Kingswood Junction facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingswood Junction
Lock 20 (right), leading from the connecting arm to the Northern Stratford. To the left is the lockless arm leading to the bottom of lock 21.
Specifications
Status	Open
Navigation authority	British Waterways
History
Date completed	1803

Kingswood Junction is a special place where two important waterways, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Grand Union Canal, meet. It's located in a village called Kingswood in Warwickshire, England. Think of it like a crossroads for boats!

How Kingswood Junction Was Built

The Grand Union Canal's Story

The Grand Union Canal wasn't built all at once. It was created in 1929 when several smaller canal companies joined together. One of these was the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. This canal was approved by a special law from Parliament in 1793.

Another canal, the Warwick and Napton Canal, was approved in 1794. It connected the Warwick and Birmingham Canal to the Oxford Canal at Napton Junction. From there, boats could travel to London. Both Warwick canals officially opened on December 19, 1799. However, they probably weren't quite finished, as boats didn't start using them until March of the next year.

Building the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal

The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal was also approved in 1793. Business people in Stratford-upon-Avon wanted to make sure their town benefited from the new canal routes. This canal was planned to run from Kings Norton Junction to Stratford, passing through Kingswood.

The first part of the northern section opened in 1796. But then, work stopped for a while. It wasn't until 1800 that another law was passed, allowing construction to continue. The canal finally reached Kingswood and connected with the Warwick and Birmingham Canal in 1803.

There was another delay after that. The southern part of the canal, below Kingswood, didn't start being built until 1812. Finally, the entire canal reached Stratford in 1815.

Bringing the Junction Back to Life

Even though Kingswood Junction was never officially closed, it wasn't really used much in the 1940s. Parts of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal were even dry. After 1939, there were very few boats on the northern section.

This allowed the Great Western Railway to fix a bridge near Kings Norton Junction in 1942. They fixed it in a way that boats couldn't pass under it. This effectively blocked the canal.

In 1947, a group called the Inland Waterways Association started a campaign to reopen the canals. A man named Tom Rolt announced he would try to sail his boat along the canal. The railway company had to lift the bridge so his boat could pass. This event was reported in many newspapers and helped bring attention to the canals.

The route from Kingswood Junction to Stratford was officially reopened in 1964. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother attended the ceremony. The National Trust took over and restored this part of the canal, making it usable again for boats and visitors.

Exploring the Junction's Layout

Kingswood Junction is designed in a clever way. It has a connecting arm that is about 250 meters long. At the Stratford Canal end, this arm splits into two branches.

One branch goes down through a lock to meet the connecting arm. The other branch comes from the Stratford Canal below another lock.

Where the Canals Lead

• The Stratford Canal (the Northern Stratford Canal) goes north. It has a series of locks that lead towards the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Kings Norton Junction.
• South of Kingswood Junction, the Southern Stratford Canal goes down through more locks. It eventually reaches the River Avon at Stratford-upon-Avon.
• The Grand Union Canal goes north from the junction to Knowle Locks and then on to Birmingham.
• It also goes south from the junction to Hatton Locks and then to Warwick.

Images for kids

• 

  Lock 20 (left), leading to the Grand Union connecting arm. Lock 21 (right), leading to Stratford

• 

  A round-roofed cottage, typical of the Southern Stratford, on the corner of the lockless arm near Lock 22.