Wide beam boats wishing to travel through the tunnel must book passage. The overall effect of a tunnel book is to create the illusion of depth and perspective. Braunstone canal boat hire union wharf marina abc boat hire. As the canal travels eastwards through braunstons locks, you pass through a magnificent hawthornflanked canalscape before diving into the hillside for 2,042yds 1,867m at braunston tunnel. This is a lengthy circular walk from the village of long buckby grid ref. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Construction of the northampton arm was delayed for many years and in that respect shares a similar history to its contemporary. Hundreds of boats, many carrying perishable goods, were jammed together for fourteen weeks. Passing wolfhamcote hall on the right, we cross the old line of the oxford canal at the site of the 30 yard wolfhamcote tunnel, now filled in, where sections of the old canal. The tunnel carries the canal under high ground east of the village of braunston.
We find that out the hard way today as we take part of the tunnel wall with us. The novel was filmed as an episode in inspector morse and was first aired on 11 november 1998. Braunston tunnel is on the grand union canal about 830 yds 760 m east of braunston. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. They are sometimes called visual narratives but they may tell a. Branston is a delightful and vibrant village situated in a mostly rural area of the b1188 road some four miles to the south of lincoln. This video is about our travels between braunston tunnel and gayton junction. Grand junction canal company minute book, 10th november, 1825. Braunston lies at the junction of the grand union and oxford canals in a rural setting on the border of warwickshire and northamptonshire, between daventry and rugby the village, on the hill above the canal, thrived for over 150 years on the canal trade carrying goods from the midlands to london.
Oval bridge plaques tunnels the canal shop company. It descends then climbs again to a new summit in birmingham, 7 miles and 166 locks. The grand junction canal was authorised by an act of parliament on 30 april 1793, and was to run over 90 miles 140 km from braunston on the oxford canal to brentford near london, where it would join the river thames. Please call 0303 040 4040 and ask to be put through to the newark admin team or email us at enquiries. Braunston high street is a miscellany of buildings, old and new, with the old often doing its best to disguise itself, as steepangled thatched roofs make way for shallower slate and tile, and wooden window frames are replaced with upvc. The bottom of foxton lock flight is also where the short but equally beautiful. Take a trip to braunston or napton from gayton marina. The grand union canal in england is part of the british canal system. Braunston welton daventry ashby st ledgers staverton old maps of braunston tunnel historic maps of braunston tunnel and the local area. Less than 100 years later in 41 ad, romans used around 30,000 workers to build even larger tunnel that was 5. We need to encourage these youngsters, so they will.
Dark and intimidating blisworth tunnel spooky isles. Built by jessop and barnes, t he tunnel has no towpath and is 4. Nonetheless, the front elevations of the presentday properties reveal much of historical interest. We went through the braunston tunnel today, its a mile long with no lights except for 2 airshafts.
Northamptonshires blisworth tunnel takes the grand union canal from stoke. A little bit of history braunston was an important depot on the canal system and many former boating families have links to the town. London to braunston 4 ways to travel via train, bus, and car. Hopefully that will make navigation a bit easierless scary. Sp628678 that takes you across open countryside to join the jurassic way, which is then followed to braunston. In addition the towpath at the welton wharf side of the tunnel is also in poor condition as far as bridge 10 thereafter its in good condition for walking and cycling. It has arms to places including leicester, slough, aylesbury, wendover and northampton. Read memorial signed by the clergyman and inhabitants of blisworth on behalf of the leggers employed there and whose occupation was now lost in consequence of a steam tug being introduced into the tunnel as well as their having been out of work for several weeks on account of the canal being stopped by frost. Tunnel books andrea martin and mariehelene grabman tunnel books are unique book structures that can easily incorporate papercuts. Braunston tunnel is one of a number of works engineered by jessop and barnes as part of their grand union canal project. Local news, events, info etc for the village of braunstoninrutland, nestled in the heart of the english countryside just outside oakham. Braunsto n tun nel is on the grand union canal about 830 yds 760 m east of brau nston, northamptonshire, england top lock. A short distance beyond the tunnel, turn left under the bridge at norton junction onto the grand union canal leicester section. Anna takes out half a wall in braunston tunnel youtube.
The next hour features more woodland, a boatyard and a golf course as the canal skirts attractively around rugby towards hillmorton locks. Frog which i last saw in a field alongside the oxford canal north of braunston for working as tugs during the restoration of braunston tunnel they can just turn around inside. Bones give robert silverwood a try quote here is sister boat nb. Its main line starts in london and ends in birmingham, stretching for 7mi with 166 locks. Leaving crick in northamptonshire, he embarks on a voyage of exploration along the canals of the uk, towards his shortterm goal of the city of chester and all the while not only transforming from a stressed, eternally exhausted and unshaven figure of a man, at the same time developing a penchant for pork pies and bacon sandwiches. Crick tunnel was notoriously difficult to build and opened in 1814. At the time of publication in 1976 of the definitive john gaggs book of. Just a little further along from braunston tunnel the grand union canal arrives at norton junction which is from where the very beautiful leicester canal section starts its long journey via foxton locks to reach the city of leicester where the leicester section then becomes a river navigation on the river soar. Thats definitely a lot of boats to have to maneuver around in such close quarters. Braunston, or brandestone, two villages and a parish in daventry district, northampton. Before canal boats had engines, they were horsedrawn and so needed a tow path. There are 4 ways to get from london to braunston by train, bus or car. This book only indirectly tells the story of the grand junction canal. Despite its small size, braunston was once served by two railway stations, both now closed.
James willis takes a trip to experience the story first hand. We visited braunston marina very recently on a visit to the area to relive some of my childhood memories. The canals are no longer used for carrying freight, but are now used mostly by pleasure boats. Built by jessop and barnes, the tunnel has no towpath and is 4. History of braunston, in daventry and northamptonshire. Heritage list entry summary for grand union canal west entrance to braunston tunnel. It is at the very heart of the english canal system a pivotal point between north and south. It is in the northern outskirts of daventry, about 2 km east of the village of braunston. The grand union canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the leicester line of the modern grand union. A mile and a half northeast of daventry, the grand junction formerly the grand union canal cuts through the limestone ridge via the braunston tunnel. It is not a continuous narrative, but just short captions for a collection of old photographs of.
Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. The photo daventry, the braunston tunnel c1955 appears in this book. To move along a tunnel without one, the crew would lie on their backs and propel the boat along using their legs against tunnel ceiling. Passage is available monday friday excluding bank holidays at 8am only and must be booked 48hrs in advance. From spoons to hightech tbms, we dig into the long, winding story of the tunnel. The oxford canal climbs from coventry to its summit over a spur of the cotswolds just south of napton and then drops all the way down to the thames, so these three locks take you uphill. Braunston grand union canal sp56ne 580 west entrance to braunston tunnel.
Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of braunston tunnel. After reading other tunnel threads i have already bought myself a 12 volt led spotlight to aim forwards at the tunnel roof in addition to the normal tunnel light. Explore horseley iron bridges, historic workshops, and a settlement steeped in history dating back to the doomsday book. A brief history of tunnels tunnel building may be boring, but its never dull. The outline of the old moated manor house can still be discerned.
It is in the northern outskirts of daventry, about 2 km east of the villa ge of br au nston. The first navigable canal tunnel was the malpas tunnel, built in 1679 to enable. Any other advice from experienced braunston tunnel users would be much appreciated. From the marina, six locks carry the grand union canal up to braunston tunnel, some 2,049 yards 1,874 m long. The filming took place on the grand union canal at braunston locks, south of braunston tunnel and on the kennet and avon canal, all. Select an option below to see stepbystep directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in rome2rios travel planner. Clinton tunnel clinton, massachusetts atlas obscura. The history of the site is almost unknown, probably because it was regarded as part of braunston village and was thus never listed separately in the national taxation records. Tunnel books are made up of a series of pages that are held together by folded strips of paper on each side.
The grand union canal holiday cruising guide and map. Braunston captures the imagination of waterway writers, artists and photographers, and, with its unique environment. Braunston has a marina filled with these pleasure boats and is usually quite busy. Passage is available monday friday excluding bank holidays at 8am only and. Braunston tunnel is on the grand union canal about 830 yds 760 m east of braunston, northamptonshire, england top lock. The idyllic canal village at braunston is a fitting finale for this route before turning round to retrace your journey back to union wharf. In the doomsday book of 1086 the recorded population was 930. Construction of the northern section, which included the whilton locks at buckby. Braunston tunnel daventry, northamptonshire landmark. Even though it is made to fit 2 boats, its very tight only 16 feet wide we had about 6 boats pass us today. Braunsto n tunnel is 2,042 yards 1,867 m in length. Braunston marina 2020 all you need to know before you go.
See oval pic above it was very good to see the young working boaters club present in force. In fact, the sides of a tunnel book might make you think of an accordion. Join kevin from where it all began, with season one. The existence of two other settlements, little braunston, now part of the existing village, and the now deserted braunston cleves 3, further complicates the picture. Open views are only temporarily blackened by husbands bosworth tunnel. You could click on his name in the lisatings on the derbyshire photographers site here. Now abandoned and graffiticovered, this railroad tunnel was once the longest in massachusetts. The grand union canal, braunston locks, norton junction. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license.
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