West
Vale Branch |
Please note: Nearly all of the property the canal passes through is privately owned and has no Public Rights of Way. This article is solely intended to describe the route of the canal through the Branch's area. To help us maintain good relations with landowners please do not enter private property without prior permission from the owner.
Approximately 100 metres before reaching Stainswick Lane, the towpath crosses a small footbridge of railway sleepers (SU243883). This gap in the towpath was made to provide a suitable spill weir to limit the depth in the canal and allow it to be drained if the need arose. Unfortunately this is constructed of clay and wood and leaks despite efforts to stop it. It is planned to rebuild this with bricks and a moveable sluice in the near future.
The towpath and canal come to an abrupt stop at the edge of Stainswick Lane (SU244883). This is the site of a lift bridge that has long since disappeared and the invert has been filled in. Referred to as Cemetery Bridge by Jack Dalby in his book however, this is incorrect as the cemetery farther up Stainswick Lane is a very late addition, only coming into use in the mid 1900s. Stainswick Lane itself was originally the main road between Shrivenham and Ashbury before the advent of the Inter-City 125 trains when the level crossing at Ashbury Crossing was replaced with a bridleway bridge. This closure means that Stainswick Lane is a no through road to motor vehicles. The Branch has plans for a lift bridge at this site having had a full survey carried out and received Agreement in Principle from Oxfordshire County Council Bridges Dept. The bridge and associated work is estimated to cost £120,000 of which £5,500 has already been spent on the survey and outline design. A strong application was made to get an IWA grant in 2000 but was unsuccessful. This lift bridge is still considered a live project within the Branch.
After crossing Stainswick Lane, the canal has been dredged for about 100 metres with the towpath levelled and graded. On the northern side of this section is the Shrivenham Canalside Park which is owned by the Group but managed and maintained by the Branch. This 4-acre park is well on its way to completion. Thanks to the financial support of the Vale of White Horse District Council and other organisations plus the hard labour of Branch members, saplings have been planted; ditches and ponds cleared; paths laid. A slipway has been constructed to IWA specifications assisted by the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and the car park is in daily use. The park is a good location to base any canal investigation walks from with access from Stainswick Lane at SU243883. In fact the Branch produces three different documented walks from here. Leaflets are available from shops and pubs in Shrivenham or by sending a self-addressed envelope to Branch Chairman Alan Norris. In 2000, a new path was laid by Branch members between the Canalside Park and the public footpath north of the cemetery.
Following the towpath east from Stainswick Lane, it crosses a new syphonic culvert installed when the park was being built, it then deteriorates but is still an easy and pleasant walk. The hedgerow is looked after and is the subject of regular pruning work. A point of interest for this section of towpath is the very large Sarson Stone (SU246885) which is a common occurrence in this area. It is not expected to become a problem as we have successfully negotiated small excavators past it when carrying out various tasks.
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