Vlog 383B: On the Brink
It was mid-July and as I journed further along the North Oxford canal in my tiny narrowboat, the heavens opened as if it were already autumn, bringing much-needed replenishment to the low water levels on the canals.
Start point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DiHkAp5KCDKQ8MxcA
End point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BRaLUBdna3Fk1eXF8
Sutton Stop was more than just a toll point – if it were then, as (eg) on the BCN, it only needed to be an island or narrows. A lock would be unnecessarily expensive. In fact, the fall is its purpose – to prevent the Oxford Canal Company stealing water from the Coventry whilst, conversely, ensuring that the Coventry benefitted. This was the most common reason for a stop lock although I have read that Stretton Stop was there both for tolls and also in the event of a breach on the nearby embankment – more usually this results in just a single gate, not a full lock. (If there was a breach, boats would definitely not be passing along!)
Water was an expensive item for canal companies and was usually very jealously guarded. Usually it would be a condition by the later canal as part of the connection agreement. Of course, Oxford and Coventry originally joined a little further towards Coventry. A more unusual situation can be found at the southern end of the Macclesfield where both companies installed their own locks! (And who said that competition always leads to efficiency!)
Absolutely! Hahaha. Cheers Mike.