2015

SP1671 : Drawbridge Farm Bridge, Stratford Canal

taken 9 years ago, near to Nuthurst, Warwickshire, England

Drawbridge Farm Bridge, Stratford Canal
Drawbridge Farm Bridge, Stratford Canal
A party of walkers heads along the towpath with Drawbridge Farm Bridge, one of three lift bridges on the northern stretch of the Stratford Canal, in the background. Note the mooring posts on the right where boaters can tie up before operating the bridge.
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal links the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at King's Norton Junction with the River Avon at Stratford. The canal is 25·5 miles long, and has 56 locks*, the last onto the river being a broad lock. The canal was built in several stages (including changes of route) from 1793 on, finally opening fully to the River Avon in 1815. Multiple changes of ownership followed leading to the Great Western Railway taking control by 1863.

By the 1950s the section north of Lapworth was rarely being used, and the southern section from Lapworth was badly silted with some unusable locks. It is believed that the last boat reached Stratford in the early 1930s, though a pleasure cruiser reached Wilmcote at Easter in 1947.

Threat of total closure of the southern section in the mid 1950s caused protests, leading to an enquiry in 1958, and a big public campaign to save the canal, so the abandonment plans were reversed in 1959.

The National Trust took on the task of restoring the southern section of the canal in 1960, leading to its re-opening by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother on 11 July 1964. Control was passed to the British Waterways Board in 1988, then to the Canal and River Trust in 2012.

*One stop-lock at King's Norton is unused and open, another at Kingswood Junction is duplicated.

(Details reduced from Nicholson's Waterways Guide No 2)


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 Lift Bridge Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Stratford Canal [13] · Drawbridge Farm Bridge [7] · Moorings [4] Title Clusters: · Drawbridge Farm Bridge, Stratford Canal [2] ·
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SP1671, 139 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Stephen McKay   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 3 August, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 25 August, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 1628 7183 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:20.6584N 1:45.7470W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 1632 7179
View Direction
Northwest (about 315 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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