Birth of the Basingstoke
Canals That Never Were: NarrowBoat, Winter 2009
Richard Dean
Richard Dean traces the early schemes to put Basingstoke on the canal map
Blue line - canal naviagtion opened. Red line - canal propsed. Boxed dimension - height above sea level
Based on Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright: AM47/09
The title cartouche to the engraved version of the survey by Benjamin Davies, showing a barge being hauled up the Thames.
As the benefits of the new canals became known in the 1760s, it was suggested that a canal from Basingstoke to the Thames would enable the barren heathlands of north-east Hampshire to be improved, and cheapen the export of the available timber. Benjamin Davies was commissioned to complete a survey, and his route followed the easy terrain down the Loddon Valley through Sherfield, Swallowfield and Hurst, with a short branch towards Wokingham. Beyond here it became involved with a contemporary proposal for a canal from Sonning through Twyford and White Waltham, with a possible alternative line through Paley Street and Holyport, to meet the Thames at Monkey Island near Bray. The junction point was chosen to link up with Brindley’s proposal for a new canal to Isleworth bypassing the Thames (see NarrowBoat Spring 2008), which would allow traffic to avoid almost all of the river from Reading to London. The Thames Commissioners were seriously concerned, even more so when the Sonning line was extended another 3 miles to join the Kennet Navigation in the centre of Reading. The Monkey Island to Reading proposal was put before Parliament in 1771, with a separate Bill for that to Basingstoke, partly on the same route. Both were defeated, the opposing Thames Commissioners succeeding in obtaining their own Act for river improvements. It was another 5 years before the Basingstoke scheme was revived, this time to join the River Wey which would create a link to London less prejudicial to Thames interests. Authorised in 1778, the Act sanctioned a canal with a lengthy summit level following the contour from the same point in Basingstoke as had been proposed earlier, through Old Basing, Newnham, Rotherwick and Hook. A short branch ran north to where the level ran out at Turgis Green on the road to Reading, possibly laid out with an eye to future revival of a line down the Loddon Valley. However, Earl Tylney had objected to the canal passing to the west of Tylney Hall, and had been able to secure a protective provision in the Act requiring his consent to this section being built. To overcome this the company had hurriedly added an expensive shortcut tunnelling under Greywell Hill, and in this form the Basingstoke Canal was finally opened throughout in 1794.
Part of the clause in the 1778 Basingstoke Act dealing with Lord Tylney’s opposition.
