Oxford Canal - The Route

The Route

Oxford Canal Route map
Hawkesbury Junction - Coventry Canal
Oxford Canal North
Hawkesbury Stop Lock No.1
4 B4109 Tusses Bridge
M6
Wyken Arm
9 Stone Bridge
M69
14 B4065 Ansty Bridge
15 B4029
M6
B4029 Smeaton Lane Aqueduct
Stretton Arm
30 B4027 Fosse Way Road Bridge
Smite Brook
Brinklow Arm (disused)
34 B4102 Easenhall Lane Bridge
Fennis Field Arm
41 Cathiron Bridge
Cathiron Railway Bridge
43 Tuckey's Bridge
Northern End of Former Newbold Loop
48 B4112 Falls Bridge
NewBold Tunnel
Newbold Wharf
50 Cathiron Lane Bridge
Old Railway Bridge (disused)
Rugby Wharf Arm
54 Aqueduct
55 River Swift Aqueduct
Brownsover Arm (disused)
58 A426 Masters Bridge
Rugby Visitor Moorings
59 Boughton Road Bridge
Clifton Arm (disused)
66 Clifton Bridge
69 Clifton Double Bridge
Hillmorton Bottom Locks 2 and 3 (paired)
70 Hillmorton Yard Bridge
Hillmorton Middle Locks 4 and 5 (paired)
Hillmorton Top Locks 6 and 7 (paired)
72 Moors Bridge
Rugby Railway Bridges.
73 A428 Crick Road Bridge
74 B4038 Kilsby Road Bridge
76 Normans Bridge
M45
78 Barby Wood Bridge
85 Navigation Bridge
90 A45 London Road Bridge
Braunston Turn - GU South
Oxford Canal - Middle
W. End of Wolfamcote Loop
102 Flecknoe Bridge
104 Lower Shuckburgh Bridge
107 A425 Garners Bridge
108 A425 Nimrod Bridge
Napton Junction - GU North
Oxford Canal - South
109 Coventry Road Bridge
110
111 Napton Bridge
112 Napton Brickyard Bridge
Napton Bottom Lock No 8
Napton Lock No 9
Napton Lock No 10
Napton Lock No 11
114 Gilkes Bridge
Napton Lock No 12
Napton Lock No 13
Greens Lock No 14
Old Engine House Arm
Napton Lock No 15
119 Marston Doles Bridge
Napton Lock No 16
135 Sherne Hill Bridge
136 A423
Fenny Compton Marina
137 A423 Tunnel Bridge
141 Boundary Lift Bridge
Wormleighton Reservoir
canal feeder
site of SMA Junction Rly bridge
143 Hay Bridge
Clayton Top Lock No 17
Clayton Lock No 18
Clayton Lock No 19
145 Claydon Bridge
Clayton Lock No 20
Claydon Bottom Lock No 21
Clattercote Wharf
Elkington's Lock No 22
Varney's Lock No 23
Broadmoor Lock No 24
150 Broadmoor Bridge
Cropredy Lock No 25
153 Cropredy Wharf Bridge
Slat Mill Lock No 26
Little Bourton Lock No 27
M40
Hardwick Lock No 28
162 Lift bridge
A422
164 Lift Bridge
Banbury Lock No 29
A4260
165 Concorde Avenue Bridge
170 Haynes Lift Bridge
171 Foxes Lift Bridge
173 Lift Bridge
M40
Grant's Lock No.30
175 Stevens Lift Bridge
176 Stevens Lift Bridge
177 Twyford Bridge
King's Sutton Lock No 31
181 Scroobys Lift Bridge
182 Coles Lift Bridge
M40
183 Coles Lift Bridge
186 Haddons Lift Bridge
Nell Bridge Lock No 32
187 B4100 Nell Bridge
Crosses the River Cherwell
Aynho Weir Lock No 33
189 Belchers Lift Bridge
Aynho Wharf
190 Aynho Bridge
193 Chisnell Lift Bridge
Somerton Deep Lock No 34
196 Somerton Bridge
Heyford Common Lock No 35
201 Heyford Common Railway Bridge
Allen's Lock No 36
205 Mill Lift Bridge
Oxfordshire Narrowboats
206 B4030 Heyford Wharf Bridge
Dashwood's Lock No 37
North Brook Lock No 38
Pigeon's Lock No 39
216 A4095 Enslow Bridge
Baker's Lock No 40
Sharing with River Cherwell for 1 mile
Shipton Weir Lock No 41
219 Shipton Lift Bridge
Shipton Railway Bridge
221 Aubreys Lift Bridge
224 A4260 Langford Lane Bridge
Roundham Lock No 42
Kidlington Railway Bridge
228 Yarnton Lane Bridge
Kidlington Green Lock No 43
230 A44 King's Bridge
231 Drinkwater's Lift Bridge
site of Bucks Junction Rly bridge
Wolvercote Mill Stream from Thames
Duke's Lock No 44
Wolvercote Junction: Duke's Cut
A40 Northern Bypass Road Bridge
233 Lift Bridge
A34 Western Bypass Road Bridge
Wolvercote Paper Mill (disused)
234 Perry's Lift Bridge
Wolvercote Lock No 45
235 Wolvercote Bridge
236 Ball's Bridge
237 Bucks Railway ("Varsity Line")
238 St. Edward's School Bridge
Elizabeth Jennings Way
239A site of electric lift bridge
Frenchay Road Bridge
240 Aristotle Bridge
242 Walton Well Bridge
Isis Lock Junction
243 Isis Lock Bridge
Isis Lock No 46
Sheepwash Channel from Thames
244 Hythe Bridges
Worcester Street Wharf (goods)
245 Worcester Street Bridge
New Road Wharf (coal)

The canal begins near Hawkesbury Village at Hawkesbury Junction, also known as Sutton Stop, where it connects with the Coventry Canal, four miles from the centre of Coventry. From Hawkesbury, it runs south east through the Warwickshire countryside for 15 miles (24 km) to Rugby.

The route between Coventry and Rugby is on a level with no locks, apart from the stop lock at the junction. Much of this section of the canal was straightened out in the 1820s, and remains of the original less direct route can still be seen in places.

The canal winds through the northern part of Rugby passing through the 270-yard (250 m) long Newbold Tunnel, and then reaches a set of three locks at Hillmorton just east of Rugby. In the churchyard in Newbold-on-Avon remains can be seen of the original tunnel dating from the 1770s.

South of Rugby, the canal passes through rural scenery and doubles back on itself for several miles until it heads southwards again passing for a short distance into Northamptonshire towards Braunston.

At Braunston the Oxford connects with the Grand Junction section of the Grand Union Canal and heads west. Grand Union traffic shares a five-mile stretch of the Oxford Canal until they diverge at Napton junction, where the Oxford turns south towards Oxford and the Warwick and Napton section of the Grand Union turns north-west towards Birmingham.

After winding round Napton Hill, the canal ascends the Napton flight of nine locks to a summit level. After passing an old wharf and a pub at Fenny Compton, the canal enters a long cutting which, until it was opened out in the 19th century, was a tunnel. This section is still referred to as 'tunnel straight' or the Fenny Compton Tunnel.

Because the section south of Napton junction was never straightened, the summit level remains one of the most twisting sections of canal in England. It winds for 11 miles (18 km) between two points which are under five miles apart. This is the "eleven-mile pound" mentioned in Tom Rolt's Narrow Boat.

The canal then reaches the Claydon flight of locks and descends into the valley of the River Cherwell at Cropredy (the canal descends the river valley all the way from here to Oxford).

Banbury is a major stop on the route because of the large number of visitor moorings on a paved and relatively secure mooring right alongside the shopping centre in the middle of town. Banbury, unlike some towns, has attempted to treat the canal as an attraction to be encouraged, rather than an eyesore to be shunned, and an old boatyard has been incorporated into the development as Tooley's Historic Boatyard. Heading south after 4 miles (6.4 km) you will approach the small hamlet, Twyford Wharf, where you can turn a narrow boat up to 60 feet (18 m). There are two villages, Kings Sutton and Adderbury within 30 minutes walking distance. Both offer a couple of pubs.

At Oxford, the canal has two connections to the River Thames. The first is three miles north of the city where Dukes Cut leads to King's Lock; the second is a few hundred yards from the city centre below Isis Lock (known to boatmen as 'Louse Lock') through Sheepwash Channel. This leads to an unusual river crossroads at the Thames called "Four Rivers" above Osney Lock.

After 330 yards (300 m) below Isis Lock the Oxford Canal ends abruptly at Hythe Bridge Street near to the current Hythe Bridge over the Castle Mill Stream, a backwater of the River Thames that runs parallel to the Oxford Canal for its southernmost part. The canal used to continue through a bridge under Hythe Bridge Street to a turning basin and goods wharf south of Hythe Bridge Street. It then continued via a bridge under Worcester Street to end in a coal wharf beside New Road. In 1951 the basin and wharves were filled in and Nuffield College now stands on part of the site (see below).

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