5 SECTION I. Abingdon to Grove Junction Canal Entrance & Abingdon Lock SU 469966 Visited:- 7.5.60:31.5.60:18.6.60:22.9.60. Access:- Photograph Nos: 280, 273, 261, 281, 346 Observations: Site entrance of lock now occupied by a small nissan-type building (see 280, 261). The lock was located approximately 40 yards northeast of Boat house on river's edge (see 280). 25" plan consulted at Borough Surveyors office (31/5) shows part of Boat Ho projecting over river, possibly had some canal purpose. Indentation of river bank ///ting canal entrance is clearly visible (280). "Old Anchor" Inn on riverside may have been resort of boatmen. SW of lock site is large house in walled grounds (no wall on C[anal]. side)

C.E. Faulkner Field Excursions 1958-66

18 12. Ardingtonmead Farm SU 426913 Visited:- 7.5.60: 6.8.60: 26.8.62: 2.9.62 Access:- TP from SU 424903 (easiest) or from ardington lane, FP access fields Photograph Nos:- 268, 269, 270 Observations:- 1:25000 map gives name as 'Canalside Cottages'. Line well defined very tall trees either bank. Footbridge (modern timber) crosses here from towpath to farm. Small one storey cottage beside towpath between farm and railway (apparently inhabited, 6/8/60), but connection with canal not obvious, building style does not seem of period. (10.9.60) learned from owner of [a house on the west bank, near Grove,] (old inhabitant of Grove) that this was the cottage of last lock keeper [Not so; this was probably Uncle Jim's cottage. See article by Chris Naish. dgs.], beat extended from Ardington Marsh (?) to Grove Top, junction Wantage Branch. Name J Steele. (26.8.62 & 2.9.62) No appreciable change.

C.E. Faulkner Field Excursions 1958-66

35 also for time taken to construct this part. No cuttings, except for about a quarter of a mile near Marcham. 4. LOCKS: All accessible, can be seen except (a) Abingdon (b) Caldecott. Ruined gates remain at Ardington Top, Spirit and Grove Common. No paddle gear left anywhere. Grove Bottom, Smallmarsh and Grove Top filled in more or less. Masonry and brickwork generally fair (Ardington Marsh best). 5. BRIDGES: Mostly timber swing or draw type, all gone, //tings filled and some culverted. Fixed Bridges probably at Caldecott (A34), New Cut Mill, 'Cow Common' and Grove (A338). Only Cow Common intact, probably because too much trouble to demolish, there are long approach embankments both sides. (see page 55) 6. BUILDINGS: Best period original is erstwhile canalside inn at Grove (A338) west // of // cottage, less characteristic. Ruined cottage at Ardington Top, and later small building on towpath nearby. Wharf House' Abingdon likely mid-19" century rebuild, similar Longcot new (wharf?). Same builder? But as good // as Wantage's. 7. REMARKS: No milestones found, they may be there but search impossible because of dense Growth. * But see Sec.I.5.

C.E. Faulkner Field Excursions 1958-66

36 Section II- Wantage Branch. 1. Wantage Wharf SU 397881 Visited:- 11.9.59: 18.6.60: 13.5.61. Access:- Mill Street Wantage Photograph Nos:- 204, 205, 354, 366 Observations:- Basin completely filled. area contains various sheds, some sort of motor business, as many derelict vehicles about: part of original inclosing wall remains together with small building (ruinous condition) with 1830 date carved on (P204): fairly plain wharf house (P205): small weighbridge (?) [sack house Doug Small] building just within entrance gate - dilapidated as regards roof, but walls partly original brick, part renewed: one side built into wharf enclosing wall. Two small rooms ground floor (one with early 19th century cast iron fireplace)

C.E. Faulkner Field Excursions 1958-66

51 Longcot Top Lock and Old Wharf SU 275893 Visited:- 7.8.60: 10.9.60 Access:- From Uffington Photograph Nos:- 335 Observations:- Lock probably just west of bridge, but no remains seen. Remaining parapet (low) of bridge in existence, but arch filled with masonry //. Line west very overgrown with reeds etc.. Two buildings:- (a) cottage northeast of bridge, apparently period. (b) somewhat older(?) cottage northwest.

58 18. Bourton Wharf SU226879 Visited:- 13.5.61: 16.8.64 Access:- A 420 Photograph Nos:- 362, 363, 364, 499 Observations:- Line east to road well defined, slightly more overgrown on west line. Bridge filled in and railed. Interesting group of buildings. Wharf house, stables etc., but not examined in detail. Wharf house somewhat renovated (modern roof, windows etc.). Small stone built shed on canal bank probably original. (16-8-64) No change.

60 20. Acorn Bridge (fm), S Marston SU 208874 Visited:- 13.5.61 Access:- A 420 Photograph Nos:- Observations:- (by communication) present group of buildings date from 1877; no canal purpose. Saw some WBCC boundary stones preserved in garden. Canal line visible, but width reduced by infill for houses etc.. There was a stone edged wharf, now covered, and pub kept by Rix(?) who had cows, and transported milk by boat. Some reference to legal transactions with land when canal was abandoned: all original buildings pulled down с1877(?).

65 Bottom perhaps exists, but overgrowth too dense to verify. BRIDGES: Thirteen fixed road bridges on main line plus one on Longcot Branch, and two railway bridges. Best remaining (for obvious reasons) is G.W.R. at SU 218875: that at Longcot filled, but some brickwork remaining. Best road bridge is Shrivenham Arch (intact with towpath under it). Traces of original masonry at East Challow, Uffington (Wharf), Longcot Old Wharf, and Bridge B4508. Remainder probably small brick type; all filled and demolished: slight humping at Stockham and Bowles's. No swing or draw bridges, all crossing filled (but passable) BUILDINGS: Good contemporary wharf cottages at Old Longcot and Uffington, Bourton group (q.v), and mid 19th century Wharf House at Longcot new, with row of small cottages (v. abingdon: ormond terrace). Good lock cottages at Longcot Top and South Marston Top (this with later additions). 7. REMARKS: Milestone (Semington 39) found west of Kingston Common Bridge. Various WBCC boundary marker stones seen at South Marston wharf site.

Swindon Wharf, SU159849 Visited: 19.6.60; 3.6.61. Access: A420. Photograph Nos: - Observations: line W. from (4) ends abruptly in filling for ‘roundabout’ foundation. Wharf bldgs. &c, demolished some time ago, and Boro’ Fire Stn. erected on the site. Line W. surfaced FP on TP side. Wharf building dem. about 1956. There was large ho. “Fairholme” beside Whf, (?Wharfinger’s), dem. 1936 for Steel’s Garage site. Whf. abt. 200’ long, and cocoa factory nearby – 1/2560 O.S. Sht XV. 4 of 1886. (letter from Boro. Eng. 27.6.61).

73 From Wharf, line is well-defined space between walled buildings; abt. 50’ wide w. made-up T.P. as right-of-way: to 6. York Rd. Bridge [P. 240, 373, 374].* line narrows to pass beneath; a simple plate girder + underdeck, on wing walls and abutments of ‘railway’ brick, w. steps from TP 2 sides to road levels. (3.6.61) Demolition in progress. Steelwork gone & abutment walls being broken down. Rubble foundation centre of approach embanking thus visible. (see p.72). Line from here abt. 30 yd. rubbish, then becomes: 7. Fleming Way [P 290; 375] *. A metalled road w. pavements & lighting (Garrard factory), abt. 500 yd. long; entered by road from either Newcastle St. or end of Medgbury Rd.; W. end terminates (3.6.61) in line of posts, barring traffic; where line again becomes rough grassed space,

78 18a. Occupation Crossing, SU133827. 18. Wroughton Wharf, SU129823 Visited (18a) 30.8.62. (18) 14.9.59 Access from lane to W. Leaze. Photograph Nos. 229: 516. Observations: FP as per map no longer exists, line E of crossing fairly open: some growth to W, but line tending to merge into field. Crossing was originally Brick Br., but blown up by R.E. during war (for practice). Crossing now filled solid, but still a distinct rise. (18) Wharf Ho. was farm, and O. buildings mod. & converted to fm. uses, line quite distinct w. open space where goods loaded. House not v. typical, & suspect re-building. [18a poss. now obliterated by M4].

85 6. Buildings. No buildings known to have had direct connection w. canal remain in Swindon. There are various contemporary style (early 19th Cent) cottages & houses along the canal line in the town, but these are unlikely to remain for long. Wharf Houses at Wroughton & Hay Lane (the latter a v.g. example of the early 19th Cent). Lock cottage at Chaddington. 7. Remarks. (none).

105 Rd; at latter point a distinct hump probably representing site of old Br.; Line seems to disappear under site of largest gasholder (there was a lock here), w. no trace whatever of locks/cottages which once existed in vicinity. At some point further S (before reaching Rly) line merges into the “Cycle Track” – a made-up paved path running between boundary walls of Rly Works - & continues to Station Rd (S/don), Crossing Stn. Rd., line site is occupied by a fenced-in builder’s storage yard (J Webb), with FP alongside, for abt. 150 yd, then crosses Fleet St. and via Car Park Entrance to Junction (now Car Park site). [* (27.8.62: Rems. of M/don top lock found, inside P.Sta. gate to S; Bot. Lk. Site just inside gates (see Sk.Map page 108) site of bottom lock just inside gates at A. Small hedged enclosure at B may have been lock cottage site. No trace to be seen. Top lock is filled w. earth, &c, and a hard track runs on S line; but parapet of E wall just left visible & some masonry]

107 (Sept 89) Cd find no trace of the 2 Aqueducts between Latton and Cricklade. aqueduct. 4. Locks. Of 12 on this line, only 4 can be certainly located; viz. Latton?, Hayes Knoll, Pry, Crosslanes; and of these, only Pry and Hayes Knoll sufficiently to see actual masonry vestiges. The site of Moredon Lock can be conjectured from TP walk. 5. Bridges. Only remaining in occupation crossing at Farfield Lane (No. 10 q.v.), rest either were wood or brick (poss. Moredon & various in Swindon; no traces left except road humps (c.f. Dance Bridge) or fill across line. 6. Buildings. Wharf group at Chelworth well preserved; lock cottages at Latton, Hayes Knoll, (possibly) Crosslanes, & Pry, possibly also Wharf cottages at Pry Basin.

130 4. Locks. (see also 3) The heaviest locked section. 15, Chaddington to Stanley Junc. Sites or remains nearly all visible. 5. Bridges. None remaining, but all sites available. Partial traces exist in some instances. 6. Buildings; This section v. good in that respect. Lock houses at Chaddington, Dunnington, 7-locks, (possible) Foxham. Wharf houses and/or buildings at Vastern (for W. Basst), Dauntsey, (possibly) Foxham. 7. Remarks. Tockenham Reservoir (N.V.) seems to have had a retaining dam at one end. Although feeding below summit pound, it was probably meant to help with the heavy ...

C.E. Faulkner Field Excursions 1958-66