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The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just north of Coventry. The Oxford Canal passes mainly through the Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire countryside, and is often considered to be one of the most scenic canals in Britain. The canal was once an important artery of trade between the English Midlands and London, and is now highly popular among pleasure boaters. North of Napton-on-the-Hill, the canal forms part of the Warwickshire ring. ==The route== The canal begins near Hawkesbury Village at Hawkesbury Junction, also known as ''Sutton Stop'', where it connects with the Coventry Canal, four miles from the centre of Coventry. From Hawkesbury, it runs south east through the Warwickshire countryside for to Rugby. The route between Coventry and Rugby is on a level with no locks, apart from the stop lock at the junction. Much of this section of the canal was straightened out in the 1820s, and remains of the original less direct route (which hugged the chosen contour) can still be seen in places. The canal winds through the northern part of Rugby passing through the long Newbold Tunnel, and then reaches a flight of three locks at Hillmorton just east of Rugby. In the churchyard in Newbold-on-Avon remains can be seen of the original tunnel dating from the 1770s. South of Rugby, the canal passes through rural scenery and doubles back on itself for several miles until it heads southwards again passing for a short distance into Northamptonshire towards Braunston. At Braunston the Oxford connects with the Grand Junction section of the Grand Union Canal and heads west. Grand Union traffic shares a five-mile stretch of the Oxford Canal until they diverge at Napton junction, where the Oxford turns south towards Oxford and the Warwick and Napton section of the Grand Union turns north-west towards Birmingham. After winding round Napton Hill, the canal ascends the Napton flight of nine locks to a summit level. After passing an old wharf and a pub at Fenny Compton, the canal enters a long cutting which, until it was opened out in the 19th century, was a tunnel. This section is still referred to as 'tunnel straight' or the Fenny Compton Tunnel. Because the section south of Napton junction was never straightened, the summit level remains one of the most twisting sections of canal in England. It winds for between two points which are under five miles apart. This is the "eleven-mile pound" mentioned in Tom Rolt's ''Narrow Boat''. The canal then reaches the Claydon flight of locks and descends into the valley of the River Cherwell at Cropredy (the canal descends the river valley all the way from here to Oxford). Banbury is a major stop on the route because of the large number of visitor moorings on a paved and relatively secure mooring right alongside the shopping centre in the middle of town. Banbury, unlike some towns, has attempted to treat the canal as an attraction to be encouraged, rather than an eyesore to be shunned, and an old boatyard has been incorporated into the development as Tooley's Historic Boatyard. About to the south there is the small hamlet, Twyford Wharf, where narrow boats up to can be turned. The single track humped back bridge No 177 at Twyford Wharf has recently (4 September 2015) been damaged and is in need of urgent repair. There are two villages nearby, Kings Sutton and Adderbury(Twyford), within 30 minutes walking distance along the road. Both offer several pubs. At Oxford, the canal has two connections to the River Thames. The first is north of the city where Dukes Cut leads to King's Lock; the second is a few hundred yards from the city centre by the Oxford railway station 〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Canal Guide (Oxford Canal) )〕 below Isis Lock (known to boatmen as 'Louse Lock') through Sheepwash Channel. This leads to an unusual river crossroads at the Thames called "Four Rivers" above Osney Lock. After below Isis Lock the Oxford Canal ends abruptly at Hythe Bridge Street near to the current Hythe Bridge over the Castle Mill Stream, a backwater of the River Thames that runs parallel to the Oxford Canal for its southernmost part. The canal used to continue through a bridge under Hythe Bridge Street to a turning basin and goods wharf south of Hythe Bridge Street. It then continued via a bridge under Worcester Street to end in a coal wharf beside New Road. In 1951 the basin and wharves were filled in and Nuffield College now stands on part of the site (see below). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Oxford Canal」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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