Aylesbury Canal Society facts for kids

The Grand Union Canal, Aylesbury Basin, England.

The Aylesbury Canal Society is a group that supports waterways. It is located on the Grand Union Canal in Buckinghamshire, England. This society started in 1971. Its main goal is to encourage people to use the Aylesbury Arm canal. They also manage places where boats can be tied up, called moorings. These moorings are leased from British Waterways.

The area known as Aylesbury Basin was sold by British Waterways in 2007. It was bought by the Aylesbury Vale District Council. However, the Aylesbury Canal Society still holds the lease for the moorings there until 2018.

Aylesbury Arm Canal

The Aylesbury Arm is a special part of the canal system. It connects Marsworth on the Grand Union Canal to the town of Aylesbury.

Building the Canal

Work on the Aylesbury canal began in 1811. It is about 6.25 miles (10.0 km) long. The canal officially opened in 1814. It was built to transport farm products and coal.

Canal Use and Challenges

For a while, the canal was very busy and profitable. However, new railways started to appear in the 1840s. These railways made it harder for the canal to make money. They offered a faster way to move goods.

Canal Size and Features

The Aylesbury Arm is a "narrow beam" canal. This means it is designed for smaller boats. The longest boats that can use it are 72 feet (21.9 meters) long. The locks on the canal are 7 feet (2.13 meters) wide.

The canal drops a total of 94 feet 8 inches (28.9 meters) from Marsworth Junction to Aylesbury. This drop happens through 16 special water elevators called locks.

The Locks

Here are the 16 locks on the Aylesbury Arm:

• Marsworth No.1 & 2 Locks (these are a staircase of locks, one right after the other)
• Marsworth No.3 Lock
• Marsworth No.4 Black Jacks Lock
• Lock Nos.5, 6 & 7
• No.8 Jefferies Lock
• No.9 Wilstone (Gudgeon Stream)
• No.10 Puttenham Top Lock
• No.11 Puttenham Bottom Lock
• No.12 Buckland Lock
• No.13 Red House Lock
• No.14 Broughton Lock
• No.15 Osier Bed Lock (also known as Aylesbury Lock)
• No.16 Hills and Partridges Lock (also known as Aylesbury Lock)

Bridges on the Canal

There are 19 numbered bridges that cross over the canal. These bridges carry roads, footpaths, and farm access routes. Two of these bridges have names:

• No.2 Dixon's Gap Bridge
• No.3 Wilstone Bridge

There are also three "pipe bridges" on the canal. These bridges carry pipes, not people or vehicles.

• One is between Lock No.6 and Bridge No.2.
• Another is between Bridges Nos.15 and 16.
• The last one is between Lock No.16 and Bridge No.17.

Images for kids

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  Finger post Marsworth Junction Grand Union Canal