- Itchen Navigation
The Itchen Navigation, also known as the Itchen Valley Navigation, is an approximately 10
mile long disusedcanal system inHampshire ,England , that provided an important trading route fromWinchester to the sea atSouthampton for about 150 years. [ [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-winchestercitymill/w-winchestercitymill-learning.htm National Trust: WInchester City Mill] ] [http://www.hwt.org.uk/itchen.htm Hampshire Wildlife Trust: Itchen] ] The canal was opened in 1710 but had fallen into disuse by 1869. [ [http://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/ebc-1477 Eastleigh Borough Council: Itchen Valley Country Park] ] It provided an important method of moving goods, particularly agricultural produce andcoal between the two cities and the intervening villages. On its completion it was capable of taking shallowbarge s of around 14 feet in width and 70 feet in length. Its waters are fed from the River Itchen, which also forms part of the navigation itself. Thetow path alongside the canal forms part of theItchen Way , and is a popular destination for walkers. [ [http://www.whitenap.plus.com/itchen/itchen_ind.htm Southampton Canal Society: Itchen Navigation] ]Construction
The River Itchen had been commercially important since Norman times, and Winchester's status as the
capital city of England was partly due to this link to the sea. [ [http://www.hants.gov.uk/itchen/canal/index.html Hampshire County Council - original source has been deleted] ] Construction of the canal was authorised by anAct of Parliament in 1665, although completion took over 50 years. The canal was designed as a combination of artificial cut ways together with sections of the River Itchen that were already navigable. At one point a link was proposed to theBasingstoke Canal , however this was never started. [http://www.hwt.org.uk/files/innewssep05.pdf Hampshire Wildlife Trust September 2005 newsletter] ] [ [http://www.twyfordpc.hants.gov.uk/meadsinfo.htm Twyford Parish Council: Twyford Meads Information] ]Route
The official head of the canal starts at Winchester, marked by a simple stone bridge. It flows past the grounds of
Winchester College before being diverted through a culvert under theM3 Motorway . Originally this was a full headroom tunnel, but saw substantial changes during the construction of this section of the M3. The canal passesTwyford Down , and continues South flowing past the village of Twyford. Here aweir marks the remains of one of the 15 turf locks that were originally incorporated into the system. Aleat from this stretch was created at around the time of the construction of the canal to provide water for the Twyford Meadwater meadow s. Farming of the water meadows continued until around 1930, after the closure of the navigation itself. The canal flows on pastCompton and Shawford , then through toBishopstoke . Eventually the canal merges into the River Itchen as it approaches theSolent .The map shows the navigation in deep blue, (or green for the drained section), in order to distinguish it from the river, shown in light blue. Deep blue is normally used to represent navigable waterways, but is used here for clarity.
Closure and restoration
Eventually newer technologies of
road and rail led to the canal falling into disuse. Lengths of the canal system were drained or allowed to overgrow with vegetation. Increasingly the difference between the canal and the river became less obvious, although it is still possible to identify remains of the original locks. In 2005 a request was made to theHeritage Lottery Fund in theUnited Kingdom for funds to restore the watercourse. Known as The Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project, funding was granted and restoration is now underway. The navigation has been designated a EuropeanSpecial Area of Conservation as well as aSite of Special Scientific Interest , due to the rich diversity of wildlife found along the system, as well as its historical importance.References
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