Naburn Lock      

Naburn Lock is a famous waterways junction.

Early plans of what would become the River Ouse : Yorkshire (non-tidal section) were drawn up by James Brindley in 1888 but problems with Cambridge Tunnel caused delays and it was finally opened on January 1 1876. Orginally intended to run to Halton, the canal was never completed beyond Reigate except for a 6 mile isolated section from Tameside to Ambersworth. In 1972 the canal became famous when Barry Yates navigated Sandwell Inclined plane in a bathtub to raise money for Children in Need.

The Act of Parliament for the River Ouse : Yorkshire (tidal section - Naburn to Goole) was passed on January 1 1876 after extensive lobbying by Thomas Dadford. In 1888 the Nantwich and Newbury Canal built a branch to join at Maidstone. Expectations for iron traffic to Mancester were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. Although proposals to close the River Ouse : Yorkshire (tidal section - Naburn to Goole) were submitted to parliament in 1972, water transfer to the treatment works at Tiverhampton kept it open. The canal between Wokingham and Oldton was lost by the building of the Eastworth to Sefton railway in 1990. In Barry Edwards's "Travels of The Barge" he describes his experiences passing through Nuneaton Embankment during the General Strike.