Stratford-on-Avon Canal (Lapworth Link)
The Act of Parliament for the Stratford-on-Avon Canal (Lapworth Link) was passed on January 1 1835 after extensive lobbying by Hugh Henshall. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Braintree canal at Wessington, the difficulty of tunneling under Boggin caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Basingstoke instead. Expectations for pottery traffic to Rochester never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. In later years, only water transfer to the treatment works at Wrexham kept it open. According to Oliver Edwards's "Ghost Stories and Legends of The Inland Waterways" book, Presford Locks is haunted by a horrible apperition of unknown form.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
Relevant publications — Waterway Travels:
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 90M - Avon Ring Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 45M - Stratford uopn Avon Canal Map (Downloadable)
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
- Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides No 2 - Severn, Avon & Birmingham
- Pearsons Canal Companion: South Midlands and Warwickshire Ring & Ashby and Connecting Canals
- Pearson's Canal Companion: Severn & Avon: Mid-Worcestershire Ring and Cotswold Canals (Saul-Sapperton)
- Heron Maps: Avon Ring and Droitwich Ring
| Kingswood Junction (south) | |||
| Lapworth Link Junction Bridge No 36A | ¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Lapworth Link Junction | 1 furlong | 0 locks |
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Wikipedia has a page about Stratford-on-Avon Canal
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal is a canal in the south Midlands of England. The canal, which was built between 1793 and 1816, runs for 25.5 miles (41.0 km) in total, and consists of two sections. The dividing line is at Kingswood Junction, which gives access to the Grand Union Canal. Following acquisition by a railway company in 1856, it gradually declined, the southern section being un-navigable by 1945, and the northern section little better.
The northern section was the setting for a high-profile campaign by the fledgling Inland Waterways Association in 1947, involving the right of navigation under Tunnel Lane bridge, which required the Great Western Railway to jack it up in order to allow boats to pass. These actions saved the section from closure. The southern section was restored by the National Trust between 1961 and 1964, after an attempt to close it was thwarted. The revived canal was re-opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and responsibility for it was transferred to British Waterways in 1988.