London Calling - Week 10 Woolhampton to Hungerford

Monday 5th August - Woolhampton to Newbury

We left Woolhampton in warm sunshine and collected the boat in front of us from the first swing bridge so that we could share the locks together.  This boat was called n/b Witchy and Foxy, and they were heading for Newbury where they were leaving the boat to fly back home to Finland.

  

We passed through Thatcham, along side the railway station.  We shall stop there on the way back.  We lived in Thatcham over 30 years ago so we are expecting a few changes.

This is Monkey Marsh Lock, the second of the turf sided locks.  It has a preservation order on it. It had timber walled chambers to 2 feet above the lock's level then turf sides which slope away at an angle of 45 degrees.  Huge amounts of water seep through these sides, but as there was copious amounts of water from the Kennet this was not seen as a problem.

This is Long Cut and is the longest straight stretch on the whole of the Kennet and Avon Canal.  We moored up in Newbury opposite Newbury Marina and went for a walk through the town.

This is Victoria Park Nursery School, where both Lizzie and Laura attended Nursery when they were little.  

The main street in Newbury used to have traffic up and down it all day, now it is pedestrianised until 5pm when cars are allowed to use it.

6.5 miles, 8 locks, 4 moveable bridges, 5 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Tuesday 6th August - Newbury

 Victoria Park Bridge links the towpath with the town over the canal.  You can moor here opposite Newbury Wharf which was originally the terminal wharf for the Kennet Navigation.

The Corn Exchange Newbury opened for trade in 1861 but was soon being used as a community venue. In the 20th century as corn trading declined, the venue was used for public meetings, dances, discos, amateur dramatics and even as a roller skating rink.  Closed for four years, the Corn Exchange reopened in September 1993 after a £3.5 million refurbishment programme as a professional 400-seat theatre.

In 1827 a draper and clothier in Newbury’s Market Place  was opened by a Mr Burgess.  In 1890 Richard Beynon left his native Cheltenham and came to Newbury to take over the long established business; it is the Beynon name which has survived to this day in a plaque on the building overlooking the Market Place, though the shop closed in 1990.

Wednesday 7th August - Newbury to Kintbury

Town Bridge in Newbury crosses over the Canal, and as it was the terminus of the canal was built without a towpath, this called for ingenious solutions to get the boat through the bridge as the horses weren't allowed to haul across the main road.

Once through Newbury Lock you come to West Mills, a delightful area with many of the original buildings still standing although now converted to accommodation.

The massive concrete structure of the Newbury by-pass crosses the canal and has won an award from The Concrete Society!

This bench was sponsored by Prunella and Timothy West, they were part of the team of volunteers who helped to restore the Kennet and Avon Canal.  In 1962 a group of waterways enthusiasts formed The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust with the stated objective of restoring the canal to its former glories. 

This is the horse which pulls the horse drawn boat from below Kintbury Lock.   The horse-drawn barge is a wide-beam passenger trip boat, purpose built in 1976. She operates from Kintbury and is 20.4m (67ft) long by 3m (10ft) wide. Powered solely by the 1hp towing action of the horse, she carries a maximum of 53 to 64 passengers.

6.25 miles, 8 locks, 1 moveable bridge, 5 hrs 18 mins cruising time.

Thursday 8th August - Kintbury

Today we had a lovely visit from Annie and Alba, she has grown so much, was absolutely adorable and slept soundly whilst we had our lunch!

Kintbury Mill is in the village near the station.  It is now converted in to flats.  In the early part of the 19th century it was a silk mill.

This is the Vicarage and Church in Kintbury.  Jane Austen wrote of several visits to Kintbury, describing how the village was "famous for its apples". She stayed both at the old vicarage and at Croft Cottage, the home of Mrs. Dexter, the vicar's daughter. Her last visit was in 1816, a year before she died. 

Friday 9th August - Kintbury to Hungerford

A much better day today, with rain promised for later on.  So we decided to make a short journey from Kintbury to Hungerford.  Beautiful skies with great cloud formations.

We were able to share the locks with nbLady Hilda. The narrow beam boat, Lady Hilda, is available for hire for local community groups such as Guides, Scouts or similar organisations.  The Bruce Branch of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust also provides specially-designed, purpose-built, wide-beam canal boats, for hire for self-catering, self-steer holidays by disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people along with their family, friends or carers.  

After stopping to fill up with water, we moored up at Hungerford Wharf, just in time as it began to rain soon after we arrived.

3 miles, 3 locks, 2 hrs 30 mins cruising time.

Saturday 10th August - Hungerford

Today we decided to go for a walk along the canal, then inland and back into Hungerford.  Hungerford Church is hidden away down by the Kennet & Avon Canal, some way behind the main town-centre. It is Regency Gothic Revival, only  built in 1814 probably in imitation of the real thing at Newbury. Its Bath stone was brought up the canal. The previous building had unfortunately collapsed after the tower had been rebuilt.

The next lock we came to is reminiscent of the lock at Fenny Stratford with the swing bridge in the centre of the lock.  You have to swing the bridge before filling the lock. The bridge was provided for the benefit of the commoners who enjoyed rights over Freeman's Marsh across which the canal journeys.

We also had to cross the railway which also crosses Freeman's Marsh along with the River Dun.  No trains coming so safe to cross.

Standen was a picturesque tiny village with a manor and a working farm.  

We continued into Hungerford and found Hungerford Arcade.  It hasn't changed much from the time we visited it 30 years ago when we lived in Thatcham.  We came here and bought a set of fire dogs and fireside tools to go on the open fireplace we had in our house.

Sunday 11th August - Hungerford above the lock

We have moved the boat through Hungerford Lock and on to the visitor moorings above the lock.  We need to stay another couple of days for Dave to collect medication from Boots and a parcel from the Post Office, we are also treating ourselves to Sunday Lunch at The John O'Gaunt pub in the town.

Hungerford Wharf was occupied for over 100 years by a building firm, the only remaining building is The Granary on the opposite side of the canal.  

“The Rose of Hungerford” is a purpose built 55 feet long wide-beamed passenger trip boat owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and has a maximum capacity of 50 passengers.  It is operated by volunteers of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust.

“The Rose of Hungerford” was launched into the canal in 1982 and the official commissioning took place at Hungerford Wharf on the 6th of March 1983. It was not until August 1990 that the complete navigable length of the canal was officially reopened with HM The Queen on board “The Rose of Hungerford” at Caen Hill on 8 August 1990.

The River Dun flows alongside the canal in Hungerford, it is an incredibly clear river and very pretty.