Cassington Canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cassington Canal |
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Junction of the Cassington Canal and River Thames
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| Location | Eynsham, Oxfordshire |
| Coordinates | 51°47′02″N 1°20′54″W / 51.7839°N 1.3482°W |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 0.75 miles (1.21 km) |
| Maximum boat length | 112 ft 0 in (34.14 m) |
| Maximum boat beam | 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m) |
| Locks | 1 |
| Status | Derelict |
| History | |
| Construction began | 1800 |
| Date extended | 1802 |
| Date closed | c. 1870 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | River Thames |
| End point | Cassington Wharf |
The Cassington Canal was an old waterway built in the early 1800s. It was also known as the Cassington Cut or the Evenlode Cut. This canal was located near Eynsham in Oxfordshire, England.
The canal was built by the 4th Duke of Marlborough. Its main purpose was to connect the River Thames to Cassington Mill. Later, it also offered another place for boats to load and unload goods, called a wharf, besides the one at Eynsham. The canal was about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) long. It was used for less than 70 years. Its use slowly stopped because trains became a popular way to move goods.
The canal was very important for connecting the Duke's salt works to a large network of canals and rivers. This network included the Oxford Canal and the Thames and Severn Canal.
Contents
The Story of the Canal
Building the Waterway
The Cassington Canal was built between 1800 and 1802. At first, it was a short connection, about 11-chain (240 yd; 220 m) long. It linked Cassington Mill to a new road between Cassington and Eynsham. In 1800, people already talked about the canal. They said it was "made by and belonging to" the Duke of Marlborough. Its goal was to move goods between Cassington Mill and a special loading area called a wharf.
Near Cassington Mill, there was a wide part of the canal. This was probably a basin, which is like a turning point or parking area for boats. Here, special gates called sluices and a small dam called a weir were built. These structures helped control the water level between the canal and the River Evenlode.
By 1802, the canal was made longer to reach the River Thames. An engineer named Robert Mylne wrote a report about it. He said the canal was about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. He also wrote about a lock where the canal met the Thames. A lock is like a water elevator for boats. This might have been a stop lock. A stop lock helps manage water levels when two different waterways, controlled by different groups, meet. This lock kept the canal's water level about 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) higher than the Thames. The lock was 14 feet 10 inches (4.52 m) wide and 112 feet (34 m) long. Beyond the main part of the canal, near Cassington Wharf, the channel continued as a feeder. This feeder brought water from the River Evenlode into the canal.
A Private Project
The Duke of Marlborough was a part-owner, or shareholder, in the Oxford Canal. He had recently helped connect the lower Oxford Canal to the Thames. This was done using another waterway called the Duke's Cut. The Cassington Canal was a private canal. This meant the Duke paid for it himself and owned the land it was on. Because of this, he did not need a special law from Parliament to build it.
The canal was built as a "broad canal." This means it was wide enough for boats that were wider than 7 feet (2.1 m). This was important because most narrowboats are only about 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. However, boats coming from the north were limited by the size of the locks on the Oxford Canal, which were only for narrowboats.
The Duke rented out the canal to the Oxford Canal Company. In 1804, a pub called The Barge opened at the wharf. Henry Baker was the first "wharfinger" there. A wharfinger is a person who manages a wharf, helping with loading and unloading boats. Henry Baker had worked on the Oxford Canal before. A lock on the Oxford Canal (number 40) is even named Baker's Lock after him. Baker also built two lime kilns at the wharf. These were ovens used to make lime.
Some records say the canal was not fully finished until 1814. However, other reports show that coal barges were already traveling from the wharf to the Thames in 1808.
What the Canal Was Used For
The main use of the canal was to connect the Duke's estate, including his salt works, to the larger network of inland waterways. This network included other canals and rivers. The canal helped trade with coal mining areas like the Warwickshire Coalfield. Coal could travel via the Thames and the Oxford Canal. It also connected to the Somerset Coalfield using the Thames and then other canals like the Thames and Severn Canal, the Wilts & Berks Canal, the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the Somerset Coal Canal.
There was strong competition between the Thames and Severn Canal Company and the Oxford Canal Company. The Thames and Severn Canal Company had taken over the Cassington Canal. The Oxford Canal Company owned the Wharf Stream in Eynsham. Because of this competition, barges were not allowed to unload at Eynsham Wharf. So, the Oxford Canal Company rented the Cassington Canal in 1834. They did this to stop coal from Somerset coming into the area and competing with their own trade. At this time, Cassington Wharf was making about £800 each year.
In 1839, Cassington Wharf was considered as a place to load stone for rebuilding the Houses of Parliament in London. However, another type of stone was chosen instead.
The Oxford Canal Company stopped renting the canal after 1842. John Hambridge then took it over. In the 1841 census, John Hambridge was listed as a 40-year-old coal merchant living at Cassington Wharf. He was still living there in the 1851 census.
In 1861, the Oxford, Witney and Fairford Railway opened. The railway crossed over the canal using a bridge that was 32 feet 10 inches (10.01 m) wide. The ground on either side of the canal was raised to create an embankment. This allowed the railway tracks to be high enough for boats to pass underneath the bridge. The bridge was removed by the 1980s.
Why the Canal Stopped Being Used
The use of the Cassington Canal started to decline in the mid-1800s. This happened after the Witney railway opened. The canal was still used sometimes in 1865. However, it probably stopped being used completely by 1870. The pub at the wharf closed in 1872.
By 1898, maps from the Ordnance Survey marked the waterway as "Old Canal." By 1913, there was no sign of the entrance lock. The canal was described as just a small stream. By 1926, people said the canal was "forgotten."
Today, the weirs between the River Evenlode and the canal are used by the Environment Agency. They are part of a station that measures water levels at Cassington Mill. Part of the canal is now used for fishing. It is managed by the Abingdon and Oxford Anglers Alliance.
