Autumn Reflections on the Saltisford Canal Arm | Scenic Canal Walk. скачать в хорошем качестве

Autumn Reflections on the Saltisford Canal Arm | Scenic Canal Walk.

Let's walk along the Saltisford Canal Arm on a beautiful autumn day. Music by kind permission of Adrian von Ziegler. The Saltisford Arm was built as part of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal, which was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1793 and opened in December 1799. Originally it wasn’t a branch (arm) at all: it was the terminus of the Warwick & Birmingham Canal, bringing canal traffic right into Warwick town to serve the market, castle, and local industries. When the Warwick and Napton Canal opened in 1799, linking through to the Oxford Canal and beyond, the route beyond what is now Budbrooke Junction became a branch — what we now call the Saltisford Arm. The arm was a bustling centre of commercial activity in the 19th century: Many wharves (around 20) lined the canal basin. Businesses took advantage of the canal transport for heavy goods like timber, slate, lime, brick and tile materials. The Warwick gasworks, built in 1822 near the canal terminus, relied on canal deliveries of coal and other materials — highlighting the canal’s role in early Victorian industry. The growth of the railways in the mid-19th century, especially the Great Western Railway line through Warwick, gradually diverted freight traffic away from the canal. Throughout the 20th century, freight use declined, and much of the original basin beyond the railway was filled in or built over. By the 1970s, part of the arm had been infilled and lost. In 1982, local canal enthusiasts formed the Saltisford Canal Trust to save, restore and protect what remained of the arm. Over several years the arm was re-watered and restored, transforming it into a peaceful canal centre with gardens, moorings and community space. Today it offers residential and visitor moorings, a visitor centre and shop, gardens and a canal-side community hub while preserving its heritage. The Saltisford Arm is now a restored remnant of the historic canal system and part of the Grand Union Canal network — valued for heritage, leisure boating and as a green space near Warwick town centre. The Saltisford Canal Trust continues to conserve the site, host community events and promote the canal’s history. Original Length and Basin When the Warwick & Birmingham Canal opened in 1799, what we now call the Saltisford Arm was originally the main line of the canal running into Warwick town centre, not a short branch. The canal continued eastwards beyond the present restored arm under the railway and closer to what became the gasworks and industrial basins. By the mid-20th century the canal extended to the back of the present Antelope Pub / near the Sainsbury’s site, making the total navigable length around 750 m before partial infilling occurred. Historic OS maps (late 19th / early 20th century) show the canal ending in two enclosed docks or basins, one with a swing bridge, surrounded by extensive warehouses and wharf-side buildings. These basins and wharves were significant hubs of freight activity — roughly where modern housing and offices now stand (much has since been demolished). In the 1970s part of the arm was taken out of use, filled in and built over. Now only the western portion remains navigable. Beyond the surviving arm, little trace remains on the ground apart from a disused bridge structure in a car park — the rest is beneath modern development. 🔥 Gasworks Warwick Gas Works was built next to the canal in 1822 to supply coal gas for street and industrial lighting. Coal was brought in by boat via the canal wharves; by the mid-19th century the works included two octagonal gasometers, retort house and offices. The gasometers themselves are significant surviving industrial structures, now among the oldest such in the world. 🪵 Timber Yards Large timber yards stood along the basin serving the boat-building trade and local construction needs. One substantial timber yard sat “between the canal basin and Hill House” with others near the gasworks. Several malt houses and public houses clustered near the wharves, serving dockside workers and canal boat crews. 🧵 Worsted / Textile Works Early industrial activity included a worsted spinning factory established around 1797 near the canal — powered by early steam engines and employing hundreds. This factory and related buildings had close canal access to receive coal and raw materials.