Salisbury and Southampton Canal

A Whiteparish local history page from younsmere-frustfield.org.uk

Southampton Canal Society a comprehensive history of the canal

Introduction

The Salisbury and Southampton canal was planned to run from Salisbury through Alderbury and the Dun valley to join the Andover and Redbridge Canal at Timsbury, and from Redbridge to Southampton through a tunnel under the town. This was even less successful and was never completed. Contracts for the construction were agreed in 1795 and 1796 and work was soon under way. On 8th December 1802 the section from Redbridge to the west end of the tunnel under Southampton was reported to be open for barges carrying 25 tons of cargo and by January the following year (1803) the other branch of the canal was open as far as Alderbury Common. Traffic on the Redbridge to Southampton tunnel section had stopped by the end of 1808 and on the Kimbridge to Alderbury section not long afterwards.

Following the canal route, the railway line from Southampton to Redbridge was opened on 1 June 1847, with the tunnel open shortly afterwards on 6 August. On the other branch of the canal, the Bishopstoke & Salisbury Railway opened on 27 January 1847 from what is now Eastleigh, through Romsey and up the Dun valley. This crossed the canal about seventeen times, but used little of the canal bed, which can still be seen over much of its length.

Resources

Ordnance Survey survey for the 1 inch series, Salisbury includes the whole line of the canal from Salisbury at Belmont (near Petersfinger) to the Andover and Redbridge canal at Mottisfont/Kimbridge. See References for links to this map at 7 different sizes from 214 x 240 pixels to 3574 x 4000 pixels - select the wikimedia Salisbury sheet.

The Route

The first three maps below show the entire route of the canal, created from the sequence of maps on the Southampton Canal Society's website.

The route of the canal from Salisbury to West Dean

The route of the canal from West Dean to the Kimbridge Junction

The route of the canal from Redbridge to Southampton

Taken from Southampton Canal Society.

The canal was to have a surface width of 27ft (8.2m) reducing to 15ft (4.6m) at a depth of 4ft (1.2m) to take boats 60ft by 8ft (18.3m by 2.4m). There was to be a towing path 9ft (2.75m) wide with a gravel path of just 2ft (0.6m) width.

From Salisbury, the canal was to climb by 4 or 5 locks to the summit at Alderbury. There were to be two reservoirs feeding the summit level near Alderbury and West Grimstead. A short tunnel was to be built by cut and cover near Alderbury Church and a longer tunnel of about 100yds under the main Southampton to Salisbury road at Whaddon.

A series of locks were to take the canal down the Dun valley. The route taken followed the southern bank of the River Dun so as not to interfere with the existing uses of its water such as mills and water meadows. Near Kimbridge, the waterway was to cross the River Dun and River Test on two aqueducts, the latter with 4 arches, to join the Andover Canal at Kimbridge. This section would be 13⅜ miles (21.5km) long.

From Kimbridge, the route followed the Andover Canal for 9 miles (14.5km) to Redbridge.

Just north of the southern terminus of the Andover Canal at Redbridge, the 4½ miles (7.25km) long second section of the canal would run east to Southampton. It followed the north shore of the tidal Test until near the old town. Here, instead of continuing south beside the estuary, the canal would enter an 880yd (805m) tunnel passing very near the present Civic Centre, running diagonally across the line of the present railway tunnel.

Near the eastern portal of the tunnel, the canal was to turn south to run along the Town Ditches to reach a lock giving access to the sea at God's House Tower (which served as a gaol at the time). Also, there was to be a branch of about a mile from near the tunnel at Houndwell to another lock into the River Itchen at Northam for access to the Itchen Navigation and to the coal imported there.

The two end sections were never completed, from Salisbury to Alderbury and the tunnel under Southampton.

At Alderbury the end of the canal is still an area of water, with soil much disturbed opposite the school where work was abandoned without tidying up.

1876