 a feeder arm meets the canal - this provides water to the canal from the three reservoirs at Earlswood Lakes - these reservoirs were built in the 1820s.

Bridge 15

Bridge 16

Bridge 16

Feeder Arm

Lady Lane Wharf

Pipe Bridge

Bridge 17	Bridge 17	Bridge 18	Bridge 18	Warings Green Wharf	Bridge 19
Bridge 19	Bridge 20	Bridge 20	Bridge 20a	M42 Bridge 20a	Bridge 21
Bridge 21	Bridge 22	Bridge 22	Bridge 23	Bridge 23	Bridge 24
Bridge 24	Hockley Heath Arm	Bridge 25	Bridge 25	Draw Bridge 26	Draw Bridge
Swallow Cruises Wharf	Bridge 27	Bridge 27	Lift Bridge 28	Lift Bridge 28	Lapworth TopLock
Top Lock 2	Bridge 29	Lapworth Lock 3	lockgates lock 3	Lock 4 + Bridge 30	Lapworth Lock 4
Bridge 30	Lock 5	Bridge 31	Bridge 31	Lock 6	Lock 6 Gates

The Stratford upon Avon Canal perhaps has something of a split personality as far as it's bridges are concerned. Right up too and including Bridge 30 (which is a turnover bridge) they are standard brick-built bridges with room under the bridge on one side or the other for the towpath. However once at Lock 7 you come across a complete change - many of the bridges are made of cast iron and there are footbridges placed at the end of many of the locks. These bridges were constructed in two sections with a one inch gap in the centre which enabled the tow-ropes attached to the horses to be passed through and thus avoid frequent un-harnessing. Bridge 32 (see the photo on the right) is a cast iron turnover footbridge i.e. the towpath changes sides and to accommodate the towrope and avoid un-harnessing and tangling up the tow-rope was guided round an iron "cotton reel".

Lock 7

Lapworth Lock7

Bridge no.32

Bridge 32 lug

Bridge 32

Lapworth Lock 8

Lapworth Lock 8	Lapworth Lock 9	Lapworth Lock 9	Lapworth Lock 10	Lapworth Lock 10	Lapworth Lock 11
Lapworth Lock 11	Lapworth Lock 12	Lapworth Lock 12	Lapworth Lock 13	Lapworth Lock 13	Lapworth Lock 14
Lock-14 Bridge-33 Pipe	Bridge 33 + Pipes	Bridge 33 + Pipebridge	Canal Bridge no.34	Canal Bridge no.34	Lapworth Lock 15
Lapworth Lock 15	Lapworth Lock 16	Lapworth Lock 16	Lapworth Locks 16+17	Lapworth Lock 17	Lapworth Lock 17

The area around the flight of locks at Lapworth is really well maintained with plenty of grass areas and quite a few bench seats available for people to use whilst perhaps watching the narrowboats navigating the many locks. The Lapworth Lock Flight consists of 26 locks in all with locks 6 to 14 immediately next to each other - the locks themselves are single locks with double bottom gates. In between each lock there is a quite large pool / pound of water available for any transitting narrowboats needing to wait their turn - these mini-reservoirs are also very useful for providing an immediate water source to the locks.

Lapworth Lock 18	Lapworth Lock 18	Canal Bridge no.35	PipeBridge by bridge 35	Canal Bridge no.35	Lapworth Lock 19
Canal Bridge no.35a	Bridge36 + Lapworth Lock20	Lapworth Lock 20	Lapworth Lock 20	Lapworth Lock 20	Canal Bridge no.36
Lapworth Lock 21 + Bridge 36	Lapworth Lock 21	Kingswood Junction	Footbridge at Kingswood Jc	Kingswood Jc Railway Bridge	Area at Kingswood Junction
Kingswood Jc Bridge no.37	Kingswood Jc Bridge37	Lapworth Lock 22	Canal Bridge no.37a	Lapworth Lock 23	Lapworth Lock 23

The canal provides a connection with the Grand Union Canal Main Line about halfway along it's route at Kingswood Junction towards the bottom of the Lapworth Lock Flight between Locks 19 and 22. Narrowboats can go between the two canals - if heading from Birmingham then narrowboats can turn left just after Lock 19 and use the Lapworth Link Lock 20 and narrowboats coming from the south would turn right after Lock 22.

Broom Hall Bridge no.38	Canal Bridge no.38	Lapworth Lock 24	Lapworth Lock 24	Dicks Lane Lock 25	Dicks Lane Bridge 39
Lock 26	Lock 26 gates	M40 bridge 39a	Lapworth Bottom Lock 27	Bridge 39b	Lock 28
Cottages at Lock 28	Lock 29	Lock 29 lockgates	Missing railway bridge	Lock 30	Lock 30

Just above there is a photo of the type of a lock-keeper's cottage the design of which was quite unique to the Stratford upon Avon Canal - to save money the cottages were single storey and had barrel vaulted roofs.

Finwood Bridge	Finwood Bridge 40	Lock 31	Lowsonford Bridge	Lowsonford Bridge 41	Lock 32
Missing Bridge 42	Lock 33	Bridge 44	Bridge 44	Bucket Lock Aqueduct	Bucket Lock Aqueduct
Bucket Lock 34	Bucket Lock Bridge	Bucket Lock Bridge 44a	Bridge 45	Lock 35	Old weight restriction sign
Bridge 45	Preston Bagot Toplock	Bridge 46	Preston Bagot Lock 37	Preston Bagot Bottomlock 38	Bridge 47

Bridge 47	Bridge 47a	Bridge 48	Bridge 48	Bridge 49	Bridge 49
Bridge 50	Bridge 50	Green Lane Bridge 51	Green Lane Bridge	Bridge 52	Bridge 52
Bridge 53	Wootton Wawen Wharf	Bridge 53	Wootton Wawen's Aqueduct	Wootton Wawen Aqueduct	Bridge 54
Bridge 54	Bridge 55	Bridge 55	Bridge 56	Bridge 56	Bearley Lock 39

Edstone Aqueduct was built in the early 1800s and is the largest of a series of three cast iron (trough design) aqueducts which can be seen on the Stratford upon Avon Canal. Edstone Aqueduct takes the canal over a tributary of the River Avon and also over GWR railway lines and a road - the aqueduct is 475 feet long, supported on huge brick pillars and has the canal's towpath alongside. It's very interesting to walk across the aqueduct whilst narrowboats (and the occasional duck) are passing by more or less level with your waist.

Edstone Aqueduct	Edstone Aqueduct - ducks in transit	Edstone Aqueduct	Edstone Aqueduct view from the road beneath.	Draper Bridge 57	Draper Bridge
Bridge 58	Bridge 58	Featherbed Lane Bridge	Featherbed Lane Bridge 59	Canada Bridge 60	Canada Bridge 60
Wilmcote Toplock 40	Wilmcote Lock 41	Wilmcote Lockgates (41)	Wilmcote Lock 42	Wilmcote Lock 43	Bridge 61
Wilmcote Lock 43	Bridge 61	Wilmcote Lock 44	Wilmcote Lock 44	Wilmcote Lock 45	Wilmcote Lock 46
Wilmcote Lock Flight	Wilmcote Lock 47	Missing bridge 62	Wilmcote Lock 48	Wilmcote Lock 48 gates	Wilmcote Lock 49
Wilmcote Lock 49	Wilmcote BottomLock 50	Wilmcote BottomLock Gates	Chaly Beate Bridge 62a	Chaly Beate Bridge 62a	Bridge 63
Bridge 63	Bishopton Lock 51	Bishopton Lockgates	Bridge 64	Railway Bridge 64a	Railway Bridge 64b
One Elm Lock 52	Bridge 65	One Elm Lockgates	Bridge 66	Bridge 66	Maidenhead Road Lock 53
Maidenhead Road Lock 53	Lock 53	Bridge 67	Lock 54	Warwick Lane Lock 55	Bridge 68
Warwick Lane Lockgates	Bridge 69	Bridge 69	Bancroft Basin	Wide Lock 56	Wide Lock 56 lockgates

Once you have passed under Bridge 69 (which is the lowest bridge since Lapworth) you enter the centre of the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon at Bancroft Basin and this is the start (or end?) of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The whole area is very spacious and nicely paved and grassed and particularly on a sunny Summer weekend is really full of tourists (the Stratford-on-Avon / Shakespeare bit..). The River Avon meets the canal via Wide Lock 56 which is a double lock and from there you get excellent views of the River which at this point is really wide. Also a good view of the beautifull Tramway Bridge. Tramway Bridge, which was built in 1823, got its name from being part of a 16 mile long horse-drawn tramway which ran between Moreton-in-Marsh (with a branch to Shipston-on-Stour) and the canal basin at Stratford-upon-Avon.

We have picked out a few Books about England - Churches, Canals and Rivers as well as walks in England and English Nature. 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. If the development and history of our Canals is of particular interest consider the Anatomy of Canals series - really good reading!. (The relevant Nicholoson Guide covering The Stratford on Avon Canal is BOOK 2.)