Hockley Heath to Lapworth Junction

This route takes us from the well-heeled village of Hockley Heath with its Rolls Royce and Mclaren showroom to an attractive rural setting in the neighbouring villages of Lapworth and Kingswood in the heart of Warwickshire. The latter have two glorious National Trust Houses within 1 mile, a train station and an abundance of canals and basins. No wonder it is a spot favoured for sunny days by those within a short drive via the M40 and M42 Motorways but also within easy reach of central Birmngham by train by infiltrators like myself .

There are some characteristic and interesting features along this short 2.75 mile canal leg – 19 locks(!), 12 bridges (two of them lift), and many lock-side cottages and houses – some pre-dating the canal – adorning the way. There’s even a village cricket ground just through a gate at Bridge 30 – in summer at weekends you may be lucky enough to waste an hour or two watching this relaxing game to make your rural village experience complete.

The bridges are interesting along the length of this canal. Some are split of a type termed Roving. These enabled a horse, towing a boat, to cross the canal when the towpath changed sides without untying the towing rope . Was this really that arduous? Obviously so or they wouldn’t have gone for these difficult and costly designs! A bit of imagination is needed as to how this is achieved (for a rainy day, perhaps?). Bridges 32 and 36 are an example of this in my slideshow below.

An alternative to the split bridge is the even more topologically challenging stone built Rover bridges on the Macclesfield canal seen left (Photo Wikipedia).

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The two lift bridges are for roads crossing the canal and are raised by using the windlass to pump hydraulic fluid into a piston which, in turn,applies pressure in the right place to raise the bridge. The effort required by the winder is assisted by counterbalancing weight structures on the opposite side of the pivot to the bridge itself. So, in theory, it’s just a case of changing the bridges position – if the designers got it right and years of use have not taken too much of a toll.

National Trust houses Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House are nearby and in walking distance if you ask the locals where to moor.

But the sheer joy is to moor at Lapworth Juntion on a sunny day and just indulge in the slowly moving canal spectacle around Bridge 36. Sheer relaxing joy!

Click here for a slideshow of my photos along the canal,

Click here to open a separate page with an annotated Google Map of the area with all the placemarks identified.

Click here to find out how to get the most out of the photos.

#1 | Written by Mike Meaden about 11 years ago. Reply

Better late than never!

Its hard to believe there is so much of interest for people of all ages in just a 2,75 mile stretch of canal. I cannot bring to mind a single road that even closely compares. I mean to say 19 locks and 12 bridges [forgiven for not showing all of them] superb scenery, quaint cottages and houses plus the likelihood of meeting up with interesting people – not that too many are shown in this slideshow! Given the opportunity Lapworth Junction is a must see location.
I’m not sure if it was the camera angle but to me some of those locks looked extra narrow! Soft drinks only being the order of the day!
I know I’ve mentioned it before but those responsible for keeping the canal side so clean and tidy should be very proud of their achievements – thank you.
Once again Geoff you have done your viewers proud.
- #2 | Written by gitot.1342 about 11 years ago. Reply
  
  Mike, thanks for your comment.
  
  The photos were taken this year on the 23 April. The weather has been so cold and wet that the boat owners had remained in their warm homes rather than venture out in their boats to what very often were very cold days and below zero nights.
  This explains the lack of boat traffic and hence people in the photos. This was the first day of the year with largely blue skies and reasonable temperatures; so this is why I set out for the canal. It’s an easy one day sortie in a car, and I needed the photos as previous ones were taken in dull weather which does not show the canals off at their best.
  
  Believe me the place is humming with people when the summer eventually provides a continuous set of long sunny warm days to encourage cruising, and gongoozlers at weekends or on holiday.
  
  This is a canal with single width 7 feet locks as opposed to the double width ones on the Grand Union canal which you last commented on. There’s a world of physical and perceived difference.
  Geoff
#3 | Written by Dave about 12 years ago. Reply

Hi.
What a coincidence you covering the route we are about to start!! In Gas street now having just come up the Stourbridge and Merryhill and going down the Stratford and on to Hatton etc and on to London.Info on the National trust properties will be very useful.
Thanks.
Dave
#4 | Written by Alan Ranger about 12 years ago. Reply

We really enjoyed viewing your recent photos from Hockley Heath to Lapworth Junction. We were the “holidaymakers” in shot 15 flying the St Georges Day flag. We had a great holiday but being of an age when muscles let you know that they are getting old the operation of 110 locks up and down the Stratford-Upon-Avon canal was a bit of a challenge. Before returning the boat to Alverchurch we chugged along the Wocester & Birmingham canal and the BCN to visit the Black Country Museum which we thoroughly enjoyed.

CanalScene.com

Hockley Heath to Lapworth Junction

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