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Basingstoke Canal

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	Topics Basingstoke Canal Topic Home The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, built to connect BasingstokeBasingstoke Basingstoke is a large town and third largest settlement in the traditional county of Hampshire in the South East England re... with the River ThamesRiver Thames The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea.... at WeybridgeWeybridge Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England.... via the Wey Navigation. From Basingstoke, the canalCanal Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.... passes through or near OdihamOdiham Odiham today has a population of 4406 and is situated in Hart district council in the English county of Hampshire.... , FleetFleet, Hampshire Fleet is a town in the county of Hampshire in the south-east of England, located 38 miles south west of London.... , AldershotAldershot Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland approximately 55 km southwest of London.... , MytchettMytchett Mytchett is a small village in Surrey approximately 35 miles south west of London.... , BrookwoodBrookwood, Surrey Brookwood is a town in Surrey, located about 5 km west of Woking, in a semi-rural location.... , and Woking. Its eastern end is at ByfleetFacts About Byfleet Byfleet is a village and suburb of Woking in Surrey, England.... , where it connects to the Wey Navigation. This, in turn, leads to the River ThamesRiver Thames The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, in its lower reaches flowing through London into the sea.... at WeybridgeWeybridge Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England.... . Its intended purpose was to allow boats to travel from the docks in East LondonLondon London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom.... to Basingstoke. After many years of neglect and dereliction, the canal has been restored and is once again a fully navigable waterway from the River Wey to almost as far as the Greywell Tunnel. History The canal was conceived as a way to stimulate agricultural development in HampshireHampshire Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire, is a county on the south coast of England in the United Kingdom.... . Following a Parliamentary Bill in 1778, construction began in that same year and was completed on 4th September 1794. One of the main cargoes carried from Basingstoke was timber. The canal was never a commercial success and fell into disuse even before the construction of the London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1840 to 1923.... , which runs parallel to the canalCanal Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.... along much of its length. Commercial use ended in 1910 but low-level use of the canal continued. In 1913 Mr A.J.Harmsworth tried to navigate the canal in a boat called Basingstoke. The journey was motivated by a desire to keep the canal open since the Canal Act of 1778 specified that if the canal was not used for 5 years then the land the canal was built on would be returned to the original owners. It is thought that it proved impossible to navigate the entire canal but despite this the canal was not abandoned. During World War IWorld War I World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All Wars" was a global m... the Royal EngineersRoyal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers, and commonly known as the Sappers, is one... took over the running of the canal and used it to transport supplies from WoolwichRoyal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explo... . The canal was also used to train soldiers in boat handling Mr A.J.Harmsworth later purchased the canal (in 1922) and ran a number of boats on it for a mixture of limited commercial carrying and pleasure cruising. The canal was sold upon his death in 1947 and by 1950 was in the hands of the New Basingstoke Canal Co Ltd. This company did not maintain the canal and by the mid-'60s it was essentially derelict. Restoration In 1966, the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society was formed by a group of local canal enthusiasts, with a view to reopening the derelict canal. They were instrumental in running a campaign that culminated in 1976 with the compulsory purchase of the canal by the County Councils of Hampshire and Surrey. In February 1977 a job creation project started with the aim of carrying out restoration work on the Deepcut flight of locks. The work was coordinated with the work of the canal society who organised work parties at weekends while the job creation team worked on weekdays. After about 18 years of restoration, 32 miles of the canal were formally re-opened on 10th May 1991. The western section from North WarnboroughNorth Warnborough North Warnborough is a small village situated in North East Hampshire.... to Basingstoke remains un-navigable from the point at which it enters the Greywell Tunnel. The tunnel is partially collapsed and is inhabited by a protected batBat Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera.... colony making it unlikely that the tunnel will ever be restored. Some of the former canal basin at the western end has also been lost to modern development in and around Basingstoke. The canal is now managed by the Basingstoke Canal Authority and is open to navigation, but access is usually restricted due to the very limited water supply and the fact that most of the canal has been designated a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Ki... (SSSI). The heathland areas surrounding the canal are habitats for many rare reptilian species, such as vipers and lizards, and birds such as nightjars. There is an information centre for the canal at Mytchett. The Basingstoke Canal Authority The canal is owned by both Hampshire County Council and Surrey County Council. Until 1990, both councils managed their own sections separately. It was decided that a central body should manage the entire waterway and the Basingstoke Canal Authority was formed. In 1993, the canal visitor centre was opened which now acts as the central offices of the Canal Authority. The Canal Authority staff are employed, administered and supported by Hampshire County Council; however, the centre is leased from Surrey County Council. Each council allocates money to the Canal Authority. The current organisation structure of the canal authority is formed of one canal director, a senior administration officer and assistant, the centre manager and seasonal centre assistant. The canal is maintained by a team of 11 canal rangers and 1 senior management. Architectural features A notable feature of the canal is the large number of concrete bunkerBunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification.... s known as pillboxes still visible along its length; these were built during World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... as part of the GHQ LineGHQ Line The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion.... to defend against an expected German invasionBritish anti-invasion preparations of World War II In May 1940, during World War II, German and Italian forces invaded France and the Low Countries, the ensuing Battle of France res... . Odiham CastleOdiham Castle Odiham Castle is a ruined castle situated near Odiham in Hampshire, United Kingdom.... is situated at the Greywell (Basingstoke) end of the canal. The Greywell Tunnel (now disused), at 1230 yards (1125 metres) long, was the 12th longest canal tunnel in Great Britain.. Alfred Burtoo incident On 12 August 1983, at about 1am, 77 year old Alfred John Burtoo from North Town in Aldershot was fishing on the near in Aldershot with his dog Tiny, when, according to Burtoo, a disc-shaped unidentified flying object landed nearby. At first, the powerful light from the disc made Alfred think it was an Army helicopter. However, four foot high humanoid figures from craft beckoned him to the UFO. He claims, 'he was 77 and didn't have much to lose', so he followed them on board. He was medically examined, and the dimunitive creatures could even speak English in a 'sing song' voice. On finding out that he was 77, the creatures told him he was no use to them, as he was too old and infirm for our purposes. He was 'anxious not to cause any offence', so avoided asking questions such as what planet do you come from? Later at 10am, he told two military policemen of his UFO sighting and they had seen it too. An incident of this type is designated a close encounter of the third kindClose encounter In ufology, a close encounter is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object.... . Gallery See also Canals of Great Britain History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal system Early historyEvidence suggests that the first British canals were built in Roman times, as irrigation canals or short connecting ... Further reading Dieter Jebens Guide to the Basingstoke Canal Basingstoke Canal Authority and the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society, 2nd Edition, 2004 Dieter Jebens and Roger Cansdale Basingstoke Canal Tempus, 2007 ISBN: 978-0-7524-3103-1 External links – a non-commercial site of over 200,000 words all about the adjacent Wey Navigation with a section about the Basingstoke Canal (video clip) – detailed photographic essay covering the now 'lost' part of the canal between Greywell and Basingstoke