Jim Shead Waterways Photographer & Writer

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Stratford upon Avon Canal

Description: Runs 25.5 miles from King's Norton Junction, where it joins the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, to Stratford-upon-Avon, where it joins the Avon

History: Promoted by Acts of 1793, 1795, 1799, 1809, 1815, 1817 and 1821. Opened 1816. The Stratford upon Avon Canal Society formed in November 1956. In 1958 the Warwickshire County Council decide to apply for the abandonment of the southern section of the canal and the following year over six-thousand formal objections were lodged concerning Warwickshire County Councils plans to close the canal. The southern section of the canal transfered to the National Trust on 29 September 1960. The official reopening of the southern section was on 11 July 1964.
For more details see the History page.

Subordinate Waterways:

Stratford upon Avon Canal - Kingswood Branch

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Southern Waterways, General Manager: Central Shires Waterways, Peel's Wharf, Lichfield Street, Fazeley, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3QZ : Telephone 01827 252000 : Fax 01827 288071 :

Preston Bagot Lock on the Stratford upon Avon Canal

Related Books

The Canals of the East Midlands by Charles Hadfield, Edition: 3rd impression, ISBN: 0-7153-4871-X, 294 pages, Published by David & Charles, in 1981, (including part of London). Order now from .
Save the Stratford Canal by Guy Johnson, 168 pages, Published by David & Charles, in 1983, A history of the restoration. 14 plates..
The Flower of Gloster by Ernest Temple Thurston, Edition: 1st edition, 244 pages, Published by Williams & Norgate, in 1911, Classic story of an early canal boat trip, illustrated by W R Dakin..
Waterways to Stratford by Charles Hadfield and John Norris, Edition: 1st, 176 pages, Published by David & Charles, in 1962, The History of the Avon, canal and tramway routes to Stratford..
A Bit More Boating by Shirley Ginger, ISBN: 0-9519198-1-4, 180 pages, Published by Lucifer Press, in 1992, Account of cruising the Nene, Middle Level, Grand Union, Thames, Oxford, BCN and Stratford waterways.. Order now from .
Nicholson/Ordnance Survey Guide to the waterways - 2 by Not known, ISBN: 978-0-00-728161-9, 170 pages, Published by Nicholson, in 2009, Severn, Avon and Birmingham. Includes the BCN, Gloucester & Sharpness, Severn, Staffordshire & Worcester Canal, Stourbridge, Dudley, Stratford-on-Avon and Worcester & Birmingham canals.. Order now from .
Pearson's Canal Companion: Severn and Avon by Michael Pearson, Edition: Sixth, ISBN: 978 09 5491165 2, 96 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, in 2006, This edition now also contains details of the Cotswold Canals (i.e. the Stroudwater and Thames & Severn canals) and the the River Thames above Oxford.. Order now from .
Stratford Canal by Nick Billingham, ISBN: 07524 2122 0, 128 pages, Published by Tempus, in 2003, An illustrated history of the canal and its restoration.. Order now from .
In the Wake of the 'Flower of Gloster' by John Kemplay, ISBN: 0 9518964 2 3, 74 pages, Published by Ronald Crowhurst, in 2004, A reconstruction of Temple Thurston's voyage of 1911 as described in his book 'The Flower of Gloster'.. Order now from .

Related videos

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal , Released in 1999, 47 minutes Produced by VideoActive, Excellent photography and informative script captures the Southern Stratford Canal. Available on tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from
World's Most Beautiful Waterways , 1 hour 10 minutes Produced by Contender Ltd, A waterway journey from Worcester to Oxford via the River Avon, Hatton and Banbury. Available on tape. Order on video tape from
Heart of England Route , 0 minutes Produced by VideoActive, tape DVD. Order on video tape from . Order on DVD from
A Journey Down The Stratford Canal , 0 minutes Produced by Heritage Video Films Ltd, tape. Order on video tape from
British Waterways - Waterway Magic / In The Heart Of Shakespeare's Country etc , 0 minutes Produced by Laserlight, tape. Order on video tape from
Narrow Boating 2 - In The Heart Of Shakespeare Country , 0 minutes Produced by Laserlight, tape. Order on video tape from

Related photographs

Stratford upon Avon Canal: Edstone (Bearley) Aqueduct
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Wilmcote Lock No 43
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Lowsonford Lock No 31
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Rowington Lock No 28 Barrel roof cottage
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Preston Bagot Top Lock No 36 Split bridge and barrel roofed cottage
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Wilmcote Bridge No 59 Mary Arden's Cottage
Stratford upon Avon Canal - Stratford-upon-Avon Canal basin lock
Stratford upon Avon Canal - Stratford-upon-Avon Canal basin lock
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Brandwood Tunnel Tunnel portal
Stratford upon Avon Canal: Wilmcote Bottom Lock No 50

Related External Web Sites

Anglo Welsh A large narrowboat hire company with a good choice of bases and boats.
Away 4 awhile Hotel boat 3 or 4 day breaks from Warwick to Stratford upon Avon and Warwick to Birmingham, then to Stratford upon Avon and back to Warwick.
Canal Navigations A site covering some of the unique canals found in Britian
The Stratford upon Avon Canal Society Promoting the fullest use, maintenance and improvement of all Inland Waterways of Great Britain, and in particular the Stratford upon Avon Canal.
The Navigation Inn at Wootton Wawen Pub by the aqueduct abd wharf on the Stratford upon Avon Canal.

Related Cruising Logs

Other Related Pages

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

Stratford upon Avon Canal: Table of distances		Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
King's Norton Junction	Junction with Worcester and Birmingham Canal Worcester and Birmingham Canal	0	0	N	SP053793	139
King's Norton Stop Lock No 1	Normally left open	0.1	1	N	SP055794	139
Brandwood Tunnel	King's Norton Tunnel	1	1	N	SP066794	139
Yardley Wood Bridge No 6		3	1	N	SP092795	139
Lift Bridge No 8	Drawbridge Inn	4.3	1	N	SP103778	139
Bridge No 16	Red Lion 500 yards South	6.6	1	N	SP114751	139
Waring's Green Bridge No 19	Bluebell Cider Inn	7.8	1	N	SP128743	139
Rotherham's Oak Bridge No 22		8.8	1	N	SP137733	139
Hockley Heath Bridge No 25	A34 and Wharf Inn	9.8	1	N	SP152724	139
Lapworth Top Lock No 2	Bridge No 29	10.8	2	N	SP165715	139
Lapworth Lock No 6		11.5	6	N	SP176713	139
Kingswood Junction	Junction with Stratford upon Avon Canal - Kingswood Branch Kingswood Branch Junction to Grand Union Canal	12.5	20	N	SP186707	139
Lapworth Bottom Lock No 27		13.3	26	N	SP187695	139
Rowington Lock No 28		13.8	27	N	SP187691	139
Rowington Lock No 29		14	28	N	SP187686	139
Rowington Lock No 30	Lowsonford	14.3	29	N	SP187681	139
Lowsonford Lock No 31	Fleur de Lys Inn	14.5	30	N	SP188677	151
Lowsonford Lock No 32		14.9	31	N	SP189672	151
Claverdon Top Lock No 33		15.6	32	N	SP185665	151
Claverdon Bottom Lock No 35	Bridge No 45	15.9	34	N	SP183662	151
Preston Bagot Top Lock No 36		16.3	35	N	SP179657	151
Preston Bagot Bottom Lock No 38	Bridge No 47	16.4	37	N	SP176656	151
Wootton Wawen Aqueduct	Over the A34	18.5	37	N	SP158629	151
Bearley Lock No 39		19.6	38	N	SP161613	151
Edstone (Bearley) Aqueduct		19.9	38	N	SP162608	151
Wilmcote Bridge No 59	Wilmcote Village on East bank	21.9	38	N	SP167583	151
Wilmcote Top Lock No 40		22.5	39	N	SP170574	151
Wilmcote Lock No 43		23	42	N	SP173568	151
Wilmcote Bottom Lock No 50		23.4	49	N	SP179564	151
Bishopton Lock No 51		23.9	50	N	SP186561	151
Stratford Top Lock No 52	Bridge No 65 (A34 road)	24.9	51	N	SP198554	151
Stratford Bottom Lock No 55	Bridge No 68 (A46 road)	25.1	54	N	SP203551	151
Stratford-upon-Avon Lock No 56	Junctions with Higher Avon Navigation and Upper Avon River Avon junction and Stratford Basin	25.5	55	N	SP205547	151

NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.