Wey and Godalming Navigations

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Wey and Godalming Navigation

legend ( Upstream – Downstream ) Junction with River Thames stop lock 1 Thames Lock A317 road 2 Weybridge Town Lock Chertsey Branch Line ( Staines – Weybridge ) 3 Coxes Lock A318 road 4 New Haw Lock M25 motorway Basingstoke Canal Portsmouth Direct Line ( Woking – Waterloo ) A245 road 5 Pyrford Lock 6 Walsham Gates 7 Newark Lock 8 Papercourt Lock 9 Worsfold Gates 10 Triggs Lock 11 Bowyers Lock 12 Stoke Lock A320 road A3 road A25 road New Guildford Line ( Guildford – Cobham ) Dapdune Wharf 13 Millmead Lock 14 St Catherines Shalford Lock North Downs Line ( Guildford – Redhill ) A248 road Wey and Arun Canal Cranleigh Line (closed) ( Guildford – Horsham ) 15 Unstead Lock 16 Catteshall Lock Godalming Wharf End of navigable section

The Wey and Godalming Navigations is the name given to the navigable parts of the River Wey, in Surrey, UK. The navigation runs for around 20 miles (32.2 km) between the River Thames below Shepperton Lock near Weybridge, to the south-west of London, and the centre of Godalming, in Surrey; it runs through Guildford and Pyrford and is joined by the Basingstoke Canal at West Byfleet, and the Wey and Arun Canal near Godalming. Some parts of the navigation are canal sections and others are the original River Wey which intertwines with the canal sections.

Contents 1 History 2 Recent developments 3 Features along the canal 4 Towpath and Footpath Links 5 Gallery 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] History

The River Wey was one of the first rivers in England to be made navigable.^[1] The canal was built by Sir Richard Weston, beginning in 1635. The 25km from Weybridge to Guildford were made navigable by an Act of 1651, with work completed in 1653, allowing barges to transport goods to London. Further improvements were made under another Act of 1671.

Originally the Wey Navigations were used for transporting barge loads of heavy goods via the Thames to London. Timber, corn, flour, wood and gunpowder from the Chilworth Mills were moved up the canal to London whilst coal was brought back.

In 1760, another Act authorised the Godalming Navigation, taking navigation a further 7km upstream to Godalming. Work was completed in 1764.^[2]

The Basingstoke Canal and Wey and Arun Junction Canal were later dug to connect with the Wey and Godalming Navigation.

From 1900 to 1963, the Wey Navigation was owned by the Stevens family, who were commercial carriers on the canal. It was then donated to the National Trust in 1964 which operates a visitor centre at Dapdune Wharf, a former boatyard in Guildford. The Godalming Navigation was donated to the Trust in 1968. Commercial traffic ceased in 1983.

[edit] Recent developments

The railway line between Guildford and Horsham crossed the Wey just south of the entrance to the Wey and Arun Canal. The line was in direct competition with that canal and accelerated its demise. However, the railway itself also closed in 1965, as a result of the Beeching Axe, and the bridge across the river was subsequently demolished, leaving just the supporting abutments visible.

In more recent times there had been proposals to install a footbridge on the same site, to link the public footpaths which run along the trackbed of the line on both sides of the river. In 1990, the National Trust's own navigation guide shows such a footbridge at this point, and even gave the headroom as 8ft 6ins. However the accompanying text notes that it was yet to be built, "to carry the National Trust's 'Disused Railway Walk' [along] the route of the former Horsham line".^[3]

However, on July 7, 2006, the Unstead Woods Downslink Bridge was re-instated – a single-span metal structure providing a cycleway connection across the river.^[4]

[edit] Features along the canal

Moving upstream from the River Thames, there are various features. Between the Town Lock and Coxes Lock is the Blackboys footbridge and Coxes Mill. Between New Haw Lock and Pyrford Lock is the Woodham footbridge, Guildford boathouse, Grist Mill, Parvis Wharf, Murray's footbridge and Dodds footbridge.

Between Pyrford Lock and Newark Lock are the Walsham Gates and the ruins of Newark Priory. Between Papercourt Lock and Triggs Lock are the Tanyard footbridge, High Bridge (foot), Cartbridge Wharf, Cart Bridge and Worsford Gates. Between Triggs Lock and Bowers Lock are the Send Church footbridge and Broad Oak Bridge. Between Stoke Lock and Millmead Lock are Stoke Mill, Dapdune Wharf and Guildford Town Wharf. Finally between Millmead Lock and Unstead Lock are the Guildford boathouse, a footbridge carrying the North Downs Way and Broadford Bridge.

[edit] Towpath and Footpath Links

The towpath is open throughout and is a popular walking route. As well as linking with the Basingstoke Canal towpath at Byfleet, it has links with many public footpaths and with two National Trails. These are the Thames Path at Weybridge and the North Downs Way at St. Catherines. Due to this convenient connection, and its mostly traffic free route through a densely built-up part of South-East England, that part of the towpath has been designated part of European long-distance path E2. This runs from Galway in Ireland to Nice on the Mediterranean coast of France.

[edit] Gallery

The Anchor, Pyrford	Part of the house where John Donne lived, Pyrford	Lock sign at Pyrford completed in 1653, the end of the longest section	Lock sign at Walsham Gates where the river and canal are divided by a wier
Canal and River Wey at Walsham Gates	Canal north of Cattleshall Lock near a weir, Springtime 2007

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Canals of Great Britain
• History of the British canal system

[edit] External links

• Dapdune Wharf and River Wey Navigations
• River Wey Catchment Flood Warnings
• Guildford Rowing Club
• Wey Kayak Club
• The River Wey and Wey Navigations Community Site