The Itchen Navigation

A Navigation signpost at Mansbridge

By train Winchester to Southampton takes just minutes. It was however,  a journey I wished had been longer. Just a few pages of my book and it was over - barely any respite for the burning sensation from the two burst blisters on my feet.

It's therefore easy to see why the Itchen Navigation fell into disuse and dereliction, sometime in the mid 19th century, with the coming of the railways.

The Navigation near Brambridge: Possibly the most picturesque section

The Navigation, created at the behest of a 1665 act of Parliament, was finally completed in 1710. Funded by private investors, in return for a monopoly on the waterway, works to make the river navigable included a number of locks and new cuts, but it mainly made use of the existing river and irrigation channels. 

A weir on the Navigation

The aim of the navigation was chiefly to supply Winchester with goods that were brought in by boat to the wharves of Northam in Southampton. With each flat-bottomed barge able to carry 20-30 tonnes or more it was a vast improvement on travel by horse and cart. The goods carried included coal, caulm, lime, timber, grain and occasionally hay, with much of the coal ultimately destined for Winchester Cathedral and Winchester College.

The Navigation just outside Winchester

The number of barges using the navigation varied, but as a guide it seemed to be around five, to six. It experienced something of a heyday when wars with France drove up the use of inland waterways and
from 1796 to 1802 some 18,000 tonnes of goods were transported on the navigation.

The railway crossing the Navigation

The navigation however quickly fell into irrelevance with the coming of the London and Southern Railway, arriving in Winchester in 1839. This sparked a decline which continued until the final cargo was carried in 1869.

The railway at Eastleigh

Since that final cargo the navigation has lain in a state of dereliction, its story largely forgotten to all but a few enthusiasts. Many times, for instance, had I walked between Woodmill and Mansbridge, wholly unaware of the rivers past as a commercial waterway. All this changed however with the Itchen Navigation Project which was completed in 2012.

A disused lock

As part of this conservation work it is now possible to walk the entire length of the Navigation, around ten miles, following the old tow path. Visible along the walk are numerous traces of the past, including the old locks along with wildlife which includes otters, water-voles, kingfishers and dragonflies. It was this walk which had left my feet so sore, but for the picturesque views it was well worth it.

St. Catherines Hill

Winchester: Final destination for the goods transported on the Navigation