Wey and Arun Canal
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A lock on the Wey and Arun Canal |
What is now known as the
Wey and Arun Canal runs 23 miles (37 km) through 26
locks from the
River Wey at
Shalford, Surrey to the
River Arun at
Pallingham. It comprises parts of two separate undertakings â€" the northern part of the Arun Navigation, between Pallingham and Newbridge Wharf, which opened in
1787, and the Wey and Arun Junction Canal, which connected the Arun at Newbridge to the Godalming Navigation near Shalford, south of
Guildford, opened in
1816. The canal is undergoing active restoration by The Wey & Arun Canal Trust. Many bridges, locks, and an aquaduct have already been restored with several miles of canal navigable. The trust are currently embarking on a major project to create a new lock at Loxwood to lower the canal. This will enable in the fairly near future a new road crossing beneath the B2133 to also be built, which will extend this
navigable section.
The
River Arun was used in an unimproved condition for centuries, but work was carried out on the river itself and the port of
Arundel in the
16th century, which allowed boats to reach Pallingham Quay near
Pulborough by
1575. An
Act of Parliament received the
Royal Assent on
13 May 1785, entitled "An Act for amending and improving the Navigation of the River Arun, from Houghton Bridge, in the parish of Houghton, in the county of Sussex, to Pallenham Wharf, in the parish of Wisborough Green, in the said county; and for continuing and extending the Navigation of the said River Arun, from the said Wharf, called Pallenhara Wharf, to a certain Bridge, called New Bridge, situate in the parishes of Pulborough and Wisborough Green, in the said county of Sussex".
As its name describes, this authorised works to improve the Arun upstream from Houghton Bridge (the tidal limit) to Newbridge, near
Billingshurst. The route involved a new artificial cut of 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Newbridge along the river to Pallingham, crossing the river by an aqueduct at Orfold: this was completed in
1787. A second artificial cut was added in
1790 from Coldwaltham to Stopham, including a 375 yard (343 m) tunnel under Hardham Hill: this cut off a large bend in the river near Pulborough, saving 5 miles (8 km).
The route of the Navigation from Newbridge to Houghton was 12.25 miles (19.7 km) with six
locks. The River continues a further 15.5 miles (25 km) to the sea at
Littlehampton.
The last barge on the section between Pallingham and Newbridge was recorded in
1888, and Hardham tunnel was closed in
1889. The artificial cuts were officially abandoned in
1896, but limited traffic continued on the old river sections into the
20th century, notably bricks from Harwoods Green below Pallingham and chalk from Houghton Bridge: they were finally stopped in
1938 by a new, fixed bridge on the Havant to Brighton railway line at Ford.
In
1810, the
Earl of Egremont began to promote the idea of a canal to link the Rivers Wey and Arun, separated by only 15 miles (24 km). Part of the justification for this canal through a very rural area, with few of the cargoes which had made other canals profitable, was to provide an inland route from London to the south coast of England, an important consideration as England was at war with
France and thus coastal shipping at risk of attack.
Josias Jessop (son of the more well known
William Jessop) was appointed consulting engineer and made an estimate of £72,217 for construction of the canal, later increased to £86,132 when part of the route was changed.
A survey was carried out in the same year by Francis and Netlam Giles for an alternative route, from the
Croydon Canal to Newbridge, via
Merstham,
Three Bridges,
Crawley and
Horsham.
An Act of Parliament received the Royal Assent on
19 April 1813, entitled "An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal, to unite the Rivers Wey and Arun, in the counties of Surrey and Sussex". This authorised the construction of the canal from the Godalming Navigation (an extension of the River Wey) near Shalford, south of Guildford to the northern terminus of the Arun Navigation at Newbridge. May Upton was appointed resident engineer in July, and work began. Construction was completed in
1816.
The route of the canal was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) with 23 locks.
By the time it was opened, however, the war with France was over and thus one of the key reasons for its construction was removed. As a result it was never very prosperous, but did reasonably well, with a maximum of 23,000
tons carried in
1839. However, railway competition hit hard in
1865 with the opening of the Guildford and Horsham Railway, which was in direct competition with the canal. There were also engineering problems with few sources of water to tap into, compounded by porous soil on the summit level, which led to water shortages.
An Act of Parliament of
1868 authorised closure. It was offered for sale in 1870, but officially abandoned in
1871, with the land sold to many along its route.
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A new lock under construction to take the canal beneath a road. |
This canal is currently being restored by, The Wey & Arun Canal Trust.
*
Canals of the United Kingdom*
River Arun*
River Wey*
Portsmouth and Arundel Canal - the two canals were intended to give secure inland navigation between
London and the important naval base at
Portsmouth*
The Wey & Arun Canal Trust*
The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site — a non-commercial site of over 120,000 words all about the River Wey including information and images about the adjacent Godalming Navigation and a section on the Wey and Arun canal
*P.A.L. Vine:
London's Lost Route to the Sea: Historical Account of the Inland Navigations Which Linked the Thames to the English Channel (Inland Waterways Histories S.) *Edward Paget-Tomlinson:
The Illustrated History of Canal and River Navigations, Sheffield Academic Press, 1993
*Jame Cumberlidge:
Inland Waterways of Great Britain, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd, 1998
*Joseph Priestley:
Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals and Railways of Great Britain, 1831
