Waterways | |
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Community litter-picking at Waterways. | |
Location within Oxfordshire | |
OS grid reference | SP502084 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Oxford |
Postcode district | OX2 |
Dialling code | 01865 |
Police | Thames Valley |
Fire | Oxfordshire |
Ambulance | South Central |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Waterways World |
The Waterways is housing estate in North Oxford, England. The Oxford Canal runs through the centre of the estate and it is bounded on the east by the Cherwell Valley railway line. [1] [2] To the west beyond the railway line are Port Meadow and the River Thames. The estate begins in the south as a continuation of Frenchay Road, part of Victorian North Oxford, and as Elizabeth Jennings Way connects with the Woodstock Road (A4144) at the northern end of the estate.
South of the estate, a Town Green area called the Trap Grounds is a wetland and woodland nature reserve. The wetland is fed by the watercourse that runs through the estate from the 'lake' that was originally one of the North Oxford clay pits.
The estate was built between 2000 and 2006, on the site of the British Motor Corporation's former Osberton Radiator Factory. [3] There is a Waterways Residents Association (WRA) [4] which represents everyone living on the estate, The Waterways Management Company (WMC) manages most of the public areas and leasehold properties on the Estate and represents the interests of the property owners.
The two main roads on the development cross the canal via modern, red brick bridges on Frenchay Road and Elizabeth Jennings Way. These bridges were painted with a series of murals in 2016 showing local history and wildlife and featuring drawings by local children. [5] [6] The project was organised by local residents supported by The Canal and Riverside Trust (C&RT), Oxford City and County Councils, Thames Valley Police and the local boater community, with funding from Tesco 'Bags of Help'. [7]
A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport was common where sailing was impractical due to tunnels and bridges, unfavourable winds, or the narrowness of the channel.
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter stretching for 137 miles (220 km) with 166 locks from London. The Birmingham line has a number of short branches to places including Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover, and Northampton. The Leicester line has two short arms of its own, to Market Harborough and Welford.
Barnes is a district in South West London, England, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred 5.8 miles (9.3 km) west south-west of Charing Cross in a bend of the River Thames.
The Wilts & Berks Canal is a canal in the historic counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire, England, linking the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington near Melksham, to the River Thames at Abingdon. The North Wilts Canal merged with it to become a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton near Cricklade. Among professional trades boatmen, the canal was nicknamed the Ippey Cut, possibly short for Chippenham.
Abingdon-on-Thames, commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in the Vale of the White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The historic county town of Berkshire, the area was occupied from the early to middle Iron Age and the remains of a late Iron Age and Roman defensive enclosure lies below the town centre. Abingdon Abbey was founded around 676, giving its name to the emerging town. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Abingdon was an agricultural centre with an extensive trade in wool, alongside weaving and the manufacture of clothing. Charters for the holding of markets and fairs were granted by various monarchs, from Edward I to George II.
The Oxford Canal is a 78-mile (126 km) narrowboat canal in southern central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Thames at Oxford, and links with the Grand Union Canal, which it is combined with for 5 miles (8 km) between to the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill.
The canal network of the United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly 4,000 miles in length. The canals allowed raw materials to be transported to a place of manufacture, and finished goods to be transported to consumers, more quickly and cheaply than by a land based route. The canal network was extensive and included feats of civil engineering such as the Anderton Boat Lift, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Worsley Navigable Levels and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
Kidlington is a village and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England. It is in-between the River Cherwell and Oxford Canal, 5 miles (8 km) north of Oxford and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Bicester. It had a population of 13,600 at the 2021 Census.
Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, South East England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham. It lies on the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowest bridging point.
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in the United Kingdom is again increasing in use, with abandoned and derelict canals being reopened, and the construction of some new routes. Canals in England and Wales are maintained by navigation authorities. The biggest navigation authorities are the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, but other canals are managed by companies, local authorities or charitable trusts.
Burscough is a town and civil parish in the district of West Lancashire, Lancashire, England. The town is located approximately 14 miles (23 km) north-northeast of Liverpool and 13 miles (21 km) southwest of Preston. Its northern part is called Burscough Bridge, and was originally a separate settlement.
Grimsbury is a largely residential area which forms the eastern part of Banbury, in the Cherwell district, in the county of, Oxfordshire, England. It is situated east of the River Cherwell, the Oxford Canal and the Cherwell Valley Line railway.
Grosvenor Canal was a canal in the Pimlico area of London, opened in 1824. It was progressively shortened, as first the railways to Victoria Station and then the Ebury Bridge housing estate were built over it. It remained in use until 1995, enabling barges to be loaded with refuse for removal from the city, making it the last canal in London to operate commercially. A small part of it remains within the Grosvenor Waterside development.
Frenchay Road is a residential road in Walton Manor, North Oxford, England.
Duke's Cut is a short waterway in Oxfordshire, England, which connects the Oxford Canal with the River Thames via the Wolvercote Mill Stream. It is named after George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough, across whose land the waterway was cut. It is seen as a branch of the Oxford Canal.
Walton Well Road is a road, about 400 metres long, near the centre of Oxford, England. It provides a link from central Oxford to Port Meadow.
Aristotle Lane is a road in north Oxford, England.
The Cassington Canal was an early 19th-century canal near Eynsham, Oxfordshire. The canal was built by the 4th Duke of Marlborough to provide a link between the River Thames and Cassington Mill; it later provided alternative wharfage to that at Eynsham. The 0.75-mile (1.21 km) canal was in operation for less than 70 years, its use declining with the advent of rail transport.
The Trap Grounds is a nature reserve in north Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, owned by Oxford City Council.
Scofton is a hamlet in the Bassetlaw district of northern Nottinghamshire, England. It is 130 miles (210 km) north west of London, 25 miles (40 km) north of the county town and city of Nottingham, and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the nearest town Worksop. Having a shared modern history with nearby Osberton Hall, it is sometimes referred to as Scofton-with-Osberton. Other close neighbours are Bilby and Rayton which also have historical associations.