2020

SP5269 : Dunchurch Pools Marina

taken 4 years ago, near to Willoughby, Warwickshire, England

Dunchurch Pools Marina
Dunchurch Pools Marina
This new marina on the Oxford Canal has been built on a large scale and is certainly evidence of the popularity of canal boating. The entrance is through this iron bridge - a replica of the bridges at Braunston. A feature of many older marinas is a narrow entrance giving awkward access for boats, but there are no such problems here. The old Great Central railway ran parallel to the canal in this area and would have been approximately where the new bridge is now.
The Oxford Canal

The 78 mile Oxford Canal links Oxford with the Coventry Canal near Bedworth, via Banbury and Rugby. It connects to the River Thames at Oxford, and even combines with the Grand Union Canal for 5 miles near Braunston.

The canal was constructed in stages over about twenty years from 1769 to 1790. James Brindley surveyed and began the work with Samuel Simcock, but following Brindley's death, Simcock took over. By 1774 the canal had reached Napton, and by 1778, Banbury. Lack of money meant that the final stretch to Oxford was not started until 1786. That took three years and the completed canal was finally opened on 1 January 1790.

Being an early canal, it was built to be contour hugging, avoiding changes of water level wherever possible. As a result of increasing competition from the Grand Union Canal, by the late 1820s it was decided that the meandering course needed reducing in mileage, so the northern section was to be reduced by more than 14 miles. Construction, supervised by Sir William Cubitt, started in 1829, and was finished by 1834. A parallel doubling up of the lock flight at Hillmorton was built and the route was straightened in many places, and a new tunnel at Newbold was dug. Not all the planned improvements were made; the final reduction in mileage being nearer 11 miles.
Evidence of the original course can still be seen by perusing aerial images and OS 1:25000 maps. The section south of Napton was never straightened. The railways had arrived and canal decline had started.

Information reduced from Wikipedia LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Stephen McKay and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Canals Primary Subject: Canal other tags: Canal Bridge Canal Marina Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Great Central Railway [9] · Dunchurch Pools Marina [7] · New Bridge [5] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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SP5269, 74 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Stephen McKay   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 27 January, 2020   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 1 February, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 520 697 [100m precision]
WGS84: 52:19.3818N 1:14.2734W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 520 697
View Direction
West-northwest (about 292 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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