What I love about this channel is that in sharing information, you're also creating a historical record. Regardless of paths being closed or development from here on, this video will always exist to prove what was once there.
The locals say that the canal hit quicksand at Alderbury and never got through to Salisbury. That is the old legend anyway. Amazing how even fairly recent history gets lost. Enjoying your adventures guys
Great video. I have wondered about the Salisbury Canal for years. Also I have walked and cycled most of the pkaces you paased through & it was great to see them again.
As someone who was born in Southampton but now living in Devon I find this fascinating never knew the actual location of the canal so thanks for doing the legwork. Many thanks
Just imagine the pain of an abandoned canal had on the investors? So much money, work and materials invested with little return. It similarly applies to some projects today e.g. HS2. Great video guys, keep up the good work, it's all very interesting.
Great video thanks. I'm currently working in Salisbury one day a week and have found myself exploring the surrounding areas, its such a beautiful place I was out until midnight last week.
Hello Paul and Rebecca, thank you for another lovely video, it's so nice to see you both enjoying such glorious countryside, and such lovely weather, stay safe, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.
Tracing infilled canals is hard work and even harder to film! Well done. The Wilts and Berks is like that, some restored, and some very hard to follow. 👍♥️🖖
Hi guys. That cute flower at 1:40 - it's called Herb-Robert, also known as "Death Come Quickly" and "Stinking Bob" (crush it, and you'll see why). It's a type of geranium. I get loads of it in my garden. Pretty flower; not a great smell though! :D en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium_robertianum
So I've just found your videos on Southampton, love them. I want to clarify....Southampton his LOTS AND LOTS of un answered questions, lots of dead ends. These tunnels are something to look into. Thank you
As a New Zealander, I'm envious of how OLD the U.K. is! Here you're looking for a canal which was abandoned 200 years ago. In NZ, there were barely any **buildings** 200 years ago, and certainly nothing had been abandoned! That's why I love "Time Team" too, when they casually dig up a few bits of Roman pottery!
Another great video! Such a lot of work for a short lived canal and considering its been out of use for so long its fascinating to see what remains today.
I feel your pain about not having access to what you want to film. I just spent 2 days with two of my daughters trying to film as much of the 3rd Welland Canal (replaced over 80 years ago). A lot of the old locks are located behind fences on St Lawrence Seaway land. Hopefully our video will be up in a couple of weeks.
I really enjoyed this one. Took me back to my own exploration of the canal while at school in Salisbury during the 70s. Always wondered why it never made it to Salisbury and it looks like it will remain a mystery.
In truth I think this really was only used to the Alderbury wharf. Large bit of water near Alderbury. The next two miles around Alderbury was dug but I don't think it got much further on account of the soil towards Salisbury and the lack of tunnel construction under Southampton
Re Tunnel Hill. There is a road near me with that name. Nothing to do with railway or canal tunnels. It’s high ground and on the top was a large house called imaginatively the Hill House. The road to it from the town by the river below was steep so they levelled it out about 300 years ago with a cutting near the top and an embankment near the bottom. Trees grew on the cutting part - which was only 1 carriage wide- and that ended up with the canopy almost touching each side so it was like a tunnel. This was then called “the tunnel to the Hill” by the Victorian’s in the town and that has now become “Tunnel Hill”
At Redbridge, you still have the Regency bridge across what use to be part of the Southampton and Fulton canal and also at Nursling you still have tiny parts of the canal still in place, the small stream that flows into the test at Western lane is part of the canal also that took you to Romsey
Nice to see some one exploring this canal, doesn't get much attention. There's a long section from Timsbury to Romsey that still has water in it. Enough to row a boat down. South of Romsey you can find quite a bit of the canal behind a high brick wall, this starts immediately south of the skate park. Also, there's few bits going into Southampton running paralel to Lee Lane and there's a couple of hundred meters with a footpath just west of the industrial estate on the M271.
While I was aware of this canal, I knew very little about it. I know more now! I think I agree that the first mystery tunnel was probably a deep cutting as I know of no intentionally curved canal tunnel in the UK, operational or closed (some straight ones have become kinked due to subsidence but none are curved as such). Thanks for another great video.
The Chard canal seems to be an exception (of sorts). While Ilminster and Crimson Hill tunnels appear to have been build straight, Lillesdon tunnel has a pronounced kink in it near the south end. However, this is more of a sudden change in direction between two straight sections rather than genuine curved construction. I honestly do not know the real reasons, but I have a theory based upon 3 points as follows. (1) it is significantly easier to survey and to dig out a straight tunnel than a curved one, (2) a straight tunnel can be slightly narrower than a curved one (curved tunnels need to be wider else the straight boats won’t go around the bend) and narrower tunnels require less excavation, and (3) many canal tunnels have a very sharp bend just outside one of the portals (like Standage east or Harecastle north). So, my theory is Lillesdon was built straight but was not meant not be as long. Just outside the planned south portal would have been a sharpish bend. When under construction it was found that the south cutting was unstable and so the tunnel was lengthened, perhaps by cut and cover, around the bend and for a short distance along what would have been open air canal. This is all of course conjecture and I’m sure someone will know the real reason. And just for the record, Tuel Lane tunnel in Sowerby Bridge is a covered bit of curved canal, and not a real tunnel!
I have noticed Tunnel Hill, Alderbury whilst driving the back road to Downton looking for old bits of the Salisbury and Dorset JR. Fascinating interaction between canals and railways i.e. infilling with spoil as the railways gained the upper hand.
Loving the effort that goes in to the making of these videos, exemplified by the effort used to get under the barbed fence by Mr Whitewick. Keep up the good works.
@@pwhitewick Yes! Any moment I expected an irate land-owner shouting and waving his 12 bore shotgun at you! Have you ever been actually IN such a predicament? If so how did you handle it?
First station was Salisbury Milford. After connection to later Salisbury station (South Western Road/Fisherton Street), Milford station became a Goods yard for many years.
Yet another informative video, never heard of the canal before, just a shame that with all the effort put in there was not a lot to be found. But that said, we'll done again, both of you, may I say in Rebecca's defence, she is not a horse, lol. Stay safe you two.!
@@exileinderby51 Ah, a connoisseur. Yes, it fits the description of the unnamed church in "The Uncommon Prayer Book". I'm not sure about the location, though.
@@hubertvancalenbergh9022 I agree, the location isn't quite right but it's the only story that fits! I love MR James stories but to describe me as a connoisseur may be isn't quite right either!
@@exileinderby51 I find myself returning again and again to James's Collected Ghost Stories. I went so far as to visit his grave on the Eton College grounds.
Hi to you both thanks for another interesting video. The cuttings were very deep down you couldn't see the horse, bless her shame there was no tunnels!!😎🐓🐓🇬🇧
Best described as "A Georgian Misadventure" Interestingly one of the contractors was Thomas Jenkins/Jinkins who had worked on the equally unsuccessful Leominster Canal. He was in fact recommend by the Leominster Canal Committee! The bridge at East Grinstead is an amazing survivor. The only major surviving masonry is most of the south wall of the lock at Lockerley. If you carefully look at the first edition OS map you realise the canal was cut almost to the outskirts of Salisbury. However it was not used beyond Alderbury (the old A36) and the canal was linked to road by a short tramroad. Now the site were you thought might be a tunnel is in fact a deep cutting. I explored the canal with the late Will Pyke in the 1970's and we walked most of the Salisbury arm. My impression was that a tunnel was built but that it was later filled in.
the route is nearly all there right through to salisbury but i would think it failed financially because it is a flood plain and possibly could only be used seasonally - reliability issues for supply of goods. From Alderbury it goes under southampton road in a straight line to toadland where it dog legs 90 right then left down the side of alderbury farm and machine pond copse, over witherington road and straight across the field. from there i can't decide where it joined the river avon. either along the eastern edge of horse hams coppice, between the remaining trees to 51 degrees, 02'12"N, 1 degree, 45'20"W or round/through horse hams to 51 degrees, 01'59"N, 1 degree 45'29"W which would be an interesting explore to see if that was a lock system. from there turn upstream only as far as the north boundary of longford castle where it is a left turn onto what is marked as a disused navigation on some maps. just one lock between there and joining the river just east of salisbury. leominster canal have just lost their last aquaduct collapsing into the flooding river teme in the past five years.
What a lot of preparation goes into your Videos! And what a lot of information you do give about it! Well Done - as we say in Norfolk: Kep a-troshin, bor!
You could say that the Railway spoiled the canal! (It's a pun to the reference of when they build the Railway and just tossing the spoil down to fill the canal but it also true) but it was also a interesting video and seeing Dean Railway Station makes me want to go back to that Railway Station now! lol Great video.
@13:14 you missed something so obvious. The Layout of the tree's. Just the same as they are as you travel to Bradbury rings. The trees either side of the road had been planted in formation. Just as they are you are stood. That's a whole another story i am sure. Lovely footage of my home district Dorset thank you folks.
hi guys at the 4 46 mark at West Dan its a turning circle and loading bay for canal boats greatly filled in the big barn behind you was built for the canal but never used i used to live not a hundred yards from where you stood lol
Always love your videos, no matter what the subject, very informative and you two have a nice passion for it. Wow, noisey gate. lol, 10:34. We still have waggonway tunnels here in the North East, some are so well hidden, the locals don't know they are there.
Regarding the western end of the canal beyond Tunnel Hill - the local story is that they hit a large area of quicksand and were unable to stabilise the banks of the canal and it never made it beyond there.
Plans? Cunning ones? I think I’ve been on that railway. When I lived - shortly - in Netley and travelled frequently to my next home destination, Bristol, well Clifton and Ashton then Mangotsfield. Sometimes I miss it until I climb Pendle or Settle. I love it up here.
I found quite a bit of it on a side by side map (national library of Scotland), select OS 25 inch 1873-1888 (SW England), from the drop down box. 13.52 I think that is the shute/chute to flow bricks down to load on the barges. Most of the canal is shown on the map from Toadland, crossing the Avon and up into Salisbury. Tunnel Hill a red herring I think.
Another excellent Video - well done just a pity about the Private Signs!!! I understand that a drone could be flown at 50 mtr above 'Private Land' without breaking any Law, just a problem if the drone suffers engine failure!!!
Excellent video Paul and Rebecca I enjoyed watching it. I would like to point out that where you called Rebecca a horse Paul the towpath would’ve been down where you were standing on the left or right bank of the canal as the tow rope needs to be at a shallow angle for the horse to pull the boat.The principle is the same whether the horse is pulling a cart,plough also donkeys and mules were used to tow boats on the canals.
Hi! Thanks again of the great video. It is sad that in the majority of the world there are laws such that one that you cannot hike where ever you want. Here in Finland, and elsewhere in Scandinavia, there is the so-called "Everyman's right", which guarantees the freedom to hike in nature almost anywhere. It is a pity that we do not have many abandoned railways, but those we have, all of them are free to hike.
You have reminded me (with all those signs that say private keep out) of Tom Scott's video here - th-cam.com/video/3dYc0Ouxhx0/w-d-xo.html - I have a suspicion that there may well have been a legal right of way there and the owner is blocking it deliberately (the perverse number of signs definitely looks like an over-reaction). It's worth bearing this in mind because by January 2026 some public routes may be lost forever.
The canal, because it was used as a public thoroughfare is by custom and practice a public right of way and folks should use them to keep them open and known about to save a fight later on when a canal restoration project begins.
Question from an American here: I thought there was a cherished understanding in England that people hiking/walking could go through private land as long as they respected the property, closed gates behind them, etc. Is that sort of "openness" vanishing?
@@pwhitewick There is something referenced in this book, hope the URL works: books.google.co.uk/books?id=9N9xjk8tbPcC&pg=PA714&lpg=PA714&dq=%22alderbury%22+house+cut+and+cover+tunnel&source=bl&ots=4_yCML2RJn&sig=ACfU3U2C_ThpMbw8Qztsb6r5ZImnJHIJTg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenou8lbnrAhVailwKHaj1BksQ6AEwD3oECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22alderbury%22%20house%20cut%20and%20cover%20tunnel&f=false
According to www.railmaponline.com/Canals.php?lat=54.5&lng=-4&zoom=7 the canal route was that big expanse of water at Alderbury (actually Whaddon). That map shows the canal ending there but the OS Map Surveyed: 1872 to 1879 Published: 1885 maps.nls.uk/view/102348106 shows the canal continues under the Southampton road (but length is more that the width - so maybe a short tunnel) to Toadland. Then heads west to just south of Rectory Farm and then appears to end. My guess is that it continues to follow the 200ft contour and through Alderbury Park (which has a lake which may be on the old canal route) and then to go under Tunnel Hill NE of Alderbury House. It then veers west and disappears from the OS map and Google Satellite. PS Just read on Wikipedia that " A lake in the grounds [Alderbury House] is thought to have been built as part of the canal, and Tunnel Hill may reflect the fact that there would have been a tunnel just past the road, if the company had been able to finish the construction" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_and_Southampton_Canal
Pretty much agree with everything you say. My guess is anything west of whaddon was not used though. Perhaps the Wharf there was the final stopping point at least for the time whilst they continued to work on the remained west?
As it hasn't been used in 200 years the water would have been gone within days of its failure. No reason to pump water back in and the locks which kept it in place where probably left wide open.
I think the large lake at the "top" of Alderbury might well have been a reservoir, they would have needed a good head of spare water to operate the locks for the canal to work its way up and over from the Avon Valley and down into the Dun Valley.
Hi you two, new sub here love your channel, just wondering how the trail was? Would you say its bike friendly, I'm from southampton, and just treated myself to a nice vintage ebike and dying to get out on it in the countryside! :)
Thank you its just so hard to find them lol, I'm definitely going to have a look at the canal, I didn't even know this is here so thank you both so much for sharing. :)
Also have you checked out the stoneymarsh old rail way to Stockbridge its very lovely. Just off of Mottisfont in romsey. Got some great tunnels and old tracks
You keep looking for tunnels and bridges. The land rises from Southampton to Salisbury so were there no Locks? The masonry from these would still be visible.
Good point. We looked in three places where we knew there we definitely locks. But oddly we found nothing. No remains whatsoever. Couldn't work this out and it didn't make for great content. Sorry
There were several locks along the canal to allow for the rising land but most have disappeared. The only one I know of is at Lockerley and that is incomplete. There was a reservoir at Alderbury which I guess is the lake you found.
Just watched your TH-cam about tunnel hill in Alderbury. There is an explanation about what happened in the book "Endless Street by John Chandler " you are right in thinking they ran out of funds.
Did that line run through kingsworthy? My grandad owned the land all along the road by the cart and horses pub and he had a massive bridge on his land that the main road passes over and we built a big skate park under it , think we used some old track and sleepers in its construction haha bloody kids. Hmmm or was it part of the watercress line after alresford ?
really nice me thinks.. It's 1945 and I was just 8 years old and you could walk n play anywhere. The only sign you would see on a gate was the occasional Beware of the BULL and we were poo scared but other than that the countryside was ours.. my o my like so many other things humans cant do this, cant do that...On this one you did very will to get where you did. thanks again
Naming a hill after a tunnel is a bit of a mystery. Did the hill have another name which was so unpopular that the rather plodding tunnel hill replaced it? Or was it such an unimportant hill, it didn't have a name at all. Alternatively, I think rather more interesting, was that there was a canal there and somebody decided to build a hill over it, then it would naturally be tunnel hill. Or, maybe, I've over-thinking this.
Scotland has the right to respectively roam so you would have the right to explore that. It's all about knowing your responsibilities that come with rights. It is not a charter to invade living spaces or harm crops and livestock as some who objected to it to portray it.
Tunnel Hill there was aparently a tunnel from longford castle to the church on the left up tunnel hill also one to Ivy Church north of the village. There was a tunnel also from Ivy Church Alderbury to the village Green Dragon Pub it even has a prest hole in the chimney used during King Henery 8th time
I do like like the Swedish right to public access, way more open then in other countries. To bad you dont have that there. You either have to tresspass or try fly a drone in there for a look.
What I love about this channel is that in sharing information, you're also creating a historical record. Regardless of paths being closed or development from here on, this video will always exist to prove what was once there.
Thanks Mian. Absolutely love that notion too.
Not if the TH-cam platform gets taken down!
The locals say that the canal hit quicksand at Alderbury and never got through to Salisbury. That is the old legend anyway. Amazing how even fairly recent history gets lost. Enjoying your adventures guys
The best thing is the exploration of abandoned infrastructure. The second best thing is Rebecca's bemused participation in enthusiastic exploration.
I love canals. Totally fascinating. Thanks for the trip through the woods finding the lost canal. Enjoyed it very much👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it Dawn
Great video. I have wondered about the Salisbury Canal for years. Also I have walked and cycled most of the pkaces you paased through & it was great to see them again.
As someone who was born in Southampton but now living in Devon I find this fascinating never knew the actual location of the canal so thanks for doing the legwork. Many thanks
Just imagine the pain of an abandoned canal had on the investors? So much money, work and materials invested with little return. It similarly applies to some projects today e.g. HS2. Great video guys, keep up the good work, it's all very interesting.
Great video thanks. I'm currently working in Salisbury one day a week and have found myself exploring the surrounding areas, its such a beautiful place I was out until midnight last week.
Another great one. Anyone else wave to Rebecca when she waves at the cam?
Always wave - but she doesn't see me! - why?
😆👋🏻 no why do you ask?
Hello Paul and Rebecca, thank you for another lovely video, it's so nice to see you both enjoying such glorious countryside, and such lovely weather, stay safe, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.
Cheers Stephen.
Hampshire and Wiltshire are such good looking counties, worth watching this video just for the scenery. Keep exploring.
Thanks Jerry. Yup it's got some lovely scenery
Tracing infilled canals is hard work and even harder to film! Well done.
The Wilts and Berks is like that, some restored, and some very hard to follow. 👍♥️🖖
Damned difficult to make sense out of project that became abandoned 200 years ago. And only existed for a short time, even then. Worth trying, though!
Hi guys. That cute flower at 1:40 - it's called Herb-Robert, also known as "Death Come Quickly" and "Stinking Bob" (crush it, and you'll see why). It's a type of geranium. I get loads of it in my garden. Pretty flower; not a great smell though! :D en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium_robertianum
Dammit you beat me to it lol. And yeah not a great smell.
Thanks both. Thankfully we didn't give it too much of a whiff
We have those here in the US, but they're white in color. Accidentally picked some and brought them in the house one day.🤢...😆
I quite like the smell, its sharp, fresh sappy and herby all together.
'You'll see why'?! What? when you keel over and cannot be resuscitated!
So I've just found your videos on Southampton, love them. I want to clarify....Southampton his LOTS AND LOTS of un answered questions, lots of dead ends. These tunnels are something to look into. Thank you
I'd certainly welcome more of those questions Maz. Love a good local mystery.
i as a boy in the 60,s was let loose on the countryside, a little east of there this vid brings back great memories
You're quite correct that near West Dean, the railway builders dumped all the spoil from their cutting onto the line of the canal.
That certainly makes sense then
As a New Zealander, I'm envious of how OLD the U.K. is!
Here you're looking for a canal which was abandoned 200 years ago. In NZ, there were barely any **buildings** 200 years ago, and certainly nothing had been abandoned!
That's why I love "Time Team" too, when they casually dig up a few bits of Roman pottery!
Ah happy you like the channel. We have a couple of Roman Road ones coming up soon.
@@pwhitewick - Roman roads! Sounds good - looking forward to it!
Another great video! Such a lot of work for a short lived canal and considering its been out of use for so long its fascinating to see what remains today.
Really loved that Paul. Canal and train line how better can you get it. Some beaut scenery. Thanks so much for taking me along. Please stay safe
Thanks Linda.
I feel your pain about not having access to what you want to film. I just spent 2 days with two of my daughters trying to film as much of the 3rd Welland Canal (replaced over 80 years ago). A lot of the old locks are located behind fences on St Lawrence Seaway land. Hopefully our video will be up in a couple of weeks.
I really enjoyed this one. Took me back to my own exploration of the canal while at school in Salisbury during the 70s. Always wondered why it never made it to Salisbury and it looks like it will remain a mystery.
In truth I think this really was only used to the Alderbury wharf. Large bit of water near Alderbury. The next two miles around Alderbury was dug but I don't think it got much further on account of the soil towards Salisbury and the lack of tunnel construction under Southampton
Re Tunnel Hill. There is a road near me with that name. Nothing to do with railway or canal tunnels. It’s high ground and on the top was a large house called imaginatively the Hill House. The road to it from the town by the river below was steep so they levelled it out about 300 years ago with a cutting near the top and an embankment near the bottom. Trees grew on the cutting part - which was only 1 carriage wide- and that ended up with the canopy almost touching each side so it was like a tunnel. This was then called “the tunnel to the Hill” by the Victorian’s in the town and that has now become “Tunnel Hill”
At Redbridge, you still have the Regency bridge across what use to be part of the Southampton and Fulton canal and also at Nursling you still have tiny parts of the canal still in place, the small stream that flows into the test at Western lane is part of the canal also that took you to Romsey
Nice to see some one exploring this canal, doesn't get much attention. There's a long section from Timsbury to Romsey that still has water in it. Enough to row a boat down. South of Romsey you can find quite a bit of the canal behind a high brick wall, this starts immediately south of the skate park. Also, there's few bits going into Southampton running paralel to Lee Lane and there's a couple of hundred meters with a footpath just west of the industrial estate on the M271.
While I was aware of this canal, I knew very little about it. I know more now! I think I agree that the first mystery tunnel was probably a deep cutting as I know of no intentionally curved canal tunnel in the UK, operational or closed (some straight ones have become kinked due to subsidence but none are curved as such). Thanks for another great video.
Thanks Malcolm. Yup the curve was a big question mark for me too. Are any of the Chard ones curved??
The Chard canal seems to be an exception (of sorts). While Ilminster and Crimson Hill tunnels appear to have been build straight, Lillesdon tunnel has a pronounced kink in it near the south end. However, this is more of a sudden change in direction between two straight sections rather than genuine curved construction. I honestly do not know the real reasons, but I have a theory based upon 3 points as follows. (1) it is significantly easier to survey and to dig out a straight tunnel than a curved one, (2) a straight tunnel can be slightly narrower than a curved one (curved tunnels need to be wider else the straight boats won’t go around the bend) and narrower tunnels require less excavation, and (3) many canal tunnels have a very sharp bend just outside one of the portals (like Standage east or Harecastle north).
So, my theory is Lillesdon was built straight but was not meant not be as long. Just outside the planned south portal would have been a sharpish bend. When under construction it was found that the south cutting was unstable and so the tunnel was lengthened, perhaps by cut and cover, around the bend and for a short distance along what would have been open air canal. This is all of course conjecture and I’m sure someone will know the real reason. And just for the record, Tuel Lane tunnel in Sowerby Bridge is a covered bit of curved canal, and not a real tunnel!
I have noticed Tunnel Hill, Alderbury whilst driving the back road to Downton looking for old bits of the Salisbury and Dorset JR. Fascinating interaction between canals and railways i.e. infilling with spoil as the railways gained the upper hand.
Yup that was presumably that was what happened, but we are guessing to a degree.
Great video, thanks for the upload. I found Holbury Mill Lock at 51°02'25.4"N 1°35'20.6"W.
Loving the effort that goes in to the making of these videos, exemplified by the effort used to get under the barbed fence by Mr Whitewick. Keep up the good works.
Haha.... That was a close shave.
@@pwhitewick Yes! Any moment I expected an irate land-owner shouting and waving his 12 bore shotgun at you! Have you ever been actually IN such a predicament? If so how did you handle it?
First station was Salisbury Milford. After connection to later Salisbury station (South Western Road/Fisherton Street), Milford station became a Goods yard for many years.
Yet another informative video, never heard of the canal before, just a shame that with all the effort put in there was not a lot to be found. But that said, we'll done again, both of you, may I say in Rebecca's defence, she is not a horse, lol. Stay safe you two.!
That small church is so beautiful! Straight out of an M.R. James story - or an old epîsode of Midsommer Murders. Enchanting.
The Uncommon Prayer Book perhaps?
@@exileinderby51 Ah, a connoisseur. Yes, it fits the description of the unnamed church in "The Uncommon Prayer Book". I'm not sure about the location, though.
@@hubertvancalenbergh9022 I agree, the location isn't quite right but it's the only story that fits! I love MR James stories but to describe me as a connoisseur may be isn't quite right either!
@@exileinderby51 I find myself returning again and again to James's Collected Ghost Stories. I went so far as to visit his grave on the Eton College grounds.
Hi to you both thanks for another interesting video. The cuttings were very deep down you couldn't see the horse, bless her shame there was no tunnels!!😎🐓🐓🇬🇧
Great video, thought it was very interesting. Never thought I be interested in abandoned canals lol
Best described as "A Georgian Misadventure" Interestingly one of the contractors was Thomas Jenkins/Jinkins who had worked on the equally unsuccessful Leominster Canal. He was in fact recommend by the Leominster Canal Committee!
The bridge at East Grinstead is an amazing survivor. The only major surviving masonry is most of the south wall of the lock at Lockerley.
If you carefully look at the first edition OS map you realise the canal was cut almost to the outskirts of Salisbury. However it was not used beyond Alderbury (the old A36) and the canal was linked to road by a short tramroad. Now the site were you thought might be a tunnel is in fact a deep cutting. I explored the canal with the late Will Pyke in the 1970's and we walked most of the Salisbury arm. My impression was that a tunnel was built but that it was later filled in.
the route is nearly all there right through to salisbury but i would think it failed financially because it is a flood plain and possibly could only be used seasonally - reliability issues for supply of goods. From Alderbury it goes under southampton road in a straight line to toadland where it dog legs 90 right then left down the side of alderbury farm and machine pond copse, over witherington road and straight across the field. from there i can't decide where it joined the river avon. either along the eastern edge of horse hams coppice, between the remaining trees to 51 degrees, 02'12"N, 1 degree, 45'20"W or round/through horse hams to 51 degrees, 01'59"N, 1 degree 45'29"W which would be an interesting explore to see if that was a lock system. from there turn upstream only as far as the north boundary of longford castle where it is a left turn onto what is marked as a disused navigation on some maps. just one lock between there and joining the river just east of salisbury. leominster canal have just lost their last aquaduct collapsing into the flooding river teme in the past five years.
Great. Passing along here many times on the train (and occasionally by bike) I’ve always wondered about the detail of this section of the canal.
What a lot of preparation goes into your Videos! And what a lot of information you do give about it! Well Done - as we say in Norfolk: Kep a-troshin, bor!
Canal still has water between Timsbury and Romsey and still evident between Romsey and Lee.
Great video ,thanks.
Thanks Graham. Is that the Andover and Redbridge Canal?
Yes it is,did you do a vid of that bit a while ago?
@@grahammobbs3464 very looooong time ago. We might well vlog it soon though.
You could say that the Railway spoiled the canal! (It's a pun to the reference of when they build the Railway and just tossing the spoil down to fill the canal but it also true) but it was also a interesting video and seeing Dean Railway Station makes me want to go back to that Railway Station now! lol Great video.
@13:14 you missed something so obvious. The Layout of the tree's. Just the same as they are as you travel to Bradbury rings. The trees either side of the road had been planted in formation. Just as they are you are stood. That's a whole another story i am sure. Lovely footage of my home district Dorset thank you folks.
Great video as always guys. I feel like im on a walk with friends
Ah thanks David, you most certainly are.
Fascinating, as always. Such effort and money and then....
An enjoyable, well researched and presented video. Thank you for posting.
Thanks Dave
Amazing to think so much work went into a project that lasted 10yrs. Shows we have never really got infrastructure planning right
Yup, crazy really when it could have offered so much for a good 50 years
Thank you for a fascinating video, yep, full of mystery. Really enjoyed this.
hey paul and rebecca , another good interesting video , really nice church , enjoyed this one thank you :)
Cheers
hi guys at the 4 46 mark at West Dan its a turning circle and loading bay for canal boats greatly filled in the big barn behind you was built for the canal but never used i used to live not a hundred yards from where you stood lol
Always love your videos, no matter what the subject, very informative and you two have a nice passion for it. Wow, noisey gate. lol, 10:34. We still have waggonway tunnels here in the North East, some are so well hidden, the locals don't know they are there.
Regarding the western end of the canal beyond Tunnel Hill - the local story is that they hit a large area of quicksand and were unable to stabilise the banks of the canal and it never made it beyond there.
That's very interesting, as you'd assume that the branch down would be the easiest. So I guess that adds up
Plans? Cunning ones? I think I’ve been on that railway. When I lived - shortly - in Netley and travelled frequently to my next home destination, Bristol, well Clifton and Ashton then Mangotsfield. Sometimes I miss it until I climb Pendle or Settle. I love it up here.
Another excellent film, informative and entertaining.
Many thanks!
I found quite a bit of it on a side by side map (national library of Scotland), select OS 25 inch 1873-1888 (SW England), from the drop down box. 13.52 I think that is the shute/chute to flow bricks down to load on the barges. Most of the canal is shown on the map from Toadland, crossing the Avon and up into Salisbury. Tunnel Hill a red herring I think.
Nice one, I had never heard of the Southampton to Salisbury canal before.
Top work guys, fascinating. 👍🏼
Excellent presentation. I do fear that you are neglecting your natural home of the railways somewhat. Enjoyable as ever!
Fear not. Next week and for the next TWO months
Great exploring capers, well done and thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Fancy calling your wife a horse!. Hope you bought her a box of chocs and some flowers!. Another great video again, keep safe!
Box of choccies...nah she likes sugerlumps better. 🐴 🤣
Enjoy the videos! Rebecca- can you list the top 5 historic sites in the UK? Would love to visit after COVID restrictions are over. Thanks!
Another excellent Video - well done just a pity about the Private Signs!!! I understand that a drone could be flown at 50 mtr above 'Private Land' without breaking any Law, just a problem if the drone suffers engine failure!!!
Ha, yeah it has a return to home feature so not all bad.
Good afternoon 😎
Thankyou for my history lesson
😀🍻🥂👍🏻
Our pleasure!
Excellent video Paul and Rebecca I enjoyed watching it. I would like to point out that where you called Rebecca a horse Paul the towpath would’ve been down where you were standing on the left or right bank of the canal as the tow rope needs to be at a shallow angle for the horse to pull the boat.The principle is the same whether the horse is pulling a cart,plough also donkeys and mules were used to tow boats on the canals.
Aaaagh, well that makes sense. Though there was no sign of a lower towpath at all.
Hi!
Thanks again of the great video.
It is sad that in the majority of the world there are laws such that one that you cannot hike where ever you want.
Here in Finland, and elsewhere in Scandinavia, there is the so-called "Everyman's right", which guarantees the freedom to hike in nature almost anywhere. It is a pity that we do not have many abandoned railways, but those we have, all of them are free to hike.
I enjoyed this very much!
Thank you!
I love these !
Discovered West Dean village history trail..very interesting
Nearly 25000 subs. Exciting times 😂.
Haha,..... yes, getting there slowely
It looks like a beautiful bit of England you were filming in.
Indeed, Wiltshire holds many little gems of locations like this.
You have reminded me (with all those signs that say private keep out) of Tom Scott's video here - th-cam.com/video/3dYc0Ouxhx0/w-d-xo.html - I have a suspicion that there may well have been a legal right of way there and the owner is blocking it deliberately (the perverse number of signs definitely looks like an over-reaction). It's worth bearing this in mind because by January 2026 some public routes may be lost forever.
Yes this will be the focus of at least one video very soon!
It did make me wonder if an old canal is an automatic right of way.
The canal, because it was used as a public thoroughfare is by custom and practice a public right of way and folks should use them to keep them open and known about to save a fight later on when a canal restoration project begins.
Great venture very interesting
Absolutly fabulous video guys. Thank you. Extremely interesting. What great history
Our pleasure!
It's that time again!
I wish I could watch it now, but work 😔
"add to watch later".
Why does it matter if it's private property? Tresspass is a civil offence and most land owners are fine with it as long as you're not damaging things
Excellent video thank you very interesting
Very welcome
Question from an American here: I thought there was a cherished understanding in England that people hiking/walking could go through private land as long as they respected the property, closed gates behind them, etc. Is that sort of "openness" vanishing?
That is the rules for us up here in scotland. England and Wales however still live with medieval mindset.
Very interesting. Saw a sign in BC (small country road)....:"Private...Keep moving""
I always thought the tunnel at Alderbury was a cut-and-cover through the formal gardens of Alderbury House. I can't recall where I read that.
Dig deep and found out for us Mike!
@@pwhitewick There is something referenced in this book, hope the URL works: books.google.co.uk/books?id=9N9xjk8tbPcC&pg=PA714&lpg=PA714&dq=%22alderbury%22+house+cut+and+cover+tunnel&source=bl&ots=4_yCML2RJn&sig=ACfU3U2C_ThpMbw8Qztsb6r5ZImnJHIJTg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenou8lbnrAhVailwKHaj1BksQ6AEwD3oECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22alderbury%22%20house%20cut%20and%20cover%20tunnel&f=false
and.......another good watch in the run up to Christmas
This site has the lidr scans of alderbury and wiltshire showing clearly the spoil and part fill in of canal
According to www.railmaponline.com/Canals.php?lat=54.5&lng=-4&zoom=7 the canal route was that big expanse of water at Alderbury (actually Whaddon). That map shows the canal ending there but the OS Map Surveyed: 1872 to 1879 Published: 1885 maps.nls.uk/view/102348106 shows the canal continues under the Southampton road (but length is more that the width - so maybe a short tunnel) to Toadland. Then heads west to just south of Rectory Farm and then appears to end. My guess is that it continues to follow the 200ft contour and through Alderbury Park (which has a lake which may be on the old canal route) and then to go under Tunnel Hill NE of Alderbury House. It then veers west and disappears from the OS map and Google Satellite.
PS Just read on Wikipedia that " A lake in the grounds [Alderbury House] is thought to have been built as part of the canal, and Tunnel Hill may reflect the fact that there would have been a tunnel just past the road, if the company had been able to finish the construction" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_and_Southampton_Canal
Pretty much agree with everything you say. My guess is anything west of whaddon was not used though. Perhaps the Wharf there was the final stopping point at least for the time whilst they continued to work on the remained west?
Do you both ever go up north, fantastic canal tales up here
Certainly do. Sadly Lockdown put pay to most summer plans, but we have just got back from Scotland
@@pwhitewick thanks dudes, love your videos, sorry I forgot about this virus,
so who exactly is Private Woods? and why is the farmer so keen to keep him or her off his land?
where did the water go ?.. nice share
As it hasn't been used in 200 years the water would have been gone within days of its failure. No reason to pump water back in and the locks which kept it in place where probably left wide open.
If hadn't of said , you would have never know a canal was even there !! , crazy how things get lost in time .
Much of this Canal remains on the Salisbury arm albeit in small cuttings like this. A shame it's not highlighted a tad more.
I think the large lake at the "top" of Alderbury might well have been a reservoir, they would have needed a good head of spare water to operate the locks for the canal to work its way up and over from the Avon Valley and down into the Dun Valley.
There is a lock still visible at Lockerley, also stretches still with water.
Hi you two, new sub here love your channel, just wondering how the trail was? Would you say its bike friendly, I'm from southampton, and just treated myself to a nice vintage ebike and dying to get out on it in the countryside! :)
Vintage Ebike sounds fantastic, lots of bridleways around there that you could visit I am sure.
Thank you its just so hard to find them lol, I'm definitely going to have a look at the canal, I didn't even know this is here so thank you both so much for sharing. :)
Also have you checked out the stoneymarsh old rail way to Stockbridge its very lovely. Just off of Mottisfont in romsey. Got some great tunnels and old tracks
@@kM-xp3ik Spratt and Winkle? Didn't know of any tunnels... pray tell more.
You keep looking for tunnels and bridges. The land rises from Southampton to Salisbury so were there no Locks? The masonry from these would still be visible.
Good point. We looked in three places where we knew there we definitely locks. But oddly we found nothing. No remains whatsoever. Couldn't work this out and it didn't make for great content. Sorry
There were several locks along the canal to allow for the rising land but most have disappeared. The only one I know of is at Lockerley and that is incomplete. There was a reservoir at Alderbury which I guess is the lake you found.
Excellent.
First rule of canals. Tow the boat with the horse, not the other way round. It's worked well for centuries!
Clearly not in this video!
Just watched your TH-cam about tunnel hill in Alderbury. There is an explanation about what happened in the book "Endless Street by John Chandler " you are right in thinking they ran out of funds.
Did that line run through kingsworthy? My grandad owned the land all along the road by the cart and horses pub and he had a massive bridge on his land that the main road passes over and we built a big skate park under it , think we used some old track and sleepers in its construction haha bloody kids. Hmmm or was it part of the watercress line after alresford ?
You might be thinking of the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton railway.
really nice me thinks.. It's 1945 and I was just 8 years old and you could walk n play anywhere. The only sign you would see on a gate was the occasional Beware of the BULL and we were poo scared but other than that the countryside was ours.. my o my like so many other things humans cant do this, cant do that...On this one you did very will to get where you did. thanks again
Cheers Keith. Yes it's a real shame. I can't see things changing in anyway anytime soon though
Naming a hill after a tunnel is a bit of a mystery. Did the hill have another name which was so unpopular that the rather plodding tunnel hill replaced it? Or was it such an unimportant hill, it didn't have a name at all. Alternatively, I think rather more interesting, was that there was a canal there and somebody decided to build a hill over it, then it would naturally be tunnel hill. Or, maybe, I've over-thinking this.
You are not alone. I've over thought this A LOT
Was that first bridge you filmed at in Chandler's Ford? Looks familiar.
A little further west than CF i'm afraid. Dunbridge.
Scotland has the right to respectively roam so you would have the right to explore that. It's all about knowing your responsibilities that come with rights. It is not a charter to invade living spaces or harm crops and livestock as some who objected to it to portray it.
Have you ever using a drone to picture the land you are hiking ?
Tunnel Hill there was aparently a tunnel from longford castle to the church on the left up tunnel hill also one to Ivy Church north of the village. There was a tunnel also from Ivy Church Alderbury to the village Green Dragon Pub it even has a prest hole in the chimney used during King Henery 8th time
I do like like the Swedish right to public access, way more open then in other countries.
To bad you dont have that there.
You either have to tresspass or try fly a drone in there for a look.
Yup, sadly it was tree covered too!
Is there a away to get a canal boat from Shropshire union canal to the great western canal without having to put it on a lorry ?
Ah sadly thats not my area of expertise.
The Whitewicks just thought you might of known if there was a route that way towards bath.
I'm only a few minutes in, but I'm starting to think there's a secret government facility hidden behind those trees.
You'd think so wouldn't you
.eladsniD si ni teg ot drowssap terces ehT
@@JDLeonard74 I'll try that on my laptop!