English canal in Hampshire and Surrey
| Basingstoke Canal |
|---|
 The Basingstoke Canal passing through Woking |
|
| Length | 31 miles (50 km) |
|---|
| Maximum boat length | 72 ft 6 in (22.10 m) |
|---|
| Maximum boat beam | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
|---|
| Locks | 29 |
|---|
| Status | Partially open |
|---|
| Navigation authority | The Basingstoke Canal Authority |
|---|
|
| Principal engineer | John Smeaton |
|---|
| Other engineer(s) | Benjamin Henry Latrobe |
|---|
| Date of act | 1778 |
|---|
| Date completed | 1794 |
|---|
| Date closed | 1932 |
|---|
| Date restored | 10 May 1991 |
|---|
|
| Start point | Byfleet |
|---|
| End point | Greywell
(originally Basingstoke) |
|---|
| Connects to | Wey Navigation |
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Woodham Bottom Lock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
Scotland lock
|
|
|
|
|
3-4
|
Woodham Locks
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
Sheerwater Lock
|
|
|
|
|
|
A245 Sheerwater Bridge (03)
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
Sheerwater Bridge or Top Lock
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monument Bridge (04)
|
|
|
|
|
|
A320 Chertsey Road Bridge (05)
|
|
|
|
|
|
A3046 Chobham Road Bridge (06)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Woking town centre
|
|
|
|
|
|
A324 Skew Bridge (07)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Step Bridge (08)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arthur's Bridge (09)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parley Drive Bridge (10)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Langman's Bridge (11)
|
|
|
|
|
7-9
|
St Johns Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Woodend Bridge (12)
|
|
|
|
|
10-11
|
St Johns Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kiln Bridge (13)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hermitage Woods Footbridge (14)
|
|
|
|
|
|
A324 Hermitage Bridge (15)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brookwood Lye
|
|
|
|
|
|
A322 Brookwood Bridge (16)
|
|
|
|
|
12-14
|
Brookwood Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sheet's Heath Bridge (17)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pirbright Bridge (18)
|
|
|
|
|
15-16
|
Deepcut Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cowshot Bridge (19)
|
|
|
|
|
17-25
|
Deepcut Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Curzon Bridge (20)
|
|
|
|
|
26-28
|
Deepcut Locks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
B3015 Deepcut Bridge (21)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wharfenden Lake
|
|
|
|
|
|
South West Main Line
|
|
|
|
|
|
B3012 Guildford Road Bridge (22)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Canal Centre Swing Bridge (23)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mytchett Place Canal Bridge (24)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mytchett Lake Canal Bridge (25)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mytchett Lake
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mytchett Lake Railway Bridge (26)
|
|
|
|
|
|
( Ash Vale – Frimley  )
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deedmans Footbridge (private) (27)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ash Vale Railway Bridge (28)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greatbottom Flash
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heath Vale Bridge (29)
|
|
|
|
|
|
B3411 Ash Vale Bridge (30)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ash Railway Bridge (31)
|
|
|
|
|
|
( Ash – North Camp )
|
|
|
|
|
|
Surrey
|
|
|
|
|
|
A331 Ash Aqueduct
|
|
|
|
|
|
River Blackwater County Boundary
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hampshire
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aldershot Railway Bridge (32)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Government Road Bridge (Gasworks Bridge) (33)
|
|
|
|
|
29
|
Ash (or Aldershot)Lock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Queen's Avenue Bridge (Iron Bridge) (34)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Farnborough Road Bridges (Wharf Bridge) (35)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aldershot Wharf
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rushmoor Flash
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claycart Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claycart Flash
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eelmoor Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eelmoor Flash
|
|
|
|
|
|
A323 Norris Bridges
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gelvert Stream
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gelvert Stream
|
|
|
|
|
|
A323 Pondtail Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brookly Stream
|
|
|
|
|
|
B3013 Reading Road Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coxheath Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Malthouse Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crookham Swing Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poulter's Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chequer's Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Double Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blacksmith's Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barley Mow Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stacey's Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Baseley's Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sprat's Hatch Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sandy Hill Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Broad Oak Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
A287 Odiham bypass
|
|
|
|
|
|
Odiham Wharf
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colt Hill Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lodge Copse Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Swan Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
North Warnborough Lift Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
Odiham Castle
|
|
|
|
|
|
River Whitewater Aqueduct
|
|
|
|
|
|
Whitewater winding hole
|
|
|
|
|
|
Limit of navigation
|
|
|
|
|
30
|
Greywell Stop Lock (disused)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greywell Tunnel
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eastrop Bridge - Heather Row Lane
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slade Bridge - Heather Lane
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up Nately brickworks
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brick Kiln Bridge - Blackstocks Lane
|
|
|
|
|
|
Up Nately nature reserve
|
|
|
|
|
|
Penny Bridge (demolished) - Greywell Road
|
|
|
|
|
|
Little Tunnel Bridge - Andwell Drove
|
|
|
|
|
|
River Lyde - Mapledurwell branch
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frog Lane Swing Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Luke's Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
River Lyde - Huish branch
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bridge (now  M3 alignment, demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
A30 Hatch Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hatch Lane Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cuckoo Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Church Lane Bridge (buried)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crown Lane Bridge (demolished)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Red Bridge (buried)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basingstoke
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Basingstoke Canal is an English canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation.
From Basingstoke, the canal passes through or near Greywell, North Warnborough, Odiham, Dogmersfield, Fleet, Farnborough Airfield, Aldershot, Mytchett, Brookwood, Knaphill and Woking. Its eastern end is at Byfleet, where it connects to the Wey Navigation. This, in turn, leads to the River Thames at Weybridge. Its intended purpose was to allow boats to travel from the docks in East London to Basingstoke.
It was never a commercial success and, starting in 1950, a lack of maintenance allowed the canal to become increasingly derelict. After many years of neglect, restoration commenced in 1977 and on 10 May 1991 the canal was reopened as a fully navigable waterway from the River Wey to almost as far as the Greywell Tunnel. However its usage is currently still limited by low water supply and conservation issues.
