There have been changes beside the Oxford Canal

Saturday, 24 December 2011 00:42

We had a nice surprise whilst we were moored in Banbury on the South Oxford Canal - a familiar narrowboat arrived to moor opposite

Milly M through the porthole

An evening with Maffi is always entertaining and we had such an evening before we all left Banbury behind .....

The usual Banbury landmarks came and went - Sovereign Wharf (closed for the winter), the Grimsbury Arm and the road bridges. Before Hardwick Lock we began to notice some changes. Banbury was badly flooded a couple of years ago and there has been extensive flood prevention work, the latest is very evident from the canal. 

Appropriately, as I write this, the rain is pouring down, although lack of water seems to have been the theme this winter! The EA and Cherwell DC are leaving nothing to chance though, with the major works that have changed the countryside for ever.

In Hardwick Lock

I do not remember seeing narrowboats moored above this lock before - but they looked as if they were there for the "duration"! John kept spotting Kingfishers - at least two and managed to get this shot above the lock.

Kingfisher on berries

At Bridge 159, the flood works are very close - and there are diggers working on the offside building a bank. The bank comes alongside the canal above the M40 bridge. 

Sign at the bridge

Looking back

The bank continues on the towpath side - preventing any view from the canal. The worst example of loss of view is at Bourton Lock. The cottage there is owned by local boaters who are slowly making improvements. 

Bourton Lock Cottage

But right behind the cottage is the new bank which appears to completely obscure the view from the ground floor windows. What a shame. The River Cherwell is the other side of the bank and will now be prevented from flooding across to the canal and fields. The whole scheme is enormous and will cost £15 million, funded by the EA and others, including Cherwell DC, Network Rail and Thames Water. Apparently it will cut the odds of flooded homes and businesses from 20% to 0.5%. (Click on this link to see a map of the flood prevention and here for the EA latest news about it)

The railway over the fields on the off side - these fields still retain a vestige of the old ridge farming methods 

Once it is finished and landscaped I suppose it will blend in and Banbury will be safer. But I cannot help wonder if the next flood will be in 200 years time and that if the flood plain had been respected in the first place this whole project might not have been necessary. Hey ho - the price of an overcrowded island, commercial enterprise and the loss of old farming methods. Farmers would once welcome floods as they brought new soil in the form of fertile silt.

We had Slat Mill Lock to do and then we were at Cropredy. We filled up at the wharf and then settled on our mooring for the Christmas holiday. So to more cheerful matters -

Christmas is upon us, so it is time to wish all our readers a

Happy Christmas!

We hope you will all enjoy the festive frolics, but take time to remember what the celebration is all about. The purity of a small babe, who grew to do the work of God and paid the ultimate price in lieu of mankind. 

South Oxford Canal, Banbury to Cropredy
2 hours 57 minutes, 4.27 miles, 3 locks