My Wey and Arun Canal
Welcome to my new website all about the river Arun north of Newbridge, the surrounding countryside and the Wey and Arun Junction Canal that helped link London to the South Coast and Portsmouth. The major reason for creating this site was that my sister site My River Arun was becoming overloaded and in order to continue adding new content to that site I needed to split it into two. At the moment the pages here are what I have moved over from the other site but I am in the process of adding new information and special features, so please bear with me and check the What’s New Section.
Follow the links above for a History of the Wey and Arun Junction Canal, my Walks up the Wey South Path from Newbridge, information about the two Wey and Arun Canal Trust Volunteer Working Parties I work with and the tasks carried out over last year or so. Or read a little about each subject below before carrying on.
With the opening of the extension of the Arun Navigation to Newbridge Wharf in 1787 only about 15 miles separated the navigable sections of the river Wey and the river Arun. However it was almost 30 years before this link was finally achieved. Other proposals for, possibly more profitable, links between the Thames and the English Channel were made but none of them came to fruition and by 1810 all the proposals had been discarded.
George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751–1837) being frustrated at not having easy access to London markets for the produce of his estates took control and, after the best route was decided upon, in August 1811 a share subscription was offered to the public to help raise funds. The first reading of the Wey and Arun bill took place in February 1813 and Royal Assent was given on April 1st 1813. The canal was officially opened on 29th September 1816.
This provided London with a link to the south coast via the Arun Canal and the River Arun and the ports of Arundel and Littlehampton and with the opening of the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal in 1823 a link to Portsmouth.
Seal of the Wey and Arun Junction
Canal Company
Canal Company
Although the canal achieved some success it never fulfilled the hopes of its supporters and with the coming of the railways slowly declined and officially closed on 22 July 1871.
Walks mainly following the Wey South Path from Newbridge following, where possible, the course of the old Wey and Arun Junction Canal to its starting point near Guildford, Surrey at the end of the navigable section of the river Wey. Living on the south coast I have not travelled the whole length yet but hope to as time progresses.
There is also some lovely countryside to walk in and I intend to reflect this also. Some attractive stretches of the river Arun flow along here often not far from the path itself but a lot of it is only accessible at certain points where footpaths cross the river. But when you do come across it the Arun can look lovely as can be seen from the picture on the left.
The Wey & Arun Canal Trust have several volunteer working parties on sections of the canal, performing a variety of different tasks, from keeping the public sections of the canal and towpath tidy, working on sections of the canal that are on private land where the landowners permission has been obtained, bringing sections of the canal back to navigable standards and even rebuilding locks and bridges.
As more of the canal is ‘opened up’ there is more to do and even though membership has increased significantly over the years more people are always needed. If you wish to volunteer for any of these working parties or become a member of the Trust contact the Wey & Arun Canal Trust. Alternatively, you can find contact details for the various working parties in the editions of Working Party News that can be found on the trust’s website. These will also give you an insight into what the various groups do.
When I Became a member in January 2010 I joined two of these groups, The Mid Week Working Party and the Fortnightly Monday Group known affectionately as ‘Mrs Bucket’ as they do a lot of work ‘keeping up appearances’ (assuming you are familiar with the television comedy) and in this section you can find what these two groups were up to in 2010. Not wishing to be too repetitious for 2011 I am confining my reports to new areas I had not tackled before with these groups and I have also included some snippets of historical information. These entries can be found in the What’s New Section.
Should you wish to contact me with any queries, faults or general comments email me at christopher246@btinternet.com.
Although the site is mainly about the Wey and Arun Junction Canal it would not be complete without mention being made of the walks that can be enjoyed along the Arun Canal and the area of the Coldwaltham Cut. (pictured right in winter when it has water in it!). As mentioned above the Barge canal was opened in 1787 with the Coldwaltham Cut opening three years later in 1790.
Both articles about the Coldwaltham Cut and The Arun Canal have been completed. Included are the history of the cut and canal and the walks along these sections which can be enjoyed by all.
If you want to read more about the River Arun, its history and some of the walks along its banks and the surrounding countryside between Littlehampton and Newbridge visit My River Arun.
Baldwin’s Knob Lock No. 4 in 1979 before restoration.
After restoration.
Check out the What’s New Section for a pictorial stroll along an old meander in the river.