BASINGSTOKE CANAL PHOTO GUIDE

COLT HILL (ODIHAM) - NORTH WARNBOROUGH

Odiham By Pass Bridge

    
Galleon Marine, Odiham                                        Odiham Wharf
    

Views of Odiham Wharf and Colt Hill Bridge. This is where John Pinlerton, the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society's trip boat hull was delivered, the superstructure built over the winter and the completed boat launched on 20th May 1978. For the first two years the boat was confined to trips from Odiham to the Whitewater (King Johns Castle) winding hole. The picture at the bottom of the page taken in 1979 shows John Pinkerton after one of its trips westwards. The wharf was still a grassy bank, compared to the brick lined sides that can be seen today. The bridge itself looked in far better condition then, but it had just been repaired and repointed. A major difference between the bridge in 2002 and in 1979 is that then you could see the entire bridge! Odiham has some old buildings, including Mays Model Cottages.

Views around Odiham Wharf and Colt Hill Bridge. The view of the canal depot also shows the weedcutter.

    
Colt HIll Bridge from the west side. The Canal Authority has another small depot by Colt Hil bridge (right)

John Pinkerton at Colt Hill Bridge, 22 April 1979

Lodge Lane used to be a swing brigde at one time. On old maps it is simply knonw as Lodge Swing Bridge. The new bridge is a fixed structure with a substantial amount of headroom.

Loopy branch near Lodge Lane (bridge in distance)

Swan Bridge, North Warnborough is the last navigable brick bridge on the Hampshire length. (the next brick bridge westwards is Eastrop, on the unavigable section the far side of Grey well Tunnel.) The bridge prededes a very narrow section of canal westwards through a cutting. It must have been a squeeze for wide 13' 6" barges - although I am not aware that these ever travelled this far west - old pictures show only narrowboats on the western end even though the canal was built as a broad canal all the way to Basingstoke. North Warnborough has some attractive cottages, and also a ford over the River Whitewater. Despite being a deep one I managed to drive across it in 1979 - and the water then was right up to the bottom of the car doors!

Notice to cyclists - common on Basingstoke Bridges

BASINGSTOKE CANAL PHOTO GUIDE:

R. Wey - Scotland Bridge    Scotland Br - Woodham Top    Woodham - Chertsey Rd    Woking    St. Johns - Hermitage    Brookwood - Pirbright    Deepcut Locks   Deepcut - Frimley Aqueduct    Frimley - The Canal Centre    Through Ash Vale    Ash Aqueduct - Eelmoor    Eelmoor - Norris Hill    Norris Hill - Reading Road    Fleet - Chequers Bridge     Chequers - Double Bridge    Double Bridge - Dogsmerfield    Barley Mow - Broad Oak Bridge    Colt Hill - North Warnborough    N. Warnborough - Greywell    Main Page