Introduction
Two canals pass through the parish of Rowington, the Grand Union canal and the Stratford-upon-Avon canal. They meet at Kingswood junction in neighbouring Lapworth via the Lapworth Link. Both canals are maintained by British Waterways and are used mainly for pleasure cruising by holidaymakers. The Grand Union canal is part of the Warwickshire Cruising Ring and the Stratford-upon-Avon canal is part of the Avon Cruising Ring.
The canal towpaths are frequented by walkers and anglers, as well as by botanists and birdwatchers. There is an abundance of wildlife to be seen along the canalside including butterflies, water voles, badgers, songbirds such as wrens, robins, blackbirds and thrushes and waterfowl such as swans, herons, mallards, moorhens and kingfishers. Ancient hedgerows and native broadleafed trees flank the canal towpaths and a huge variety of wildflowers can be found in the towpath verges.
The Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union canal, with a length of 127 miles, is the longest single canal in Britain and links London with Birmingham via the Chiltern
s and Warwick. The stretch of canal that passes through Rowington was completed in 1799. The Grand Union canal was formed as the result of an amalgamation of several independent waterways in 1929 and was once one of the busiest canals in the country.
s and Warwick. The stretch of canal that passes through Rowington was completed in 1799. The Grand Union canal was formed as the result of an amalgamation of several independent waterways in 1929 and was once one of the busiest canals in the country. In the 1930's a large scale modernisation programme took place under which lengths of the canal were dredged and strengthened with concrete bank protection, bridges were widened or replaced and the narrow gauge locks were replaced with broad gauge locks to allow larger boats to pass through. The scheme was stalled by the outbreak of the second world war and, as a result, some locks near to Birmingham remain narrow. The canal continued to be widely used for large scale commercial trade until the 1960's.
The famous Hatton flight of 21 locks in just two miles can be found on the Grand Union canal a couple of miles south of Rowington. It was known by the boatmen of long ago as the 'Stairway to Heaven', perhaps reflecting their relief on getting to the top, after which it was easier going until they reached Birmingham where their wages were waiting.
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
The Stratford-upon-Avon canal is a mere 25 miles long, running from the Worcester and Birmingham canal in Kings Norton, Birmingham to the River Avon at Stratford.
Construction of the picturesque southern section, which flows through Rowington on its way from Kingswood junction to Stratford-upon-Avon, began in 1812 and was completed in 1816.
Following the building of the railways and the consequent decline in canal traffic, the canal fell into disrepair and by the second world war the southern section was virtually unnavigable. There were proposals to close this section but, following a public outcry and campaign to save it, the southern section was acquired by the National Trust in 1960 and restored. It was re-opened in 1964 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and in 1988 was placed in the custody of British Waterways. The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal Society, which was formed in 1956 with the aim of securing the future of the southern section of the canal, now maintains a watch over the full length of the canal from Kings Norton to Stratford-upon-Avon.
On the southern section of the canal the split bridges, designed with a gap in the middle so that the horse's tow line could be threaded through, are an unusual feature.
Th
e six surviving lock keeper's cottages with barrel vaulted roofs, a style unique to the area, are another feature of this stretch of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal. These were erected during the Napoleonic wars by engineers who were more accustomed to building bridges than houses and so used the same construction methods for both.
e six surviving lock keeper's cottages with barrel vaulted roofs, a style unique to the area, are another feature of this stretch of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal. These were erected during the Napoleonic wars by engineers who were more accustomed to building bridges than houses and so used the same construction methods for both. One of these cottages, close to the centre of Lowsonford, was renovated by the Landmark Trust in 2006 following the death of Ned Taylor, who had lived in it since his birth in 1921. It is now known as Lengthsman's Cottage (a lengthsman, who cared for a particular stretch of canal, is the more accurate name for the original inhabitant than a lock-keeper according to the Landmark Trust) and is available for holiday let through the Landmark Trust.
Fishing
British Waterways encourages anglers to fish on the Grand Union and Stratford-upon-avon canals. The fish that may be caught are roach, perch and bream, chub, pike and carp. Most sections of the canals are leased to established local angling clubs who welcome non-members for a small daily fee. Rod licences are obligatory. Further details are available from the Waterscape website and from the Environment Agency.
