BASINGSTOKE CANAL PHOTO GUIDE

NORRIS HILL - READING ROAD BRIDGE (FLEET)

Strange contraptions on a weir west of Norris Hill Bridge. Right: Another boundary stone - on this stretch they differ by being oblong, compared to the smaller rounded ones towards Aldershot.

Attractive reflections in this scene just east of Pondtail Bridges

Pondtail Bridges. The older bridge is actually the second one on the site, whilst the newer one was built in 1967. Perseverance the dregder ended its days here, and is now at the Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port. This plaque is found on the older of the Pondtail bridges.

The old and new Pondtail bridges

When I first became aware of the canal at Fleet, I was staying with friends and we heard that there had just been a major breach - this was late September of 1977. All of this section had emptied itself, I took my first picture of the Basingstoke on the night of September 23rd 1977.

Canal scene west of the Pondtail Bridges

Further scens around Fleet. Earlier I mentioned that the Basingstoke has an unusual scenario with trees that divide the towpath in two. In Fleet between Pondtail and Reading Road bridges, I found three of these examples, one complete with tree and two just stumps. They may not be much, but it fascinates me - I wonder - would a boat horse actually have a choice of which side they could take? 'Captain' was the name of the New Basingstoke Canal Company's horse - did he have special dispensation to go the wrong side of these trees?

This section was one of the first on the Basingstoke canal to be restored - by means of dredging to bring the channel up to navigable standards. HCC - or Hampshire County Council have made their impression with this marker post. Although the canal is adminstered by the Basingstoke Canal Authority, in essence its real owner are the county councils of Surrey and Hampshire.

    
Left - Yet more split towpaths at Fleet. Right - Reading Road Bridge

The bridge that bites the biscuit! Reading Road bridge in Fleet. It links the town of Fleet with the village of Church Crookham. Whilst it looks just like any other bridge, when it was built in 1953 few people must have ever envisaged the canal being used for boats again - certainly if any trading boats had passed this bridge they would have hopefully been laden to keep the 'gunwhales' down. But with the advent of pleasure boating it has presented a problem. The photograph below shows the cyclist bent down almost double. The available headroom for walkers? At the most a breathtaking four foot seven inches! For boats the official height is five foot ten.

Stoop - to conquer the Reading Road Bridge

BASINGSTOKE CANAL PHOTO GUIDE:

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