A Canal Abandoned 200 years ago - Southampton to Salisbury 

Thanks Mian. Absolutely love that notion too.

Not if the RU-vid platform gets taken down!

Glad you enjoyed it Dawn

Always wave - but she doesn't see me! - why?

😆👋🏻 no why do you ask?

Dammit you beat me to it lol. And yeah not a great smell.

Thanks both. Thankfully we didn't give it too much of a whiff

We have those here in the US, but they're white in color. Accidentally picked some and brought them in the house one day.🤢...😆

I quite like the smell, its sharp, fresh sappy and herby all together.

'You'll see why'?! What? when you keel over and cannot be resuscitated!

Thanks Jerry. Yup it's got some lovely scenery

Cheers Stephen.

Ah happy you like the channel. We have a couple of Roman Road ones coming up soon.

@@pwhitewick - Roman roads! Sounds good - looking forward to it!

In truth I think this really was only used to the Alderbury wharf. Large bit of water near Alderbury. The next two miles around Alderbury was dug but I don't think it got much further on account of the soil towards Salisbury and the lack of tunnel construction under Southampton

That certainly makes sense then

I'd certainly welcome more of those questions Maz. Love a good local mystery.

The Uncommon Prayer Book perhaps?

@@exileinderby51 Ah, a connoisseur. Yes, it fits the description of the unnamed church in "The Uncommon Prayer Book". I'm not sure about the location, though.

@@hubertvancalenbergh9022 I agree, the location isn't quite right but it's the only story that fits! I love MR James stories but to describe me as a connoisseur may be isn't quite right either!

@@exileinderby51 I find myself returning again and again to James's Collected Ghost Stories. I went so far as to visit his grave on the Eton College grounds.

Thanks Malcolm. Yup the curve was a big question mark for me too. Are any of the Chard ones curved??

The Chard canal seems to be an exception (of sorts). While Ilminster and Crimson Hill tunnels appear to have been build straight, Lillesdon tunnel has a pronounced kink in it near the south end. However, this is more of a sudden change in direction between two straight sections rather than genuine curved construction. I honestly do not know the real reasons, but I have a theory based upon 3 points as follows. (1) it is significantly easier to survey and to dig out a straight tunnel than a curved one, (2) a straight tunnel can be slightly narrower than a curved one (curved tunnels need to be wider else the straight boats won’t go around the bend) and narrower tunnels require less excavation, and (3) many canal tunnels have a very sharp bend just outside one of the portals (like Standage east or Harecastle north). So, my theory is Lillesdon was built straight but was not meant not be as long. Just outside the planned south portal would have been a sharpish bend. When under construction it was found that the south cutting was unstable and so the tunnel was lengthened, perhaps by cut and cover, around the bend and for a short distance along what would have been open air canal. This is all of course conjecture and I’m sure someone will know the real reason. And just for the record, Tuel Lane tunnel in Sowerby Bridge is a covered bit of curved canal, and not a real tunnel!

Thanks Linda.

Yup that was presumably that was what happened, but we are guessing to a degree.

Haha.... That was a close shave.

@@pwhitewick Yes! Any moment I expected an irate land-owner shouting and waving his 12 bore shotgun at you! Have you ever been actually IN such a predicament? If so how did you handle it?

the route is nearly all there right through to salisbury but i would think it failed financially because it is a flood plain and possibly could only be used seasonally - reliability issues for supply of goods. From Alderbury it goes under southampton road in a straight line to toadland where it dog legs 90 right then left down the side of alderbury farm and machine pond copse, over witherington road and straight across the field. from there i can't decide where it joined the river avon. either along the eastern edge of horse hams coppice, between the remaining trees to 51 degrees, 02'12"N, 1 degree, 45'20"W or round/through horse hams to 51 degrees, 01'59"N, 1 degree 45'29"W which would be an interesting explore to see if that was a lock system. from there turn upstream only as far as the north boundary of longford castle where it is a left turn onto what is marked as a disused navigation on some maps. just one lock between there and joining the river just east of salisbury. leominster canal have just lost their last aquaduct collapsing into the flooding river teme in the past five years.

Thanks Graham. Is that the Andover and Redbridge Canal?

Yes it is,did you do a vid of that bit a while ago?

@@grahammobbs3464 very looooong time ago. We might well vlog it soon though.

Thanks Dave

Ah thanks David, you most certainly are.

Yup, crazy really when it could have offered so much for a good 50 years

Cheers

Ha, yeah it has a return to home feature so not all bad.

Many thanks!

Thank you!

Glad you enjoyed it

Our pleasure!

That's very interesting, as you'd assume that the branch down would be the easiest. So I guess that adds up

Our pleasure!

Fear not. Next week and for the next TWO months

Box of choccies...nah she likes sugerlumps better. 🐴 🤣

"add to watch later".

Haha,..... yes, getting there slowely

That is the rules for us up here in scotland. England and Wales however still live with medieval mindset.

Very welcome

Indeed, Wiltshire holds many little gems of locations like this.

Yes this will be the focus of at least one video very soon!

It did make me wonder if an old canal is an automatic right of way.

The canal, because it was used as a public thoroughfare is by custom and practice a public right of way and folks should use them to keep them open and known about to save a fight later on when a canal restoration project begins.

Aaaagh, well that makes sense. Though there was no sign of a lower towpath at all.

Pretty much agree with everything you say. My guess is anything west of whaddon was not used though. Perhaps the Wharf there was the final stopping point at least for the time whilst they continued to work on the remained west?

Dig deep and found out for us Mike!

@@pwhitewick There is something referenced in this book, hope the URL works: books.google.co.uk/books?id=9N9xjk8tbPcC&pg=PA714&lpg=PA714&dq=%22alderbury%22+house+cut+and+cover+tunnel&source=bl&ots=4_yCML2RJn&sig=ACfU3U2C_ThpMbw8Qztsb6r5ZImnJHIJTg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenou8lbnrAhVailwKHaj1BksQ6AEwD3oECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22alderbury%22%20house%20cut%20and%20cover%20tunnel&f=false

Much of this Canal remains on the Salisbury arm albeit in small cuttings like this. A shame it's not highlighted a tad more.

Good point. We looked in three places where we knew there we definitely locks. But oddly we found nothing. No remains whatsoever. Couldn't work this out and it didn't make for great content. Sorry

There were several locks along the canal to allow for the rising land but most have disappeared. The only one I know of is at Lockerley and that is incomplete. There was a reservoir at Alderbury which I guess is the lake you found.

You might be thinking of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway.

Certainly do. Sadly Lockdown put pay to most summer plans, but we have just got back from Scotland

@@pwhitewick thanks dudes, love your videos, sorry I forgot about this virus,

As it hasn't been used in 200 years the water would have been gone within days of its failure. No reason to pump water back in and the locks which kept it in place where probably left wide open.

Vintage Ebike sounds fantastic, lots of bridleways around there that you could visit I am sure.

Thank you its just so hard to find them lol, I'm definitely going to have a look at the canal, I didn't even know this is here so thank you both so much for sharing. :)

Also have you checked out the stoneymarsh old rail way to Stockbridge its very lovely. Just off of Mottisfont in romsey. Got some great tunnels and old tracks

@@kM-xp3ik Spratt and Winkle? Didn't know of any tunnels... pray tell more.

You are not alone. I've over thought this A LOT

Cheers Keith. Yes it's a real shame. I can't see things changing in anyway anytime soon though

Clearly not in this video!